Shortlist for DAME Design Award 2017

The annual DAME Design Award 2017 competition has selected 64 products from a total field of 122 entries to enter the final round. This year’s entry of nominees from 22 countries demonstrated the continued growth of interest in the DAME Awards, which is held in conjunction with the METSTRADE Show in Amsterdam.

“The overall standard has improved again compared to last year’s entries, and there were many items of interest for all aspects of naval architecture, exterior styling and interior design,” said DAME Jury Chairwoman Birgit Schnaase. “Our strong team of new and existing Jury members applied their expert knowledge and experience, and engaged in fruitful debate. We have had quite a few detailed discussions on the products themselves and the effect that we think they will have within the future of the marine industry.

“The marine sector’s end users are changing – older and younger generations often have different ideas about what they want from a boat and their marine equipment, with younger people often forgoing their own boat and preferring more accessible products. Wealthier customers’ tastes are diverging even more from those of other users. We are seeing welcome evidence that products are being developed to address these market changes.”

The DAME winners will be announced on the opening day of the METSTRADE Show 2017, which will take place at the RAI Amsterdam Convention Centre on November 14 to 16.

About the DAME Award
Now in their 27th edition, the DAME Awards are unrivalled in their ability to promote a wide range of marine equipment design, stimulating everything from aesthetics to functionality, integration to packaging, and price efficiency to lifecycle management. There is a steady stream of new and exciting products for the Jury to examine: this reflects the successes achieved by exhibitors at the METSTRADE Show as they continue to push boundaries and work to match the ever-increasing expectations of the marine industry’s customers and its supply chain.

In its assessments, the Jury seeks to emphasise the importance of design for all kinds of marine products. The DAME Jury also considers the expected impact of the entries on the marine industry at large, their suitability for the intended purpose, the level of innovation, cost, ease of use or installation, and environmental impact. The overall winner and up to seven category winners are chosen from the nominated entries. Products that do not win any awards outright but are considered exceptional are given a Special Mention.

DAME Winners showcased at the METSTRADE Show 2017
The nominated and winning products will be on display at a dedicated stand in the I-nnovationLAB, and all the winning companies will present their products on the I-nnovationLAB Stage in Hall 6.

DAME categories
The shortlisted products are divided into seven categories:

• Marine electronics and related software
• Interior equipment, furnishings, materials and electrical fittings used in cabins
• Marina equipment, boatyard equipment and boat construction tools & materials
• Deck equipment, sails and rigging
• Clothing and crew accessories
• Lifesaving and safety equipment
• Machinery, propulsion, mechanical and electrical systems & fittings

DAME Jury 2017
Several DAME Jury members completed their term in 2016 and were replaced by experts such as the renowned naval architect and boat designer Olivier Racoupeau and multidisciplinary designer Davide Cipriani from Centrostiledesign. Two guest Jury members were welcomed to the panel – Klaus Röder of Carpe Diem Yacht Design and freelance technical journalist David Marsh.

Birgit Schnaase took over the DAME Awards chair from Bill Dixon, who thus concluded his successful time at the helm. Schnaase is no stranger to DAME, having first joined the Jury in 2012, and provided valuable insight from her 22 years of experience as an engineer and interior designer working on notable yacht, aircraft and house interior design projects.

This year’s DAME Jury is made up of nine leading industry experts:

• B. Schnaase, Schnaase Interior Design, Germany – chair of the DAME Jury
• N. Calder, independent technical marine journalist, USA
• P. Hemp, ICOMIA, United Kingdom
• Dr A. J. Jansen, TU Delft, the Netherlands
• J.F. de Prémorel, Beneteau Groupe, France
• O. Racoupeau, Berret-Racoupeau Yacht Design, France
• D. Cipriani, Centrostiledesign, Italy
• K. Röder, Carpe Diem Yacht Design, Germany
• D. Marsh, technical marine journalist, United Kingdom

The DAME 2017 Jury is supported by the non-voting secretary K. Hollamby from the United Kingdom.

For the full list of nominees… click here.