Boat Builder Awards at Metstrade 2024

The Boat Builder Awards were handed out during a ceremony at the Amsterdam Maritime Museum in conjunction with 2024 Metstrade. Organized by International Boat Industry and Metstrade, the annual awards program recognized boatbuilders across 11 categories.

For the 10th edition of the awards, 97 nominations were accepted for final consideration across 11 categories that reflect industry priorities, including innovation, customer growth, sustainability, and people and skills. A total of 31 companies were shortlisted as finalists, with 11 winners and three honorable mentions named.

“It hardly seems possible that we have already just celebrated a decade of the Boat Builder Awards for Business Achievement,” International Boat Industry editor-in-chief Ed Slack said in a statement. “We launched this initiative with Metstrade in 2015, sharing the belief that individuals and companies within the global yacht construction sector deserved greater recognition for their advances and achievements.

“This year’s awards have thrown a spotlight on how the industry is finding brilliantly innovative ways to improve sustainability, meet changing customer demographics and expand its talent pool,” Slack added.

“Each year, we pause from our busy schedules to recognize often uncelebrated individual and company achievements, turning them into high-profile life memories, permanently etched into the blueprints of our industry,” Metstrade director Niels Klarenbeek said in the statement. “Our congratulations go to the winners and finalists of this year’s special edition of the Boat Builder Awards.”

2024 Award Winners

• Breakthrough Launch of the Year: Sunseeker International, Ocean 156
• Innovative Design Solution: Faro Boats, Powerdock
• Collaborative Solution between a Builder and its Supply Chain Partner: Azimut and Volvo Penta, IPS hybrid system
• Retail Marketing Initiative: Manitou by BRP, Kirk Cousins Campaign
• Sustainability Project of the Year: Williams Jet Tenders
• Eco-Focused Boat of the Year — Under 10 meters: De Antonio Yachts, E23
• Eco-Focused Boat of the Year — Over 10 meters: Beneteau Group, Island Cruising Concept
• Designer of the Year: Japec and Jernej Jakopin, co-founders, J&J Design
• People and Skills Development: Riviera Australia, Academy of Excellence
• Rising Star: Marieke de Boer, founder, IMPACD Yachts
• Lifetime Achievement: Mohammed Hussein Al Shaali, Gulf Craft

The Boat Builder Awards is free to enter; nominations can be self-submitted or on behalf of companies or people, and awards are presented in 11 categories.

Details: https://www.ibinews.com/bba2024/winners-and-finalists