BOAT BUILDER AWARDS FOR BUSINESS ACHIEVEMENT 2024

TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION

The Boat Builder Awards for Business Achievement, jointly run by IBI and METSTRADE, recognises the significant contributions of individuals, teams and supply chain partners within boat building companies globally. This prestigious and widely recognised awards programme has been supported since inception by headline sponsor, Raymarine.

The critical influence of boat and superyacht production and refit activity across the whole industry cannot be under-estimated. The 2024 edition of the Boat Builder Awards will raise awareness of the great work that has happened since last September by considering entries in six categories spanning design, innovation, collaborative working, environmental responsibility, marketing and personal achievement.

Entry to the Boat Builder Awards is free and open to boatbuilders, shipyards, and manufacturers of leisure boats and superyachts or, for some categories, those employed by them. Nominations can be made by anyone in the marine industry. See each category for the type of nomination expected.

The grand gala Boat Builder Awards evening will be held on Wednesday 20 November 2024 at the Amsterdam National Maritime Museum, the evening of the second day of METSTRADE.

 

Award Nominations

1) Nominations can be made directly by the individuals or businesses whose activities, products and services are entered, or by any professional working within the leisure marine industry who wishes to highlight the good work of others.

2) Multiple nominations can be made by one individual, but each nomination should be unique.

3) To nominate yourself, your business or a third party, complete and submit the online application form at https://www.ibinews.com/bba2024 by 27 September 2024.

4) All nominations must comply with these terms and conditions and with the award categories to be eligible for judgement.

5) Nominations should include clear information, in English, with as much explanation as possible, completing all mandatory fields including a statement regarding the product, initiative or person being nominated and a statement as to why they should win the award.

6) Please remember that the more information the judges have to work with, the better the chances of recognition. Nominations should also include:

a. One or more PDF documents supplying additional supporting information, such as:

i. letters of support reflecting the nominee’s initiatives and achievements;

ii. articles or other media pieces portraying the nominee’s efforts;

iii. presentations, brochures, project and/or company reports illustrating the merits of the nomination and explaining the product, service, initiative, business(es) or person being nominated;

b. Good quality digital high-resolution images (only jpg or png format, at least 1920x1080 pixels) of the product, service, initiative, business(es) and/or person(s), including company logos for publication.

c. Links to videos, if available.

 

Validity

1) The Lifetime Achievement Award has no specific timeframe of activity.

2) For the Rising Star category, nominees should be no older than age 35 on 20 November 2024.

3) For all other categories, the nominated products, initiatives and services should have been released, improved, implemented or launched onto the market between 1 September 2023 until 20 November 2024.

4) Nominations and the products, services and initiatives described must not infringe the intellectual property rights of other businesses.

5) No transfer of intellectual property rights or copyright is inferred by entry in the Boat Builder Awards. The co-organisers, RAI Amsterdam and Boat International Media Ltd, respect all rights vested in original designs, initiatives and concepts. RAI Amsterdam and Boat International Media Ltd do not take position in any intellectual property or copyright dispute.

6) Entrants should note that:

a. Any nominated products that fall under Annex II of the EU Recreational Craft Directive (2013/53/EU) must comply with this directive and be CE marked if intended for sale in the EEA.

b. Any nominated products must comply with any EU legal requirements such as the EMC and Machinery Directives, where applicable, if intended for sale in the EEA.

c. Any nominated products must comply with the national and regional regulations of any other countries where they are marketed, sold or operated.

d. Additionally, entrants should indicate if the product complies with any ISO standards or Classification Society Rules where these would apply in service.

7) Any entry that does not conform to the requirements described above will not be eligible for consideration by the Judges.

8) The Judges may re-allocate a nomination to a different category if they find it might be more appropriately placed there.

9) No RAI Amsterdam or Boat International Media Ltd personnel or persons involved in the judging or administration of the competition may take part in the competition.

a. A judge with any commercial interest in an entry will notify the Chair and recluse himself / herself from judging the category or categories in which the nomination is made.

10) No sponsor may be nominated for the category that they sponsor.

 

Presentation of nominations

1) All shortlisted nominations may be featured on the Boat Builder Awards presentation within METSTRADE. The competition organisers will be responsible for the set-up using materials supplied in the entry and/or solicited from the nominee.

2) All shortlisted nominations will be featured at the Boat Builder Awards dinner on the evening of Wednesday 20 November 2024 using materials supplied in the entry and/or solicited from the nominee.

 

Announcements

1) A press release of the shortlisted nominations will be sent out in the run-up to METSTRADE.

2) The shortlisted nominations and category winners will be announced at the Boat Builder Awards ceremony on 20 November 2024. All shortlisted nominees will be invited to attend.

3) Press release, social media, video, IBI coverage and METSTRADE Daily News coverage of the winning nominations will be circulated immediately following the Boat Builder Awards ceremony and feature thereafter for at least the 12 months following on the Boat Builder Awards site and other media.

 

Boat Builder Awards judging panel 2024

The award is judged by an international panel of experts, chaired by Ed Slack, Editorial Director of IBI – names of the other members of the panel will be released on the Boat Builder Awards website – https://www.ibinews.com/bba2024

The Boat Builder Awards panel of Judges is supported by a non-voting secretary, Mr Kim Hollamby, Hollamby Partnership, UK.

 

Judging Criteria:

1) The Judges will draw upon their broad experience of the marine industry and the information and images submitted within nominations to make their assessments.

2) For each category, the Judges will be looking for examples of best practice including innovation, sustainable approach, commercial viability and advancement in design. For categories focused on people, the Judges will be looking for inspirational examples of service, work, leadership and advancement of skills and careers within the boat building sector.

 

Boat Builder Awards categories

 

Breakthrough Launch of the Year

Entry open to boat builder and shipyard companies.

Nominees will have created and launched a new company, class, range or model that is a market disruptor or discernibly drives the development of its yachting or boating sector.

 

Innovative Design Solution

Entry open to boat builder and shipyard companies and design companies.

Nominees will have innovated a specific single new feature or design solution that enhances the appeal to end customers and/or to improve the function or efficiency of a production boat or one-off yacht.

 

Collaborative Solution between a Builder and its Supply Chain Partner

Entry open to boat builder or shipyard companies and their supply chain partner(s).

Boat builder or superyacht yard and their supply chain partner joint nominee(s) will have co-operated closely to improve an aspect of a new build’s sales potential, performance, or services.

 

Retail marketing initiative

Entry open to boat builders, shipyards and their official distributors.

Boat builder nominees, working alone or in collaboration with dealers, will have demonstrated real innovation in sales and marketing initiatives to expand their marketplace.

 

Sustainability Project of the Year

Entry open to boat builder and shipyard companies.

Nominees in this category will have made changes to improve their business and/or production processes that have resulted in objectively measurable reductions in environmental impact at point of manufacture and/or through a boat’s full lifecycle.

 

Eco-focused Launch of the Year – under 10m loa

Entry open to boat builder and shipyard companies.

Nominated boats and yachts under 10m loa will show demonstratable reduction in environmental impacts compared to immediate past practice across development, manufacturing, and lifetime use.

 

Eco-focused Launch of the Year – over 10m loa

Entry open to boat builder and shipyard companies.

Nominated boats and yachts over 10m loa will show demonstratable reduction in environmental impacts compared to immediate past practice across development, manufacturing, and lifetime use.

 

Designer of the Year

Entry open to designers and design teams working for boat builders, shipyards and independent agencies.

Nominees will have made a notable, creative and innovative contribution to one or more naval architecture, design or interior design boat or superyacht projects.

 

People and Skills Development

Entry open to boat builder and shipyard companies, trade associations and dedicated marine training establishments.

Nominees will have created initiatives, formal schemes or informal support practices to improve the skills, knowledge and retention of individuals and teams across any discipline of the boat building workforce.

 

Rising Star

Entry open to individuals aged 35 or under on 19 November 2024 working for a boat builder or shipyard.

Nominees will have been making a growing impact on any aspect of their business, from design and production, to management, buying and any other boat building discipline.

 

Lifetime Achievement Award

Entries open to individuals working for a boat builder or shipyard.

This hall of fame award is for a person who has made a lifetime’s contribution as a boat builder. Nominees will have made a significant impact on the boat or superyacht ­­building businesses that they have been associated with throughout their careers.

 

The following prizes are offered:

Category winner: a Boat Builder Awards trophy and certificate

Honourable Mention: a Boat Builder Awards certificate

Finalist: a Boat Builder Awards certificate

 

General Information:

1) The Jury will reach its decision in October. Shortlisted nominations will be informed during October, by e-mail.

2) There are no cash or other alternatives to the prizes.

3) If the Judges do not consider any of the nominations submitted to be of sufficient quality, they can decline to award a prize for any given Category.

4) The decision of the Judges is final. There will be no opportunity to question the decisions of the Judges and no correspondence will be entered into.

5) The boat builder, shipyard or manufacturer mentioned in any nomination will receive primary recognition for any boats, yachts, products, initiatives or services which the Judges consider for an award.

6) Businesses and individuals making or soliciting nominations for their own products, initiatives, services or personnel are considered, by virtue of their participation in the competition, as having granted permission for the entries to be featured and their names to be published. They also grant permission for circulation of entry photographs, videos and product descriptions for the purposes of Boat Builder Awards presentation and publicity, including display at METSTRADE and publication in RAI, Boat International Media Ltd and third-party media.

7) Businesses and individuals making nominations for or on behalf of third parties are considered, by virtue of their nomination, as having granted permission for their comments to be used anonymously for the purposes of Boat Builder Awards presentation and publicity, including display at METSTRADE and publication in RAI, Boat International Media Ltd and third-party media.

8) Businesses and individuals who have received unsolicited nominations will, if shortlisted, be approached for permission for the entries to be featured and their names to be published. They will also supply if required, and grant permission, for circulation of entry photographs, videos and product descriptions for the purposes of Boat Builder Awards presentation and publicity, including display at METSTRADE and publication in RAI, Boat International Media Ltd and third-party media. If such permission is not granted, the business or individual accepts that their nomination might be withdrawn, with no recourse.

9) All businesses and individuals recognise, by virtue of their participation, the rules of the contest and agree to adhere to these rules unconditionally.

 

For more information please contact:

boatbuilderawards@ibinews.com