METSTRADE has announced that 58 products from 28 countries have been nominated to enter the final rounds of assessment for the 33rd edition of the globally recognised DAME Design Awards. Winners will be announced on the first day of the show, 19 November.
Following intensive online scrutiny of entries, the DAME Design Awards’s international jury – comprising nine leading design and user experts – gathered at RAI Amsterdam for hands-on assessment and discussion. For the first time, the Jury included a sustainability consultant and a master’s-level design student, adding fresh perspectives to the team’s broad expertise.
Two intensive days examining 114 submissions resulted in 58 products being selected for nomination. Winners for this year’s eight DAME categories will be selected from this group of nominees. One of those winners will be awarded the exclusive DAME Design Awards. The jury also confirmed it will announce a discretionary Environmental Design Award for the third year in succession.
Winners will be announced at the METSTRADE 2024 Breakfast Briefing in the RAI Amsterdam Convention Centre on 19 November, following a keynote speech by Terry Hutchinson, the experienced Skipper and President of Operations for America’s Cup team NYYC American Magic. This year’s DAME Design Awards entry fees will be donated to SailWise, a Dutch provider of multi-day, water sports activities and holidays for people with physical or sensory disabilities.
All 58 DAME-nominated products will be showcased in a special display at METSTRADE, located in Hall 13 (Elicium) at the heart of the show. The METSTRADE Theatre will host a panel featuring this year’s DAME Design Awards outright winner. Additionally, details of nominees and winners will be included within the Jury Report on the DAME Design Awards website – damedesignawards.com.
Strong evidence of sustainability themes
Andre Hoek, chair of the DAME jury, says: “It was very encouraging to see such a strong field of entries spanning the whole of the leisure marine sector, with products for people and the smallest boats right up to high-end superyacht equipment. You can see accelerating trends among the entries, such as the move towards electrification. There were welcome examples too of how sustainable design and the evolution of alternative materials are gaining traction.
Despite these obvious priorities, the Jury were pleased to see many products where designers have also iteratively improved the user experience and taken advantage of latest technologies to meet emerging market demands. Smart design unlocks the door to a fully sustainable approach, not just for improvement in obvious areas like manufacturing and recyclability, but also longevity, usability and serviceability. Our congratulations to all companies who participated this year – we never take your efforts for granted.
“I am once again grateful for the significant efforts and expertise of our jury members, existing and newly appointed. There were several changes in the team for 2024. We welcomed electronics expert Ben Stein, to replace the invaluable input of Ben Ellison who retired from the Jury last year. Yacht designer Klaus Roeder was last on the DAME Jury in 2014 and kindly stepped in on behalf of ICOMIA’s Technical Manager Patrick Hemp.
In seeking to add to our sustainability expertise we couldn’t have wished for a better assessor of 114 environmental statements than Amy Munro. And Olaf Bouwens provided excellent fresh insights as a passionate sailor and second year TU Delft Master’s student in Integrated Product Design. We hope to announce further details over the next year about how we will build on this new programme to ensure we have younger generational perspectives balancing the older heads in our team.
METSTRADE director Niels Klarenbeek adds: “From my own experience on the water, I know that well-designed marine equipment is essential for the enjoyment and safety of all participants. For 33 years, the DAME Design Awards have encouraged and inspired METSTRADE exhibitors and visitors to push the boundaries of exceptional design across all disciplines. Looking back, we can see just how much progress has been made. This year is no exception, with our DAME Jury reporting a range of excellently designed products that utilise both existing and emerging technologies to address key industry priorities such as sustainability and accessibility
“We look forward to showcasing this impressive group of nominees within the DAME Design Awards showcase in November and celebrating the winners at the METSTRADE Breakfast Briefing on 19 November.”
DAME Design Awards nominated products 2024
To view this year’s nominated products please visit damedesignawards.com/nominees
About the DAME Design Awards
Great end-to-end design is vital to improve manufacturing efficiency and product reliability. It plays a key role in sustainability and acknowledges that the marine industry must match the high customer expectations set by products in exemplar sectors, such as automotive and consumer electronics.
The DAME Design Award raises awareness of the need for a total design approach to marine equipment design, from aesthetics to functionality, integration to packaging and price efficiency to lifecycle management. It encourages continuous improvement and enables METSTRADE exhibitors from around the world to have their efforts assessed by experts and benchmarked in the marketplace.
DAME Jury 2024
This year’s DAME Jury is made up of nine individuals:
- Andre Hoek (chair), naval architect and yacht designer, founder of Hoek Design and Hoek Brokerage, The Netherlands
- Olaf Bouwens, student, Master’s in Integrated Product Design at TUDelft, The Netherlands
- Davide Cipriani, boat and industrial designer, president of yacht design at Centrostiledesign, Italy
- Rory Coase, yacht designer, Coase Design, Norway
- Ben Stein, editor of Panbo marine electronics hub, USA
- Arjen Jansen, senior lecturer, school for Industrial Design Engineering at TUDelft, The Netherlands
- Amy Munroe, sustainability consultant, Foxall Munro, UK
- Olivier Racoupeau, naval architect and boat designer, founder and owner of Berret Racoupeau Yachts, France (attended remotely)
- Klaus Roeder, yacht designer and surveyor, Technical Consultant DBSV Icomia, Germany.
The DAME Jury is supported by a non-voting secretary, Kim Hollamby of Hollamby Partnership, UK
Read more about the DAME Jury here: damedesignawards.com/jury
DAME categories
Winners will be selected from the nominated products in each of these categories:
- Personal equipment
If I was going on a charter, had a boat share arrangement, went boating with a friend or have my own boat, what would my personal kit be? - Comfort & entertainment afloat
If I don’t want to go boating in a bare hull, what kinds of equipment am I likely to need to ensure the comfort and enjoyment of all afloat? - Navigation & communication
If I was on the helm of a boat or bridge of a superyacht, what electronics and other equipment would I use to control and safely navigate it? - Electronic & electrical systems
If I need electrical power anywhere in the boat or to make networkable devices speak to each other, what systems and equipment would I use? - Propulsion & dynamics
If I want to move, steer, stabilise and trim the boat, what machinery and systems will I use? - Deck equipment
If I am sailing, mooring, anchoring and using the outdoor spaces on my boat, what hardware and equipment will I use? - Security & safety aboard
What is the equipment aboard that serves specifically to keep my boat secure, safe and capable of dealing with emergencies afloat? - Shoreside equipment & materials
What are all the items of off-vessel equipment, hardware, materials and software that help to construct and then support my boat from cradle to grave?
The overall DAME Design Awards winner will then be selected from the category winners.
The Jury will additionally name a product from among the field of DAME nominations as an Environmental Design Award winner if it finds an exemplar product that is well designed and has clear and obvious merit in terms of environmental impact.
