ABOUT US
The European Yacht of the Year Award is the most important, influential and most widely communicated boatbuilding prize worldwide. Often referred to as the „Oscar“ of yachting it reaches an international audience of several million sailing enthusiasts, boat owners and industry executives. Initiated by German sail magazine YACHT it was first presented at boot Düsseldorf in 2004. Today 12 magazines from all over Europe make up the jury, each of them the leading voice in their respective countries and respected beyond national borders.
What makes the European Yacht of the Year Award so unique is the diversity and experience of its jury as well as the unique format. Editors and test experts come together four times every year to nominate the candidates and put all the boats through their paces in joint sea trials for several days in a row. Since the first outing the jury has sailed more than 40.000 nautical miles together to find the best new boats – an unparalleled exposure which is making sure that only tried and tested models can claim the much sought-after trophy.
Meet The Team
Jochen Rieker
Yacht - Germany
Roland Duller
Yachtrevue - Austria
Morten Brandt
Baadmagasinet- Denmark
Pasi Nuutinen
Vene - Finland
Loic Madeline
Voiles & Voiliers - France
Marinus van Sijdenborgh de Jong
Zeilen - Netherland
Alberto Mariotti
Vela e Motore - Italy
Lori Schüpbach
Marina CH - Switzerland
Axel Nissen-Lie
Seilmagasinet - Norway
Joakim Hermansson
Praktiskt Båtägande - Sweden
Diego Yriarte
Náutica y Yates - Spain
Toby Hodges
Yachting World - England
Procedure
In the first five months of each year all members of the 12-strong jury pre-select the most promising new sailing yachts. They upload specifications, sailplans and renderings as well as comments to an intranet. This database is the common source of information for the nomination process which takes place in June. Once the top candidates in each catgory are chosen the yards are informed and the seatrials are organized. They usually take place before or after one of the major in-water boatshows during fall, ideally one in Northern and one in Southern Europe to keep travelling and boat deliveries to a minimum. Each of the two seatrials lasts for up to 5 days, with regular debriefings every evening when the editors get back form the boats. The final decisions are taken shortly before FlagshipNight, the opening ceremony of boot Düsseldorf at the end of January. There the European Yacht of the Year Awards – together with the European Powerboat if the Year Awards – are finally presented to the public, followed by a wave of publications in print, online and social media. #europeanyachtoftheyear
