BOAT International is delighted to announce the finalists of the 2026 Artistry & Craft Awards, held in association with Parkway England. These awards honour the often-unseen makers whose dedication and precision bring the most intricate elements of a yacht to life.
The trio of categories – Excellence in Craftsmanship, Outstanding Collaborative Creation and Emerging Artisan of the Year – shines a spotlight on the talented individuals whose work elevates yacht design to new heights. The panel sought out remarkable pieces and finishes that elevate the onboard experience, whether rooted in traditional disciplines like marquetry and leathercraft or driven by innovative, forward-looking approaches to materials, sustainability and technology.
This year’s distinguished judging panel comprised Parkway England's CEO Jay Ruston; art dealer and curator Adrian Sassoon; Qest (Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust)'s CEO Deborah Pocock LVO; Winch Design's senior interior designer Julia Dean, who replaced Andrew Winch this year; Nature Squared's co-founder Lay Koon Tan; and chairman Christopher Whale, group creative director of BOAT International.
Judges abstained from evaluating submissions in which they were personally involved as commissioning designers.
Following a thorough review of all submissions, the Artistry & Craft Awards panel selected the standout finalists…
Emerging Artisan of the Year
This award brings to light an artisan whose object has recently appeared, or will soon appear, on board a yacht for the first time, and who shows outstanding talent and promise.
Zena Holloway
Object: Wall lights
Yacht: Nasiba
Interior designer: Winch Design
Zena Holloway is a bio-designer and founder of Rootfull. With over 25 years as an underwater photographer and creative director, she leverages her understanding of marine ecosystems to design sustainable, living materials. Her work transforms plant roots into functional, aesthetic and environmentally conscious interior art.
The bespoke wall lamps were developed for the dining area of Nasiba using entirely zero-VOC, chemical-free and pest-free materials. Each lamp’s intricate root network is grown from grass roots, guided with natural biopolymer binders and hand-stitched onto a wire frame. The roots are shaped using wax templates which are carved to create upright, sculptural forms that diffuse light while revealing the organic textures of the plant fibres. A custom organic cotton fabric provides additional structure, allowing each root sheet to wrap around the lamp frame seamlessly. Standard electrical fittings illuminate the roots, emphasising their vertical, ocean-inspired forms.
Sarah Jerath
Object: River stone collection
Yacht: Nasiba
Interior designer: Winch Design
Created for a wellness-inspired explorer yacht, this hand-built porcelain collection spans nearly 500 pieces, from teapots and bowls to goblets and serving dishes. Inspired by stones gathered from a nearby river, each piece incorporates these river stones and reflects a dialogue between earth and water, combining tactile solidity with crystalline, reflective glazes.
Made using coiling and slab techniques, the collection meets precise marine specifications while maintaining individuality, durability and cohesion. Collaboration with Winch Design ensured functional requirements were met without compromising creative freedom.
The River Stone Collection complements the yacht’s natural, low-toxicity interior, celebrating slow living, craftsmanship and the reflective beauty of porcelain at sea.
Yoshinori Nagashima
Object: Cutlery set
Yacht: Nasiba
Interior designer: Winch Design
Metal artist Yoshinori Nagashima is supported by a London-based artisanal Japanese tableware company called Yuzemi, which forges connections between Japan’s contemporary craftspeople, like Nagashima, and the wider world. Nagashima was commissioned to expand his signature Zemmai Series into a complete dining collection for the 44.3-metre Cantiere delle Marche yacht Nasiba.
What began as a small range of six pieces evolved into 598 hand-crafted stainless-steel utensils, including twelve full place settings, thirty pairs of chopsticks with rests and a suite of serving tools. Inspired by the curled form of the fiddlehead fern, each piece carries a subtle spiral motif and is shaped to balance beauty with everyday practicality. Nagashima’s work references the contrasting nature of water – calm and forceful – resulting in silhouettes that feel simultaneously fluid and grounded.
Every utensil is made entirely by hand using heating, forging and TIG welding, before being finished with an acid wash and a final reheating that produces a soft blue tone which develops a warm patina over time. Production for each piece ranged from 40 to 70 minutes, with continuous prototyping to perfect the weight and feel.
Excellence in Craftsmanship
This award recognises an object whose construction is, in the judges’ view, second to none. Whether it uses time-honoured skills such as marquetry and leatherwork, or new techniques that push the boundaries of sustainability, technology and materials, the object must be bespoke work created specifically for a new yacht. It can be created by an individual or a team.
Aryma
Object: Cork marquetry map
Yacht: Nasiba
Interior designer: Winch Design
With over 25 years of experience, Aryma specialises in bespoke marquetry for walls, furniture and objects, producing both figurative and abstract designs. Aryma was commissioned to create a bespoke cork map for a children’s playroom on board Nasiba – a piece designed to spark curiosity while celebrating natural materials. The map stretches across a cupboard door and the underside of a pull-down bed, blending functional elements with a playful, decorative landscape centred on Costa Rica’s capital, San José.
Crafted primarily from cork – a material new to Aryma’s artisans – the artwork brings organic warmth with its soft textures and earthy tones. A diverse palette of corks was used to distinguish land, ocean and borders, while a timber marquetry compass and boat motif added fine details, creating a mixed-media piece entirely from natural materials.
Each element was hand-cut, laser-etched and meticulously assembled over three weeks, forming precise tiles ready for installation. The result is a tactile, richly textured map that serves as both an accurate representation and a striking focal point within the room.
Eva Mechler
Object: Sculpted sinks
Yacht: ALY501
Interior designer: Liaigre
For Alia Yachts' 50-metre full-custom ALY501 yacht, furniture maker and designer Eva Mechler created seven sculpted wooden sinks, each carved from carefully selected natural timbers. The woods were smoked to produce a spectrum of tones, allowing every basin to reveal its own grain patterns and character while remaining visually harmonious as a collection.
Mechler oversees each commission from sketch through to final installation, and these sinks are no exception. They were shaped using a blend of traditional hand-carving and advanced techniques such as 3D modelling, prototyping and precision machine carving, depending on the needs of each form. Integrated mounting points were engineered into every piece, enabling the basins to be installed, removed and refitted without damage - a crucial requirement for long-term serviceability on board.
Designed to last for generations, the sinks are finished with natural care materials and are accompanied by guidelines for the crew, ensuring the wood ages beautifully despite its contact with water. The result is a set of sculptural, highly functional basins that showcase Mechler’s mastery of both craftsmanship and material understanding.
Manolito Santillan
Object: Mirrors
Yacht: Breakthrough
Interior designer: RWD
Created for the dayheads on board Feadship’s groundbreaking 118.8-metre yacht Breakthrough, these bespoke mirrors merge traditional hand-weaving with subtle integrated lighting. Each frame is wrapped in a continuous length of sustainably sourced rattan, hand-woven by artisan Manolito Santillan with such precision that no joins are visible.
The rattan is applied over a frame curved in two directions – a technically demanding surface that requires exceptional control to achieve a seamless finish. Hidden halo lighting sits behind the weave, gently illuminating the mirror’s edges and bringing the organic texture to life.
The result is a piece that appears elegantly simple yet reveals remarkable craftsmanship, balancing refined detailing with warm, understated technology.
Outstanding Collaborative Creation
This award recognises exceptional collaboration between two or more individuals. The object must still display excellence in craftmanship to the highest degree, however, the judges will also consider the level and success of the collaborative effort.
Alexandra Llewellyn
Object: Bespoke board games
Yacht: Valor
Interior designer: Bannenberg & Rowell
A casual backgammon game in Alexandra Llewellyn’s Belgravia studio led to the creation of a trio of bespoke games for 79.5-metre Feadship yacht Valor: a tournament backgammon board, a circular backgammon set and a solitaire game. Designed by Llewellyn in close collaboration with her team of artisans and marquetry specialist, the collection celebrates storytelling, craftsmanship and the shared experience of play.
Over six months, Llewellyn and her network of artisans developed each piece using centuries-old marquetry techniques. Thousands of hand-cut veneers, shell and metal elements were inlaid with precision, with seven workshops contributing specialist skills in joinery, inlay, leatherwork and finishing.
Each game carries its own narrative – from celestial navigation to the drama of the ocean – realised through carefully chosen materials, perfectly weighted playing pieces and immaculate detailing. The result is a set of modern heirlooms made to be handled, enjoyed and passed down through generations on board Valor.
RWD & Hull Studio
Object: Staircase walling
Yacht: Breakthrough
Interior designer: RWD
At the centre of Breakthrough, a sweeping installation of carved oak forms a sculptural narrative that rises through every deck. Conceived by RWD and Hull Studio, the walling celebrates contemporary British craft, uniting digital innovation with meticulous hand-finishing.
Each level expresses a different “cross-section” of the sea – from deep corals to sandy seabeds, the water’s shimmering surface and finally the calm of the shoreline. The patterns were digitally modelled using software adapted from the film and gaming industries, then CNC-carved before being refined by hand through extensive sanding and finishing.
Crafted from bleached and limed solid oak with fine U-groove detailing, the installation flows continuously up the stairwell, embodying the project’s design DNA: a seamless blend of material honesty, innovation and artisanal skill.
RWD & Hull Studio
Object: Vanity Table
Yacht: Breakthrough
Interior designer: RWD
A sculptural vanity that marries artistry with precision craftsmanship. Its organic form is wrapped in stitched leather and suede, accented with brushed stainless steel. Functional elegance is provided by a sectioned drawer for personal items.
Collaboration with the interior contractor ensured the seamless integration of a decorative stainless steel rod supporting the mirrors up to the ceiling. An oval mirror, accompanied by a magnifying satellite mirror, is softly halo-lit, completing a composition of refined form and practical function.
Read More/Everything you need to know about the BOAT Artistry & Craft Awards 2026The winners of the BOAT Artistry & Craft Awards will be announced at the Superyacht Design Festival in Kitzbühel on 1-3 February 2026. Tickets are available to buy now.
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