Boat International Media recently announced the 10th anniversary edition of the World Superyacht Awards, which returns to the host city of Amsterdam on 9 May, 2015. Early interest has seen a flurry of nominations submitted for yachts launched during the qualifying period 1st January – 31st December 2014.
While nominations remain open until 30th November 2014, we look ahead to the judging process undertaken by our judges panel comprised of twenty superyacht owners - led by Chairman Roger Lean-Vercoe.
The meeting of the jury will take place in March 2015, in the picturesque city of Trieste, hosted by the Chamber of Commerce. The region boasts almost 8,000 square km of unspoilt natural beauty featuring a mountainous coastline that rolls into the deep blue sea of the north Adriatic.
Trieste's Chamber of Commerce will host the World Superyacht Awards Judges for their annual deliberation.
The historic town centre houses Trieste’s Chamber of Commerce, which hosted official international delegations during the G8 Summit in 2009. Here, our panel will come together to evaluate the quality of yachts delivered throughout 2014.
The culture of the city is rich and diverse. Positioned where the Alps and the Adriatic meet, the locality brings together Italian, Slavic and Germanic traditions. Drawing from the maritime history of these nations, and a wealth of services in the nautical district of Friuli Venezia Giulia, Trieste Yacht Berths and Trieste Refitting System were born. This network of local businesses unites Marina San Giusto, Porto San Rocco and Trieste Terminal Passeggeri as well as shipyard Officine Quaiat and its partners (Meccano Engineering, Ocean and Zinelli & Perizzi), creating an abundance of amenities for yachts including berthing, refuelling, maintenance, refitting and restyling works. Such facilities cater for superyachts of all sizes and in recent years have attracted megayachts including Al Said *(155m), *Eclipse (162m), Topaz (147m) and many more.
Prior to the meeting in Trieste, each judge will be presented with a detailed dossier containing information, images and testimonies for each yacht. In addition, each judge will undertake extraordinary efforts to visit as many of the contending yachts as possible in order to objectively evaluate the finalists. Many of the judges are present at the Monaco Yacht Show where they will view nominated yachts. Viewings will continue to take place until the judges convene in Trieste.
Winning yachts in their categories will be presented with a prestigious Neptune trophy at the World Superyacht Award gala evening.