The DAME Design Awards at METSTRADE (15-17 November 2023) has opened for entries with completely new categories this year, which are said to reflect the rapidly changing nature of marine technology and the industry’s future customers.

DAME entries in 2023 will be judged against these eight new categories, with everything being assessed, from functionality, and innovation, through to integration, practicality of use, price to performance ratio and presentation.

Entrants must also explain how environmental impact reduction has been considered across the whole product design.

New DAME categories

With a revised focus on a product’s purpose and application to assist judging, the new DAME categories are listed below, followed by a brief explanation to illustrate where a boat user or marine industry professional might encounter the products being entered:

  1. 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?
  2. 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?
  3. 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?
  4. 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?
  5. Propulsion & Dynamics
    If I want to move, steer, stabilise and trim the boat, what machinery and systems will I use?
  6. Deck equipment
    If I am sailing, mooring, anchoring and using the outdoor spaces on my boat, what hardware and equipment will I use?
  7. Security & Safety aboard
    What is the equipment aboard that serves specifically to keep my boat secure, safe and capable of dealing with emergencies afloat?
  8. 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 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.

Entries open

Entries to the 2023 DAME Design Awards are now open. Participation is open to manufacturers and authorised suppliers who are registered as exhibitors or co-exhibitors at the METSTRADE Show.

Entries are made online, closing on 16 September 2023. This will be followed by a month-long process of virtual and physical assessment, led by an experienced Jury of 10 comprising leading boat, interior, and industrial designers, and user experts.

In a final two-day product inspection meeting at RAI Convention Center Amsterdam, a shortlist of entries will be selected, before identifying the best product in each category as well as an overall winner. Yacht designer, Andre Hoek, will chair the Jury again this year. 

Last year (2022), Ocean Signal’s RescueME PLB3 AIS Personal Locator Beacon was announced as the Overall Winner of the DAME Awards.

DAME Charity
Each year, the DAME Awards’ total registration fees are contributed to a designated charity. This year proceeds from the DAME Awards will be donated to The Magenta Project, a passionate collective working towards greater equity and inclusion in sailing, with a focus on gender.

METSTRADE 2023 will run from 15-17 November 2023 at the RAI Convention Centre in Amsterdam, where it will celebrate its 35th anniversary.

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