Nominations open for 3rd international electric boat awards

Nominations are now open for the third annual Gustave Trouvé Awards awarded for excellence in electric boats and boating.

The international electric boat awards began in 2020 and awards will be presented in ten categories and sub categories:

  • Electric boats under 8m/26ft: 
    • Boats in serial production
    • Boats In development
  • Electric boats over 8m/26ft: 
    • Boats in serial production
    • Boats In development
  • Electric boats designed for paying passengers: 
    • Boats in serial production
    • Boats In development
  • Electric sailboats: 
    • Boats in serial production
    • Boats In development
  • Customised / DIY electric boats
  • Electric work boats (new for this year)

Nominations and submissions are open until 25 September, at which time the international panel will review all entries and select the finalists. Public voting for the third annual Gussies will begin 1 October and winners will be announced 31 October 2022.

‘The Gussies’, as the awards are known in the electric boat world, are organised by Plugboats.com and remain the only international boating awards to focus exclusively on electric boats and boating.

Plugboats says the awards, named after the French inventor Gustave Trouvé, were created to recognise the inventors, designers, manufacturers, entrepreneurs and visionaries that are making advances every day to develop clean, quiet, zero emission technologies and designs to reduce reliance on fossil fuel for marine propulsion.

Winners are selected through a combination of online public voting and voting by an international panel of industry experts. The panel will select finalists from the submitted nominations and public voting will follow. 

The international panel is made up of delegates from electric boat associations around the world and, new for this year, representatives from the 11 past Gussies winning companies. The panel’s choices will be weighted at 60 per cent of the final decision and the public votes at 40 per cent.

“It is remarkable to see the growth of electric boats since the first Gussies in 2020 and the number of designers and manufacturers that are advancing the technology and accessibility of e-boating literally everywhere,” says Jeff Butler, editor and publisher of Plugboats and founder of The Gussies. 

“There is also a refreshing competitive camaraderie in the industry. I know the past winners are excited to be on the panel not only as judges, but in the role of rewarding excellence as everyone pushes themselves and others to promote zero emission boating and literally help change the world.”

Past winners on the panel will be: Cantiere Ernesto Riva, ecomarine, Freepower Solar Boat, Lamarca Engenharia, Maid of the Mist, ABB, Navalt, Silent-Yachts, Swiss Sustainable Yachts, Sunreef Yachts, Zen Yachts and Zodiac Nautic.

The electric boat associations of the UK, France, USA, Greece, Switzerland and Canada are joined by Venice 2028 and Germany’s Friends of the Finow Canal.

Members of the public as well as manufacturers and others in the marine industry are welcome to nominate any electric boat, with all the information available on Plugboats.