DAME Awards winners 2023 revealed

Oceanvolt’s HighPower ServoProp 25 has been announced as the overall winner of the DAME Design Awards at METSTRADE 2023.

Andre Hoek, chair of the DAME Award jury, presented the 32nd-anniversary edition of the DAME Awards at the opening of the METSTRADE show this morning (15 November 2023) during the METSTRADE Breakfast Briefing in the RAI Amsterdam Convention Centre.

Commenting on the result, Hoek said: “The jury would like to thank everyone who entered this year’s DAME Awards. The efforts of companies who offer their products for such detailed scrutiny are always appreciated, and we are always mindful of the time, resources and passion required to bring each product to market. This year we shortlisted 53 out of 100 entries, the highest ratio of nominees since 2016. That is indicative of the quality we saw across a healthy mix of genuinely new concepts as well as fresh design ideas for existing gear that has been with us for many years.”

Oceanvolt is a Finnish electric motor manufacturer founded in 2004 by Janne Kjellman. The HighPower ServoProp 25 (HPSP25) is a 25kW electric saildrive equipped with a controllable pitch propeller.

The jury commended this 25kW electric saildrive as an ‘excellently conceived and engineered product that tangibly moves the goalposts for 45-70ft sailboats by providing a reliable and extremely quiet option for electrification’.

The jury found that Oceanvolt’s use of its controllable pitch propeller technology ‘ensures maximum efficiency for propulsion and hydrogeneration, with the system able to return up 5kW of power when the yacht is sailing at 10 knots’. The jury also noted the ‘careful thought’ that had been given to installation and ease of servicing when long-distance sailing.

A total of 53 products from 19 countries across four continents were nominated for the DAME Award 2023 competition.

“As the DAME Awards reminds us annually, applying all facets of good design practice will benefit any product, large or small, simple or intricate,” continued Hoek. “There were noticeably more entries this year supporting the boat electrification agenda, but it must not be forgotten that the drive towards net zero must influence all new products in the industry today. Improving the lifecycle impacts of marine equipment is an imperative for any design process. The environmental statements we request for each entry give reason to believe the industry is moving in that direction while also highlighting there is much more to do.”

The DAME Design Awards at METSTRADE featured eight completely new categories this year, reflecting the rapidly changing nature of marine technology and the industry’s future customers.

For the first time, all entrants were required to explain how environmental impact reduction has been considered across the whole product design. The international jury of eight leading design and user experts assembled in the DAME Award’s specially created assessment room at RAI Amsterdam to spend two intensive hands-on days examining 100 submissions.

Nine products took category wins, 14 more received special mentions, and the jury named its second Environmental Design Award this morning.

The names of all the winners and shortlisted entrants are shown below. The full jury report with information on the winning entries and insights on why they won is available on the DAME awards website.

DAME Awards 2023

This year’s category winners:

Personal equipment

Special mention: Mustang Survival Atlas 190 Pro Sensor Life Jacket
Special mention: WesCom Group sMRT ALERT DSC AIS MOB

Comfort and entertainment afloat

Special mention: Blue-Airco DC variable speed self-contained unit
Special mention: Solvit3D MAKRA FLADE – Marine
Special mention: Hansa Noord MEMBRALOOP flexible water filter

Navigation and communication

Special mention: Garmin’s GPSMap 9000 series

Electronic and electrical systems

Special mention: Gussi Italia – Murano
Special mention: EpTechnologies ApS – Solid State Battery

Propulsion and dynamics

Special mention: Temo – Temo1000

Deck equipment

Special mention: Rigging Projects BV – X Car
Special mention: Goiot Systems SAS – Magic deck hatches
Special mention: Cyclops Marine – Smartbatten system

Security and safety aboard

Overall winner: Hall Spars – LiMit Collar
Special mention: Swiss Ocean Tech – AnchorGuardian
Special mention: Digital Yacht – CO Alert

Shoreside equipment and materials

The jury named Marservis its second discretionary Environmental Design Award winner for the ECOcube (pictured below).

“DAME’s new categorisation structure for this year helped the jury to focus on the intended end purpose of all products,” says Hoek. “It also balanced the entry field more evenly, resulting in us being able to name worthy winners for all categories. Several were in close contention for the overall award, but our eventual choice was unanimous.

“Our 2023 DAME Award winner shifts the market in its sector and expands the potential for its technology through excellent design and manufacturing execution.”

In his opening address, METSTRADE director Niels Klarenbeek welcomed the 240 newcomer exhibitors to the show. This year, there are 29 pavilions representing 19 countries, with a new country pavilion for Croatia.

And, ahead of publishing ICOMIA’s new report ‘The Pathways to Propulsion Decarbonisation’, today at METSTRADE, Darren Vaux, ICOMIA president, celebrated the “incredible innovation” of the recreational marine sector and noted pointed to the industry coming together to “collaborate to make a better future”.

Vaux noted that he has never seen competitors and colleagues who are so willing to collaborate and share how they work. “That foundation for collaboration is the key to our success as an industry,” Vaux concluded.

METSTRADE & DAME Awards

The DAME Design Awards was launched in 1991 to promote design in all disciplines and to recognise the best-designed products at the METSTRADE show. In making its judgements, the jury seeks to emphasise the importance of design for all marine products, from function to aesthetics and from packaging to the end product.

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

All DAME-nominated products for 2023 are featured on a special display at METSTRADE in hall 13 (Elicium). Alongside, the METSTRADE Theatre will host a session today (Wednesday 15 November 2023) and tomorrow (Thursday 16 November), on this year’s DAME Awards category winners and outright winner.