Deadline approaching for marine writing competition

There is just over a week left to be in with the chance of winning £4,000 in Yachting Monthly’s environmental writing competition. Entries for the Brian Black Memorial Award 2022 close on 7 August.

This year, the judges are welcoming entries that focus on the issues of climate change and of biodiversity loss, and how these are impacting the marine environment as seen from the deck of a sailing boat. To reflect Brian Black’s personal love of Arctic sailing, the judges will also highlight the best article about high latitude voyages.

The Brian Black Memorial Award was established in 2021 to commemorate the lives of Brian Black and his wife Lesley. Black was a lifelong sailor and a television journalist. He was also a passionate advocate for the marine environment, writing and filmmaking about the crises facing fragile Arctic ecosystems.

Lesley Black was the first female yacht club commodore in Northern Ireland, and was an author in her own right.

Marine electronics company B&G is sponsoring the award and has made a total of £4,000 available for the winning entry, with £2,500 going to the author and £1,500 being donated to the marine conservation charity Sea-Changers on their behalf.

The Brian Black Memorial Award 2021 was won by Sophie Dingwall, whose article Polluted Paradise examined ocean plastic pollution and its devastating effects on Caribbean island communities.

On receiving the award, Dingwall said: “Winning an award with such a prestigious panel of judges and in memory of Brian Black is a privilege and gives me the confidence to continue with my mission to protect our oceans.”

The 2022 award will be judged by a panel including Volvo Ocean Race skipper Dee Caffari MBE; Vendée Globe veteran Mike Golding OBE; conservation expert Dr Bob Brown; marine environmental consultant and daughter of Brian and Lesley Black, Sarah Brown; and the Yachting Monthly team.

“With our ocean’s health and the climate crisis becoming ever more important to our planet’s wellbeing I am delighted to join the judging panel for another year,” Caffari says. “It allows me to follow boating adventures through the writer’s accounts of exactly what they are witnessing out there and their thoughts about what can be done.”

Brown adds: “The whole family has been delighted at the response to the first Brian Black Memorial Award. Mum and dad would have been as moved by Sophie’s winning entry as I know the judges were. Now, more than ever, we need to highlight the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss and I am eager to read about how sailors have experienced these issues during their own boating adventures.”

B&G is reviewing its operations to find where it can be more sustainable, from using non-toxic inks and biodegradable packaging to supporting scientific research with its data platforms. Gemma Davies, the company’s spokesperson, says: “B&G wants to promote those focusing on the marine environment and believes that sustainability is critical to the future of marine businesses.”

Entries should be submitted by 7 August 2022. Full entry details can be found on the Yachting Monthly’s website.