The Superyacht Design Festival ceremony in Kitzbühel brought the global superyacht community together to honour the most accomplished work of the year, with hydrogen-powered flagships, elegant explorers, and performance sailing yachts all claiming top honours.
The BOAT Design and Innovation Awards exist to celebrate excellence across the full breadth of yacht building, from compact series models through to vessels well past the 100 metre mark. Taken together, the winners offer a rare window into where naval architecture, interior design, and technical innovation are heading at the highest level of the craft.
No yacht left a deeper mark on the evening than Lalabe, the 35.1 metre custom motor yacht built by Van der Valk Shipyard. It collected three major prizes: outstanding exterior design in the 24m to 39.9m motor yacht category, best interior design for motor yachts 499GT and below, and best naval architecture for semi-displacement or planing motor yachts. Judges praised the yacht for delivering exceptional volume, refined proportions, and highly efficient engineering within a compact footprint.
Cantiere delle Marche produced another prominent result with RJ, its 46.71 metre motor yacht, which secured two awards. The vessel claimed outstanding exterior design in the 40m to 49.9m category alongside best interior design for motor yachts 1000GT and below, 40m and above. Judges highlighted the yacht's logical deck arrangement and balanced explorer profile, and noted that the interior blends soft minimalism with sculptural detailing in a way that feels both imaginative and genuinely liveable.
At the larger end of the fleet, Feadship collected honours with two very different yachts. Pi, the yard's 100 metre vessel, took outstanding exterior design for motor yachts 70m and above. The judging panel commended its restrained proportions, elegant curvature, and seamless glazing, noting how the design maintains a calm and human presence despite its scale. The 118.8 metre Breakthrough, also from Feadship, claimed both best interior design for motor yachts 1000GT and above and the Eco and Innovation Award, recognised for pioneering hydrogen fuel cell propulsion and for integrating that complex technology into a coherent, highly liveable yacht. "It is truly a breakthrough," one judge remarked.
The sailing yacht categories produced equally decisive outcomes. Wallywind110 took outstanding exterior design for sailing yachts, with judges praising its clean lines, flexible cockpit layout, and ability to shift seamlessly between cruising and racing modes. The best interior design prize for sailing yachts went to Katana, the 60 metre Perini Navi, whose Japanese-inspired interior was described by the panel as serene, organic, and beautifully executed. Best naval architecture for sailing yachts was awarded to Aquarius, the 65 metre Royal Huisman, recognised for combining classic looks with serious sailing performance.
The Best New Series award recognised the Ferretti Yachts 800, a sub-25 metre motor yacht that impressed judges with its strong usability, flexible layouts, and broad market appeal. They described it as a well-conceived and well-executed entry point into the superyacht sector.
Lifestyle and tender categories added further depth to the evening's results. The Majesty 100 Terrace claimed outstanding lifestyle feature for its private forward deck terrace, while tender honours were split between Tender to Pi, named limousine tender of the year, and Impetus Open, which took open tender of the year. Faith Limousine Tender earned a judges' commendation.
Individual achievement was also recognised on the night, with Andrew Winch receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award and Finn Lortan named Young Designer of the Year.
