Are you ready to set sail on your
design career?
The 2026 Superyacht UK Young Designer Competition offers aspiring designers the opportunity to make their mark on the world of superyacht design. Held over two exciting days at the iconic Southampton International Boat Show, the competition provides a prestigious platform for the industry’s next generation of talent to showcase their creativity and skills.
Open to Master’s students and second and third-year university students, this is more than a competition. It is a launchpad for emerging talent. With creativity, originality and technical skill at the heart of the brief, the finalists will be challenged to push boundaries and bring bold design visions to life.
This Superyacht UK initiative is dedicated to nurturing the future of the industry by giving emerging designers the opportunity to be seen, celebrated and inspired.
This year’s competition will be held at the Coffee Station in the New Wave Hall. It begins at 09:00 on Sunday 20 September and finishes at 12:30 on Monday 21 September.
The prize-giving ceremony will take place at 15:30 on Monday 21 September on the Boating Stage. Come along and show your support.
Meet the 2026 designers, judges and sponsors
Thanks to our event sponsors
The 2025 Competition Recap
The 2025 Superyacht UK (SYUK) Young Designer Competition has once again delivered a thrilling showcase of talent, creativity, and future innovation.
Hosted at the Southampton International Boat Show on 21 and 22 September 2025, last year’s competition brought together the next generation of yacht designers to compete for top honours in two categories: the Master’s division and the second and third-year division.
Proudly sponsored by LA Marine and supported by event partners Princess Yachts, Sunseeker, Cockwells, Marina Projects, Winch Design, RWD and Olesinski, the 2025 competition concluded on Monday 22 September after one and a half days of intensive design work. Eight shortlisted students developed their concepts live in the New Wave Hall before presenting them to a panel of leading industry experts.
The winners were announced before a live audience on the Boating Academy Stage. Jack Francis of Solent University took first place, followed by James Horrocks of the University of Staffordshire in second and Ed Taylor of Bournemouth University in third.
The designers were challenged to create a 48 to 50-metre, family-friendly charter yacht for a couple based in Monaco, near the Pelagos Sanctuary Marine Protected Area. Their concepts had to consider environmental restrictions, sustainable features and the yacht’s full lifecycle, while also appealing to the charter market. The brief also called for a matching tender, an exterior profile, a general arrangement and a master cabin concept.
