Superyacht UK raises profile of essential hand-drawing skill

Superyacht UK is putting the invaluable skill of hand-drawing under the spotlight at the CWM FX London Boat Show. Taking place from Wednesday 14 to Thursday 15 January 2015, the inaugural Superyacht UK Young Designer Competition, sponsored by BMT Nigel Gee and Pendennis Shipyard, will challenge eight university design students from around the country. The competition will raise the profile of the marine industry as a potential career option and ensure more talent is available for design houses.

Peter Brown of Burgess Yachts and Vice Chair of Superyacht UK said: "As people become more comfortable using advanced computer software to design, it is possible that the specialized skill of drawing by hand is becoming a lost art. In the superyacht world, designing a yacht by hand is essential. Designers need to be able to quickly capture the client's imagination in the short time they have with them."

James Roy from BMT Nigel Gee added: "The future success of our industry lies in the hands of the next generation, it is important that we encourage, motivate and foster their development and entry into the Superyacht industry. We are very pleased to support the SYUK Young Designer Competition in collaboration with leading industry partners, and look forward to seeing some exciting results."

The students, in their third year, will be issued a brief in advance and will then have 36 hours from Wednesday 14 to Thursday 15 January 2014. The judging panel comprises of Mark Tucker (Design Unlimited), James Claydon (Claydon Reeves), Peter Brown (Burgess Yachts) and Philippe Briand (Philippe Briand Ltd).

The winner will be announced at the Superyacht UK Technical Seminar at 4pm on Thursday 15 January and will receive a four week paid internship at Pendennis Shipyard.