Design Innovation Awards presened during Genoa Boat Show gala dinner

62nd Genoa International Boat Show © Confindustria Nautica

A charity evening in favour of the Giannina Gaslini Children's Hospital.

Prizes were awarded for the innovation and quality of the products displayed in the 9 categories selected by the jury of the award's third edition.

Yesterday evening, as part of the Gala Dinner of 62nd Genoa International Boat Show, the Design Innovation Award ceremony took place in front of hundreds of guests, a ceremony established by the Italian Marine Industry Association and I Saloni Nautici with the aim of supporting excellence across the yachting industry by promoting visibility of exhibitors through their latest products.

The charity evening was held in the spectacular dolphin hall of the Genoa Aquarium and was dedicated to the support of scientific research at the Giannina Gaslini Children's Hospital, with the presence of public authorities, exhibitors, and members of the Italian and foreign press.

Guests were greeted by actor and presenter Eric Alexander and Donatella Bianchi, a well-known TV journalist and President of the Cinque Terre Park, who introduced the opening statements of Saverio Cecchi, President of the Italian Marine Industry Association, and Marco Bucci, Mayor of Genoa.

The donation was handed over by Association President Saverio Cecchi to Edoardo Garrone and Renato Botti, the President and General Manager of the Gaslini Children's Hospital, and will be destined - as underlined by Garrone - "for the acquisition of electrocardiographs, a project to have the same type of ECG throughout the various departments, so as to obtain uniform and comparable analyses and reports in the cardiological field with greater accuracy and precision, thanks to the uniformity of the technologies applied and an interconnecting network".

"The Genoa International Boat Show and the Giannina Gaslini Institute represent two internationally recognised excellences," said Saverio Cecchi. "We are honoured to support this important event inspired by solidarity once again this year, because supporting investments in scientific research means donating and planning the future for an industry with a profound vision of its own social responsibility."

The evening continued with the presentation of the coveted Design Innovation Award, a third edition showing significant signs of growth both in terms of the increasing number of applications from exhibitors and the ever greater quality and innovation of the exhibitors' products taking part in the Boat Show, presented across all of the different categories.

The selection process is guided by the criteria that characterise the highest standards of design and take into consideration the quality of form and functionality, which must exist in a coherent relationship with each other; to these criteria is added that of sustainability, which aims to promote, in all sectors, an improvement in design and production that is also respectful and conscious of the environment.

Nine award categories were selected by an independent Jury, made up of national and international experts from a variety of sectors (professional designers, sector journalists, university researchers, shipowners with keen knowledge of the sector, or representatives of bodies and institutes of the yachting industry) allowing for transversal consideration.

The Design Innovation Award Jury, chaired this year by Donatella Bianchi, is made up of designer Giovanna Talocci, expert national and international yachting journalists Franco Michienzi - Editor-in-Chief of BARCHE magazine and Nabil Farhat - Editor-In-Chief of The World of Yachts & Boats, Silvia Piardi - Director of the Design Department at the Politecnico di Milano, Andrea Ratti - Chair of M.Sc. Yacht & Cruising Vessel Design at the Politecnico di Milano, and Luisa Bocchietto - Senator of the World Design Organisation.

The winners of the Design Innovation Award were: the Dufour 37 by Dufour Yachts for sailing boats up to 10m LH, for the ability to transfer top-of-the-range performance and comfort into a boat of limited size and cost; the SQ 240i by Capoforte Boats for motorboats up to 10m LH for the proposal of a streamlined boat with electric propulsion; the Inagua S by Rio Yachts for RIBs for the stylish line, the simplicity of the solutions and the attention to details; the Grand Soleil 72 Performance by Cantiere del Pardo for sailing boats over 10m LH for its ability to combine the brand's construction experience in a boat that is balanced in terms of sailing performance and interior space quality. An honourable mention for interior design for the refined exploration of a contemporary nautical language through attention to detail in shapes and materials went to the Y7 by Y Yachts. For the multihulls the winner was the Prestige M48 by Prestige Yachts for the search of a new typology that combines comfort and efficiency in performance. An honourable mention for the research and use of materials went to the Excess 14 by Excess for the achievement of sailing performance through a careful study of shapes and materials.

The Design Innovation Award was also given to the Lascala Art. Spe 607 by Besenzioni for the boating equipment and components category for technological research related to electric operation with a simplified use; to the Ferretti Yachts 860 new by Ferretti Yachts for motorboats over 10m LH for the elegance of the exterior lines and interior design consistent with the quality that the brand represents; to the SP 110 by Sanlorenzo Yacht for the superyachts over 24m LH category for the continuous ability to innovate spaces, languages and ways of living the sea, inspiring emotions.

A Special Award for Outstanding Innovation was awarded to Betty Buoys for its commitment to the integrated search for sustainable solutions to a problem of great urgency.

The Steering Committee of the Design Innovation Award also chose to award the Hydrographic Institute of the Italian Navy a Special Award for Otstanding Career, to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Institute, specifically for the great innovation efforts in the digitisation of processes in the field of nautical cartography.

Finally, the Special "Regione Liguria" Prize was given to the Indoor Air Quality Monitoring for Yachting system by Permare for bringing on board an environmental quality monitoring system.

Making the Gala Dinner of the 62nd Genoa International Boat Show that more special was the participation of Master Pastry Chef Iginio Massari who dedicated one of his creations to the Rising Stars of the Italian yachting industry.