Entries open for the 2026 YJA Young Journalist of the Year Award
by Yachting Journalists' Association 24 Jun 11:40 BST
(l-r) Chairperson of the YJA, Katy Stickland, runner-up Loreto Rodriguez, winner of the YJA Young Journalist of the Year 2025, Lydia Mullan and runner-up Freya Terry © Kaia Bint-Savage
Nominations are now open for the Yachting Journalists' Association's Young Journalist of the Year Award 2026 supported by Henri-Lloyd.
Entries can be written or visual content, including video and photographs and are open to journalists, photographers, videographers, social media reporters, vloggers and bloggers aged 30 and under as of 31 December 2026.
The Young Journalist of the Year Award was introduced in 2021 to celebrate and reward upcoming talent in the marine industry. Previous winners have included Kaia Bint Savage for her film about The Maiden Factor during the 2023 Ocean Globe Race and Lydia Mullan, Editor-in-Chief of SAIL magazine.
YJA Chairperson, Katy Stickland said the award offers a platform to showcase ingenuity, talent and new approaches to media.
"Many of us had help in our early years in journalism, and key to a successful career is making the right connections and having those breaks and the YJA is proud to support this through this award. I would encourage all eligible journalists worldwide to submit their entries, or if you know of a good candidate, put them forward for this accolade."
Entries must have been produced within the last 12 months of the contest closing date of 23.59 BST on 16 August 2026.
Please submit your entry here.
The winner will be announced on Friday, 18 September 2026, the opening day of the Southampton International Boat Show during a presentation on the Boating Stage.