METSTRADE: Winners of DAME Design Awards 2024 revealed
TeamO Marine’s Offshore 150N Hi-Lift Lifejacket & Harness has been announced as the overall winner of the DAME Design Awards at METSTRADE 2024.
The DAME Design Awards was launched in 1991 to promote marine design in all disciplines and to recognise the best-designed products at METSTRADE, the world’s largest marine equipment trade show. A DAME win, or even nomination, has become one of the industry’s most prestigious accolades.
The 33rd-anniversary edition of the DAME Design Awards was presented at the opening of the METSTRADE show this morning (19 November 2024) during the METSTRADE Breakfast Briefing in the RAI Amsterdam Convention Centre.
2024 DAME Design Awards: Full list of winners
- Personal equipment and overall winner: TeamO Marine — Offshore 150N Hi-Lift Lifejacket & Harness
- Comfort & entertainment afloat: Indel Webasto Marine — Slim-Fit Cooling Unit
- Navigation & communication: Raymarine — RSW Wired Smart Wind transducer
- Electronic & electrical systems: Egis Mobile — XD Series NMEA-2000 Controllable Remote Battery Switching & Charge Management
- Propulsion & dynamics: Yanmar Marine International — E-Saildrive
- Deck equipment: Karver Systems — KJS12 Karver rope clutch
- Security & safety aboard: AirMarker AG — AirMarker R.Four
- Shoreside equipment & materials: North Sails — NPL Renew
Judges also awarded the discretionary Environmental DAME Design Award for the third year in succession. The two winners are Yanmar Marine International for its E-Saildrive and CMP Group for its SMartyr SCP Anode.
2024 DAME Design Awards winners gather on stage in the RAI Amsterdam Convention Centre.
All 58 nominated products are being displayed in a dedicated area at METSTRADE, located in Hall 13 (Elicium), throughout the show, which runs until 21 November.
Awarding the overall trophy to TeamO, the jury commented that it was “pleased to see so much development in safety equipment that has been used for decades.”
TeamO, a UK-based designer and manufacturer of safety products, says its new Hi-Lift lifejacket design, set to hit the market in spring 2025, represents a “rethinking of lifejacket technology”. Its most notable achievement is said to be a 60 per cent increase in mouth freeboard compared to existing market leaders — a safety metric measuring the distance between the water’s surface and the user’s mouth.
In an engineering development, the Hi-Lift’s 150N model surpasses the ISO standard performance of 275N lifejackets. This performance is achieved through ‘buoyancy distribution’, effectively repositioning flotation elements traditionally ‘wasted’ above the waterline.
The Hi-Lift incorporates TeamO’s BackTow Technology, a patented safety feature that has been used since 2017. Unlike conventional harnesses that can drag users face-down alongside a moving vessel, BackTow’s release mechanism rotates the user into a safer, face-up seated position, improving survival chances in man-overboard situations.
TeamO Marine Hi-Lift lifejacket
The development also features a twisted bladder design that enhances neck and head support while reducing bulk around the shoulders, improving mobility during rescue operations. The firm says lightweight and ergonomic materials used also ensure comfort during extended wear.
“This recognition [for TeamO] is well deserved,” says Graham Brown, managing director at marine product maker Sea Sure, who spoke to MIN at the ceremony, shortly after TeamO was announced as the winner. “They’ve worked incredibly hard during a challenging year, and it’s great to see their innovation being acknowledged. The leisure marine sector has faced a difficult year, but despite the challenges, they continue to innovate.”
TeamO has attracted high-profile users, including Tracy Edwards MBE’s Maiden Sailing Team, 2024 Vendee Globe competitor Sam Goodchild, and the Prince and Princess of Wales. Last year, the firm appointed Bainbridge International as a global distributor.
The jury for the 2024 DAME Design Awards included several new members. Electronics expert Ben Stein replaced Ben Ellison, who retired from the jury last year, and yacht designer Klaus Roeder returned after last serving in 2014. The jury also welcomed sustainability consultant Amy Munro and TU Delft student Olaf Bouwens.
Andre Hoek, chair of the DAME Design Awards jury, stated: “It was very encouraging to see such a strong field of entries spanning the whole of the leisure marine sector, with products for people and the smallest boats right up to high-end superyacht equipment. In addition to genuine breakthrough launches, the jury was equally pleased to see many products where designers have iteratively improved the user experience and exploited the latest technologies to meet emerging demands. Smart design unlocks the door to a fully sustainable approach in manufacturing, recyclability, longevity, usability and serviceability.”
Hoek continued: “Our focus was inevitably drawn towards the high number of entries driven by developing technologies that will serve the marine industry’s future needs in areas such as electrification and networking. But in a close-run finish, it was an excellent new development in safety that was unanimously named outright winner of this year’s awards. A perfect reminder of how we can never stop improving product categories that have been an essential part of boating for decades.”
A total of €17,100 raised by DAME Design Awards entrants will be donated to SailWise, a Dutch organisation offering multi-day watersports activities for people with disabilities. SailWise’s facilities, including its Robinson Crusoe Island centre in the Loosdrechtse Plassen near Amsterdam, serve over 1,500 participants annually, ranging in age from 10 to 90. The donation will fund the construction of a new sustainable and low-maintenance jetty and terrace, set to be completed for the 2025 season.
The previous overall winner of the DAME Design Awards at METSTRADE 2023 was Oceanvolt’s HighPower ServoProp 25.
DAME jury 2024
This year’s DAME jury was made up of nine individuals:
- Andre Hoek (chair), naval architect and yacht designer, founder of Hoek Design and Hoek Brokerage, The Netherlands.
- Olaf Bouwens, student, Master’s in Integrated Product Design at TUDelft, The Netherlands.
- Davide Cipriani, boat and industrial designer, president of yacht design at Centrostiledesign, Italy.
- Rory Coase, yacht designer, Coase Design, Norway.
- Ben Stein, editor of Panbo marine electronics hub, USA.
- Arjen Jansen, senior lecturer, school for Industrial Design Engineering at TUDelft, The Netherlands.
- Amy Munroe, sustainability consultant, Foxall Munro, UK.
- Olivier Racoupeau, naval architect and boat designer, founder and owner of Berret Racoupeau Yachts, France (attended remotely).
- Klaus Roeder, yacht designer and surveyor, Technical Consultant DBSV Icomia, Germany.
The DAME jury was supported by a non-voting secretary, Kim Hollamby of Hollamby Partnership, UK.
The Marine Industry News team is attending METSTRADE throughout the show. Get in touch or come and find us at stand 01.582 in hall 1.
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