What to expect at the Superyacht Design Festival & the BOAT Design and Innovation Awards in 2025
The 2025 BOAT International Superyacht Design Festival and BOAT Design and Innovation Awards take place from 2-4 February 2025, in Kitzbühel, Austria. Discover the groundbreaking projects, keynote speakers, and awards at the forefront of superyacht innovation and sustainable yacht design.
A true trailblazing event, the Boat International Superyacht Design Festival is like a forecast on the future of the superyacht industry. Showcasing some of the most refreshing developments taking place in the world of superyacht design, its keynote talks are renowned for igniting crucial conversations and encouraging healthy debates.
Meanwhile, the festival’s accompanying BOAT Design and Innovation Awards celebrate cutting-edge technologies, daring superyacht designers, and superyacht shipyards that are spearheading positive change across the industry. As one of the world’s leading brokerage and charter houses, Edmiston aligns itself with the ethos of the festival and awards.
Shining a spotlight on everything from sustainable yacht design to luxurious, immersive yachting experiences and inventive custom yacht builders, this three-day event helps secure the future of yachting for generations to come, and we can certainly get on board with that.
Overview of the Festival
The 2025 Boat International Superyacht Design Festival will be held from the 2nd to 4th of February 2025 in the K3 KitzKongress Conference Centre, Kitzbühel, Austria.
It’s a chance to bring together some of the greatest yacht design companies in the industry to discuss new yacht concepts and look at ways that we can make superyachting more sustainable, safeguarding both the future of yachting and our seas.
While the event looks at all aspects of superyachting, from technological trends to how yacht builders must respond to the changing behaviours of yacht owners and charter guests, the BOAT Design and Innovation Awards looks specifically at design.
Held on the opening night of the festival, the awards herald the top yacht design across the industry and rewards those who have displayed real vision in the yachts that have launched in the previous year.
From game-changing naval architecture to forward-thinking interior design, engineering and green credentials, it’s a chance to focus on the people who go above and beyond in the name of design.
As the top global performing superyacht broker, Edmiston is always looking for bold design and existing developments in the yachts we welcome into both our charter and brokerage fleets.
To this end, we fully expect H3 yacht, a masterpiece of engineering and art, which is offered exclusively for sale through Edmiston, to be a conversation starter at this year’s festival, while PROJECT 821, the world’s first hydrogen fuel cell superyacht is surely a future awards contender.
Meanwhile, we also offer charter holidays onboard double award winner LADY S, which was recognised in 2020 for her ground-breaking exterior design and incredible interiors. Along with the 2018 World Superyacht Awards Motor Yacht of the Year winner, SOPHIA from RWD.
Keynote Speakers, Topics and Exciting Projects to Be Profiled
Each year the festival discusses new and interesting themes and gives the stage to some of the industry’s most revered experts.
In 2025, Andrew Winch will talk with Boat international’s Editor-in-Chief, Stewart Campbell, about his incredible career at the forefront of yacht design at Winch in an award-winning career spanning more than three decades.
Another hotly anticipated speaker is Swiss-born industrial designer Yves Behar, who will take to the stage to discuss his unique approach to sustainability and his belief that design can be a conduit for social good.
Behar’s keynote speech will see him discuss how he is using his extensive experience in product design – working for the likes of Samsung, Prada, Puma, and Herman Miller, and his ongoing work with automotive startup Telo – to create his first-ever yacht, an electric catamaran named SOLSEA, in partnership with Rossinavi.
However, one of the most anticipated topics of this year’s festival will be on whether the yachting world is ready for nuclear propulsion, as proposed by Ulsteins’s nuclear yacht concept Thor. Designed to drastically cut CO2 emissions and act as a charging point for electric vessels in the Polar regions, THOR could be the most controversial support vessel concept yet.
The issue will be hotly debated by a panel of designers, regulators and experts, who will discuss not only the technology’s potential but also the safety issues and challenges in classification.
Elsewhere, other topics and projects expected to be debated include the Foundation Zero sailing yacht, part of the next generation of sustainable yachts.
More immediate developments, such as onboard living habits, will also be addressed. These will include the decline of formal dining areas, replaced with what Boat International is calling ‘Droplet Dining,’ which sees a more laid-back coffee-table dining arrangement being introduced on yachts.
And with the use of teak becoming an increasingly controversial subject, builders are also looking at new types of flooring, such as the cork-lined decking seen on Yves Behar ‘s first launch.
The BOAT Design and Innovation Awards
A beacon of creativity, the Boat Design and Innovation Awards reward the top superyacht builders and designers who go the extra mile each year across a range of categories, including Outstanding Exterior Design, Best Interior Design, Eco Award, Outstanding Lifestyle Feature, and Innovation of the Year.
Each year the awards also recognise the important work and indelible mark left by a designer within the industry in the Lifetime Achievement Awards. Past recipients of this prestigious award include naval architect Frank Mulder and superyacht designer François Zuretti.
In 2023, Edmiston’s charter yacht AHPO took home the Outstanding Exterior Design, Motor Yachts 60m and Above award for its work in upscaling a repeat client’s 86m yacht to an over 100m model while retaining a beautiful and sleek profile.
In its summary, Boat International said: “The judges appreciated that the designers held to a limited palette of shapes and noted her slightly retro mast funnel is in perfect proportion and keeps exhausts, domes, lights and antennae neatly collected.”
This followed on from the success in 2020 of LADY S yacht, which was rewarded for both her exteriors and her luxury yacht interior design, with judges praising the latter for how it pairs “extreme elegance with fun and entertainment”.
In 2025, lucky winners will take home a piece of boat awards history as the iconic Neptune trophy is being remodelled by bespoke glass designer Lasvit.
In addition to the main awards, in 2024 the Boat Artistry and Craft Awards (BACA) launched, which recognises the skill and craftsmanship that goes into some of the handmade elements of some of the world’s most spectacular superyachts.
Listen out too for the announcement of the Young Designer of the Year Award, sponsored by Feadship, which gives a platform to an up and coming designer already showing great promise.
Why Attend the 2025 Superyacht Design Festival
This exciting and groundbreaking event is a great place to engage in exclusive networking opportunities with industry professionals, yachting enthusiasts, and ambitious yacht owners, where the premium ticket price ensures only those with a genuine interest in yacht innovation are in attendance.
Set amid the alpine region of Kitzbühel, Austria, the event also gives the opportunity to socialise and compete in fun events both on and off the slopes.
The annual Ski Cup sees registered attendees compete in both individual ski and snowboarding slaloms and a team event, before celebrating with a DJ party at the bottom of the legendary Hahnenkamm run, held in conjunction with Lürssen.
And, of course, the Festival Social at Rosi’s Sonnbergstuben with its Austrian feast and live entertainment is always a great place to catch up with industry friends amid a relaxed après-ski atmosphere.
Our Commitment to Supporting Innovation and Sustainable Design Initiatives
As one of the leading brokerage houses in the world, our expert team can help advise you on some of the most exciting developments taking place in the yachting world. They can also point you towards some of the best charter yachts on which to experience new trends, and some of the yachts to watch for those looking to invest in game-changing technology.
Visit Edmiston to explore our charter opportunities and to view luxury yacht charters inspired by the annual festival.
If you are looking to buy a new yacht, contact Edmiston to explore options for purchasing a concept superyacht, or speak to one of our esteemed brokers about custom yacht build possibilities.