Eight talented design students have been selected as finalists in the 2026 Superyacht UK Young Designer Competition, taking place at the Southampton International Boat Show on Sunday 20 and Monday 21 September.
Organised by Superyacht UK, the competition provides emerging designers with a prestigious platform to showcase their creativity, develop their skills and gain valuable experience of responding to a professional yacht design brief. The competition is supported by leading industry partners Sunseeker, Princess Yachts, RWD, Cockwells and Winch Design. Their involvement brings valuable industry expertise to the event and gives the finalists greater insight into the professional world of superyacht design.
The 2026 finalists are:
- Roman Aime, Yacht and Powercraft Design, Solent University
- Yuan Qi, MA Interior Design, Kingston University London
- Adam Platt, Automotive and Transport Design, University of Staffordshire
- Sam McMann, Automotive and Transport Design, University of Staffordshire
- Oliver Weaver, Automotive and Transport Design, Coventry University
- James Horrocks, Automotive and Transport Design, University of Staffordshire
- Maya Kim, MA Interior Design, Kingston University London
- Charlotte Redfearn, Automotive and Transport Design, University of Staffordshire
The finalists will receive their live brief at 16:00 on Saturday 19 September before beginning their design work on Sunday morning. Over the following one and a half days, they will develop their concepts under the time pressures experienced by professional designers, combining creativity and visual impact with practical, technical and commercial considerations.
Their completed concepts will then be presented to a judging panel comprising of leading figures from across the superyacht design sector. The judges will assess each finalist’s response to the brief, considering the originality of the concept, the quality of its development and the designer’s ability to communicate their vision.
Michael Beattie, Superyacht UK Manager, said: “The Young Designer Competition gives emerging talent an invaluable opportunity to test their abilities, receive feedback from respected industry professionals and showcase their work to the wider superyacht community.
“The standard of applications was extremely high, and each of our eight finalists has demonstrated real creativity and potential. We are looking forward to seeing how they interpret this year’s brief and bring their ideas to life during the competition.”
The competition will take place at the Coffee Station in the New Wave Hall, with drawing beginning at 09:00 on Sunday 20 September and concluding at 12:30 on Monday 21 September. Visitors to the Southampton International Boat Show will be able to watch the finalists at work as their ideas develop from initial sketches into complete yacht concepts.
The prize-giving ceremony will take place on the Boating Stage at 15:30 on Monday 21 September. Visitors are encouraged to come along, show their support and celebrate the creativity, skill and vision of the industry’s next generation of design talent.
