Design Innovation Award 2026 opens entries for seventh edition

I am honoured to chair the jury of the Design Innovation Award. I like to think of this award as a call to action for conscious and responsible design, one that combines aesthetics with quality. Human activity has a massive impact on our planet. With this award, we would like to foster a vision of the future that is shaped not by adapting the environment to us, but by adapting ourselves to the environment. It is my firm belief that the underlying value of this award is, above all, ethical, encouraging projects that do not simply add objects to the world, but which achieve more with less, moving beyond sensationalism and standardisation. I would like to thank President Piero Formenti, General Manager Marina Stella and the entire Confindustria Nautica association for the trust they have placed in me

The Design Innovation Award was created to recognise the value of innovation as a driving force for the development of the yachting industry. This decision is consistent with the very nature of the Genoa International Boat Show, which is not only one of the sector’s most important international events, but also a sector-wide tool designed to support the growth of the entire supply chain. Ever since its inception, Confindustria Nautica has sought to establish an award capable of expressing the sector’s values with authority, entrusting the assessment to an independent jury composed of international experts, which ensures expertise, rigour and impartiality.

The Design Innovation Award is now much more than just an accolade: it is a forum for open dialogue between companies, designers and design culture, capable of providing, year after year, an authoritative insight into the evolution of contemporary yachting. The ever-increasing quality of the entries confirms the sector’s vitality and the ability of companies to innovate, experiment and anticipate market changes.