A young Indonesian, Pradipta R. Hakim has won the Young Designer of the Year 2024 award. The award, which, for the first time, has been sponsored by Feadship , was presented as part of the Boat International Design & Innovation Awards in Kitzbühel, Austria. The student from the Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology, a public university in Surayaba, Java, Indonesia, stood out with his yacht concept, Blueminance.

FEADSHIP’S FIRST DESIGNER OF THE YEAR

The Young Designer of the Year award promotes creativity and excellence in boating design, focussing on the young, aspiring designers of tomorrow, called upon to demonstrate their skills and come to the attention of yacht manufacturers. “Feadship – explains Farouk Nefzi, chief marketing officer for the Dutch shipyard – strongly believes in cultivating aspiring talent and promoting innovation culture. This partnership with the awards committee allows us to share with the next generation of designers, our profound passion, as well as our many years of experience in the industry.”

This year, the participants (all under 28) were asked to imagine they were junior designers for Studio De Voogt, Feadship’s dedicated design division, and to develop a concept for a superyacht to show at a number of different boat shows for the shipyard. The brief was to create a futuristic vessel, using innovative solutions for environmental sustainability and technology, looking to the ‘near future’: models of complete vessels, translatable into reality, with an interior and exterior layout demonstrating what future boating lifestyle could be.

AWARD FOR A POSSIBLE FUTURE

The jury, made up of 12 professionals in yacht design, selected 6 finalists from the 26 entries, and then chose Pradipta R. Hakim as the winner of Young Designer of the Year 2024. “His design was so well presented – noted the head of the jury, Roger Lean-Vercoe – it has a strong, innovative and attractive design, accompanied by an extremely detailed general layout and an eye-catching interior design.

Tanno Weeda, design manager for Studio De Voogt, was also impressed by the work of the young man. “I was immediately intrigued – he notes – and I wanted to know more. His concept has a good foundation. I believe this is a project that can be built and is worthy of Feadship. It is important that young talent can develop in the pleasure boating industry and that they are informed on the latest technology. We want to encourage a generation with an open mind, who does not feel constrained by the rules of design, and who wants to join and excel in this field.”

The winner received 3,000 euros to help reach his professional goals and access to Feadship’s manufacturing facilities for a year, in addition to all the boat shows and events the shipyard participates in.