The winners of the 2017 Young Designer of the Year awards in association with Oceanco were announced during the 2017 ShowBoats Design Awards, taking place in Kitzbühel, Austria, from February 5th to 7th.
This year, the young designer accolade was split into two categories: students and young professionals. Thibaud Le Merdy’s design was chosen as the best from the student category, while Eric Laurent came out on top in the professional category.
Thibaud Le Merdy, a student of the Master in Yacht Design at Politecnico di Milano, had already been ranked third in the Yacht Design Talent Award 2016 competition. At the awards ceremony, he said: “To win the Young Designer of the Year, the feeling is insane, I am very proud of my project and I am very, very happy about this.”
This year’s brief required all entrants to design an 80-metre concept and two tenders, one for general use and one to serve as a limousine. The judging panel commented: “This year’s entries were of an extremely high standard. All displayed excellent design talent as well as a broad understanding of superyachts.”
Le Merdy’s Comète concept edged ahead in a very competitive field for its combination of “modernity and elegance”.
The winning project
The Comète project aimed to achieve the perfect balance between elegance and sporty lines, while being exceptionally comfortable and functional. The mother boat Comète is made to live outside. Two full glass pools surround a spectacular flying stair to welcome you onboard. Guests can enjoy the ultra-private space at the bow, which is fully open to feel the sea even closer. Halley Limo is the best compromise between outside and inside comfort, while enhancing her mother boat style. Finally, Biela Cruiser offers the maximum space to relax and have fun. She has a huge free open space to bring on board the craziest toys you want for your cruising day.
