Mega-yachts at IGY Isle de Sol Marina. (Jean Jarreau photo)
MARIGOT--Maritime Services SARL located in Marigot, Saint Martin, announced it will launch an international photography competition on December 15 for crew working on super-yachts and other large vessels. Many prizes and awards will be presented to winners.
The competition will be open, over a two year period, to captains and crew employed on board giga-yachts, super-yachts, mega-yachts, large classic yachts, yacht supply vessels, explorer yachts, tall ships and sail training vessels.
Only crewmembers employed on vessels with a minimum length of 100 feet (100ft) (33 metres) are allowed to participate in the contest. An exception to the vessel’s length restrictions is made for Caribbean Sail Training (CST) member vessels shorter than 100ft, whose crew are also allowed to participate. Fifty per cent of eventual profits from the competition will be donated to the non-profit association Caribbean Sail Training.
Participation and submitting of one image per photographer/crew member in the Public Award category is completely free. Enrolling additionally in one or two other main categories can be done by paying US $10 (or the equivalent in euros) per submitted photograph with no limit on the number of photographs as long as the fee of $10 (or its equivalent in euros) per picture is paid.
The winner of the Public Award will receive $1,000 in addition to an award and winners in the main (paid) categories and one sub-category will receive $1,500 prize money in addition to their award.
Airline tickets, hotel accommodations, marine-related items and other prizes donated by sponsors will also be available to the winners and runners-up.
The competition will be open from 6:00pm local Caribbean time Sunday, December 15, 2024, and runs over a two-year period until 6:00pm local Caribbean time Tuesday, December 15, 2026, with the prizes and awards ceremony taking place at 7:00pm Saturday, December 19, 2026.
All pictures shot before 6:00pm local Caribbean time December 15, 2026, are allowed to be submitted for the contest, even when taken years ago.
Several builders, architects and suppliers of super-yachts, super-yacht marinas, chandleries, hotels, real estate agencies, airlines and other businesses have indicated great interest in becoming co-sponsors of the competition and related events. Signed agreements will be announced shortly.
An extensive marketing, advertising and public relations campaign will support the event during the two-year period. Photographers/crew members are encouraged to start taking pictures and share submitted and accepted pictures on their social media accounts to generate interest of friends for the Public Award voting later on.
An international jury of photographers, magazine editors and yachting entrepreneurs will judge the submitted pictures of all categories before the awards ceremony and prize-giving in December 2026. A dedicated web site
http://www.SuperYachtImageAwards.com will be established shortly and will contain all the information, rules, and regulations regarding the contest.
The organisation is also present on Instagram #superyachtimageawards.