Daniel Humphreys, from Plymouth University, has become the winner of the Abitare La Barca Concept Award design competition. Coming from the UK, Daniel is the first British design student to have ever received the internationally recognised industry award.

An example of Dan Humphrey´s yacht

Daniel, a third year industrial design student, won this year’s Superyacht UK (SYUK) competition, giving him the opportunity to compete with other design students at the sea technology and design event, Seatec, held in Carrara, Italy. For the third year running, an entrant from the UK attended Seatec to showcase their portfolio to industry representatives and compete on an international stage.

Daniel and the 10 other Italian students competed in the freehand drawing competition to design a completely dismountable boat of 3m-6m (10ft-20ft) in length with  eco-friendly propulsion and natural or recyclable materials used throughout.

“Daniel’s design was an excellent match among the constraints, with significant original solutions, with attention to detail and to aesthetic values. It is rich in design details and excellent drawing execution,” says award president and professor of Industrial Design Marco Maiocchi.

Toby Allies, chairman of SYUK, says: “It is a good sign for the future of the UK design industry when a student can win a prestigious competition in Italy. We hope he will follow a long line of illustrious British designers whose yachts can be seen around the world.”