The awarding ceremony for the winners of the National Award Boat of the Year will be held at the Moscow Boat Show

The final of the National Award Boat of the Year 2026 will take place within the frames of the Moscow Boat Show. The award ceremony will traditionally be held on the main stage of the exhibition in February 2027.

Boat of the Year is a national industry award aimed at identifying the best projects in Russian small‑scale shipbuilding. The project has received in the new season support from the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, which has become the official partner of the award. Another innovation will be the expansion of the information coverage: reviews of the nominees will be presented not only on the project’s own media platforms but also on the Auto Plus federal TV channel.

How the winners will be determined

In the 2026 season, the participants will be evaluated by a renewed expert council consisting of 13 specialists from various fields of the shipbuilding industry: representatives of government agencies, heads of design bureaus and shipbuilding companies, yachting experts, professional sportsmen, and specialists in ship equipment and logistics.

Engineering, design, and government support:

• Sergey Abdykerov - Director of the Department of Shipbuilding Industry and Marine Equipment of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia;

• Petr Yezhov - head of the Sea Tech group of companies, shipbuilding engineer;

• Artem Soloviev - director of the design bureau Emperium;

• Albert Nazarov - head of the Albatross Marine Design bureau, shipbuilding engineer;

• Maxim Peshin - Director of Shipbuilding, Gazprom Tech LLC.

Expertise, media, and the market:

• Andrey Kazansky - founder of the award, yacht expert, blogger, chairman of the Expert Council;

• Nikita Gorchakov - founder of the itBoat.com portal and Boutique.Yachts brokerage company;

• Nikolay Karpukhin - Director of Bestmarin, exhibition organizer, secondary market expert.

Practice of operation and specialized shipbuilding:

• Roman Baikov - professional fisherman, traveler, blogger and producer;

• Ivan Chicherin - fisherman, founder of the Xbaits brand;

• Ilya Maryamov - yachtsman, founder of the Xsailing sailing regatta.

Equipment, supply and logistics:

• Sergey Tonyshev - founder of the Yachtmarket company;

• Elena Ligovina - Director of the ATP Nevskoye transport company.

Evaluation criteria

The award winners will be determined based on eight criteria using a five‑point scale and weighting coefficients. The main parameters include innovation and originality, appearance and style, ergonomics, manufacturing quality, seaworthiness and functional characteristics, safety, and market potential. The final assessment will also include the results of public voting.

Participation in the award 

The submission of applications from Russian shipyards and manufacturers will be accepted until November 20, 2026. To participate, it is necessary to prepare technical information about the models being submitted and complete the established registration procedure.

The award final 

The results will be summed up and the winners will be solemnly awarded in February 2027 on the main stage of the Moscow Boat Show at Crocus Expo IEC. 

The award will serve as a platform to determine the best national developments, showcase the achievements of Russian shipbuilding, and facilitate professional exchange of experience among industry representatives.

The award organizer:

Andrey Kazansky, founder of the largest media resource about watercrafts People and Boats. 

All industry professionals, media representatives, and outing on water enthusiasts are invited to witness the historic event! 

Location: Crocus Expo, Pavilion 1, Main Stage of the exhibition.