In 1995, in memory of the former naval correspondent of The Daily Telegraph, the Foundation initiated the Desmond Wettern Media Award to give recognition to those journalists who do most to create public awareness of maritime matters.
This initiative has since grown into a major national event, the annual Maritime Media Awards:
- The Desmond Wettern Award for Best Journalism
- The Mountbatten Award for Best Book
- The Donald Gosling Award for Best Television or Film Production
- The Babcock International First Sea Lord’s Award for Best Use of Digital Media
Nominations, which may be made by any interested person, are judged by an Awards Committee made up of eminent maritime personalities. Awards and certificates of merit, are presented at a prestigious annual dinner.
The number of features, books and television programmes nominated for Awards has grown substantially as the recognition given to journalists, writers and producers has encouraged greater media interest in maritime matters. For details concerning nominations and sponsorship of this year’s Awards, see Maritime Media Awards.
The Awards suite also includes the Royal Navy – Desmond Wettern Fleet Award and the Maritime Fellowship Award, for which nominations are made, respectively, by the Royal Navy and the Maritime Media Awards Committee.
Maritime Awareness
The aim of this project is to assemble a team of knowledgeable volunteers to monitor the maritime printed and electronic media for reports of significant developments and pass these to mainstream journalists to foster positive and factual news coverage and features. Regular briefings provide additional background, expert advice, and a point of contact for enquiries.