The best in British maritime media in 2015 has today been revealed in the Maritime Media Awards shortlist which celebrates outstanding contributions from journalists, writers and filmmakers – whose work deepens understanding of Britain’s dependence on the sea.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Maritime Media Awards which is held annually in memory of former Daily Telegraph naval correspondent Desmond Wettern.
The national event, led by the Maritime Foundation, takes place at the Institute of Directors, 116 Pall Mall, London, on Thursday November 12, and includes the coveted Mountbatten Maritime Award for Best Literary contribution. Additional honours will be handed out for Best Journalistic, Best Television or Film and Best Digital Media contributions.
Maritime Foundation and judging panel chairman Julian Parker OBE said the event is now of national significance and this year’s shortlist (see notes to editors) celebrates another remarkable body of maritime related work from across Britain.
Titles up for honours include Cutty Sark: The Last of the Tea Clippers by Eric Kentley, The Edge of the World by Michael Pye, Fishers and Plunderers: Theft, Slavery and Violence at Sea by Alistair Couper et al, Nelson’s Victory: 250 Years of War and Peace by Brian Lavery, as well as Sixteen Shipwrecks and the History of the World by Stewart Gordon.
“We are thrilled to be announcing the shortlist for the 2015 Maritime Media Awards, in what is an extra special year as our 20th anniversary,” he said. “There were a total of 35 books nominated this year and it has been most encouraging to see the breadth of topics covered as well as the scholarship, imagination, imagery and technical detail.
“The subjects ranged from seafarers’ health to the re-evaluation of naval operations in the First World War. Both fact and fiction, text and illustration have combined to create a rich and vibrant collection of maritime books to celebrate in 2015. We believe the shortlist will delight the general reader but it is important to also point out the excellence demonstrated in the specialised topics found in the full collection.
“At our core, the Maritime Foundation is a charity promoting Britain’s interests across the entire maritime sector. Our purpose is to inform and raise public and parliamentary awareness of the importance of Britain’s maritime industries, commerce and defence.
“We aim to do this through education, training and research, as well as through the Maritime Media Awards which will provide an unforgettable night in November. Together we will acknowledge the efforts of journalists, writers and filmmakers whose contributions are essential for ensuring we remain a proud and progressive seafaring nation.”
Mr Parker said there have been many notable winners at the Maritime Media Awards across the decades. An early recipient was renowned maritime journalist Michael Grey back in 1998. Captain Richard Woodman was honoured in 2011 for his landmark series of books charting A History of the British Merchant Navy.
Other notable winners have been Professor Nicholas Rogers for his authoritative book The Command of the Ocean and Professor Callum Roberts for his campaigning thesis on Sea of Life. More recently Dan Snow was commended for his outstanding television series Empire of the Seas and Rose George for her illuminating book Deep Sea and Foreign Going.
Last year saw the introduction of a brand new category – the First Sea Lord’s Digital Media Award which was won by the Aircraft Carrier Alliance for its outstanding website. The Maritime Media Awards Judging Committee includes a panel of 17 eminent maritime personalities.
Places are still available for the 2015 Maritime Media Awards and dinner reservation forms can be found via the following web address: https://www.maritimefoundation.uk/awards/forms/ or by contacting event organiser Sophie Brown via email sophie.brown@bmcf.org.uk
Reception will be held in the Waterloo Room at 18.45 followed by dinner at 19.15 and the presentation of the Awards in the Nash Room. Proceedings will end at around 22.30.
Notes for editors
Maritime Media Awards 2015
Mountbatten Maritime Award for best literary contribution shortlist:
- Patrick Barkham – Coastlines: The Story of Our Shore (Granta Books)
- Eric Kentley – Cutty Sark: The Last of the Tea Clippers (Conway Publishing)
- Michael Pye – The Edge of the World: How the North Sea Made Us Who We Are (Penguin Books)
- Alastair Couper, Hance D. Smith and Bruno Ciceri – Fishers and Plunderers: Theft, Slavery and Violence at Sea (Pluto Press)
- Charles W. Johnson – Ice Ship: The Epic Voyages of the Polar Adventurer Fram (Oxbow Books)
- Tad Fitch and Michael Poirier – Into the Danger Zone: Sea Crossings of the First World War (The History Press)
- Brian Lavery – Nelson’s Victory: 250 Years of War and Peace (Seaforth Publishing)
- Barry Gough – Pax Britannica: Ruling the Waves and Keeping the Peace before Armageddon (Palgrave Macmillan)
- Stewart Gordon – A History of the World in Sixteen Shipwrecks (Oxbow Books)
- John Johnson-Allen – T E Lawrence and the Red Sea Patrol: The Royal Navy’s Role in Creating the Legend (Pen and Sword Books)
Additional award categories:
- Desmond Wettern Media Award – for best journalistic contribution.
- Donald Gosling Award – for best television and film contribution.
- The First Sea Lord’s Digital Media Award – for the team or person who has made the most constructive contribution to generating awareness of current maritime issues specifically produced and uploaded through digital media outlets.
- Maritime Fellowship Award – to honour an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to stimulating public engagement in maritime issues.
- Desmond Wettern Fleet Award – handed to the HM ship, submarine, Naval Air Squadron or Royal Marine Unit that is judged to have made the best contribution to a positive image of the Royal Navy
The Maritime Foundation
- The Maritime Foundation is a charity promoting Britain’s interests across the entire maritime sector. Its purpose is to inform and raise public and parliamentary awareness of the importance of Britain’s maritime industries, commerce and defence through education, training and research, as well as through the Foundation’s annual Maritime Media Awards.
- The Maritime Media Awards were established in 1995, in memory of Desmond Wettern, former naval correspondent of the Daily Telegraph. The Desmond Wettern Media Award was initiated to give recognition to those journalists who do most to create public awareness of maritime matters. The Awards have since grown into a national event
Across the decades there have been many notable and worthy winners. An early recipient was renowned maritime journalist Michael Grey back in 1998. Captain Richard Woodman was honoured in 2011 for his landmark series of books charting A History of the British Merchant Navy. Other notable winners have been Professor Nicholas Rogers for his authoritative book The Command of the Ocean and Professor Callum Roberts for his campaigning thesis on Sea of Life. More recently Dan Snow was commended for his outstanding television series Empire of the Seas and Rose George for her illuminating book Deep Sea and Foreign Going.