A new digital media award joined the line-up at the Maritime Media Awards celebration on 5 Nov at the Institute of Directors in London’s Pall Mall which saw 176 representatives drawn from all sectors of the UK maritime industry come together to celebrate achievement generated by writers, film-makers and communicators whose work enhances public understanding of Britain’s dependence upon the sea.
A record number of nominations had been received this year, itself testimony to the rich array of talent focused on and generated by the maritime sector.
Awards presented:
- The First Sea Lord’s Digital Media Award for best maritime digital media contribution went to Aircraft Carrier Alliance for an outstanding rendition of a website offering the latest news on the delivery of the nation’s flagship aircraft carriers
- The Donald Gosling Award for best maritime television or film contribution was won by Ade at Sea, which the judges said had vividly highlighted the importance of the sea and trade to our way of life
- The Mountbatten Maritime Award for best maritime literary contribution went to Andrew Adams and Richard Woodman for their highly engaging and superbly illustrated Light Upon the Waters – a History of Trinity House 1514-2014
- The Desmond Wettern Award for best maritime journalistic contribution was awarded to Sam Bannister, Defence Correspondent at The News, Portsmouth – ‘If it wasn’t for the men and women of the naval service who are hard at work in every corner of the world doing such a good job 365 days a year, I wouldn’t have so many good stories to tell’ said Sam
- The Maritime Fellowship Award is the highest honour bestowed by The Maritime Foundation to an individual who has made a truly outstanding contribution to stimulating public engagement in maritime issues and this went to Richard Sadler who had ‘worked tirelessly to raise the profile of the maritime sector and drive his vision to bring government, business and academia together for the benefit of society’
- The Desmond Wettern Fleet Award went to HMS Daring, the Navy’s first of class Type 45 destroyer which had enjoyed a busy programme of global deployments and done tremendous work in delivering humanitarian aid and the relief of suffering for the victims of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.
The theme of this years’ dinner was the maritime leisure sector and a short film called Boat Nation, made by the Foundation’s own Maritime Films UK, was shown to highlight the phenomenal success of the boating sector.
The film is available at https://www.maritimefoundation.uk/films
First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir George Zambellas commented:
“The Maritime Foundation remains a focal point for promoting maritime matters in the United Kingdom. It also organizes these annual Maritime Media Awards, which continue to go from strength to strength. I should like to thank all the sponsors and salute all the entries, winners or not, because you are all at the forefront of informing and educating, and so have all made a truly valuable contribution in promoting maritime understanding”
Maritime Foundation Chairman Julian Parker OBE added:
“It is enormously gratifying to see such an impressive array of talent focused on portraying the importance of the sea and seafaring in our way of life. There is no doubt in my mind that this extraordinary effort is having a very favourable influence on Government thinking.”
Ends
Notes for editors
- 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 began in 1995. In memory of Desmond Wettern, former naval correspondent of the Daily Telegraph, The Maritime 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 national event.
- Full details of the Maritime Media Awards is available at https://www.maritimefoundation.uk/awards.
- Photos available on request.
Gallery
A selection of photos from the Maritime Media Awards 2014. More photos are available from the Maritime Foundation’s Flickr Photostream.