The Brian Black Memorial Award 2024 is sponsored by Coppercoat and there is £4,000 up for grabs for the winners. The deadline for entries this year is 22 August and entries should be sent by email to yachtingmonthly@futurenet.com.

The Brian Black Memorial Award was established in 2021 to commemorate Brian and Lesley Black who were trailblazing sailors, daring small-boat explorers and passionate story tellers. A film-maker and broadcaster, Brian used his boat to capture first-hand footage of melting glaciers to tell the story of global warming decades before it was in the public awareness.

The award aims to encourage other sailors to use their boats to share the stories of the places and wildlife they encounter on their voyages with the wider world.

The late Brian Black

Reducing our impact

This year, the judges will be looking for entries that focus on ‘treading lightly’ in the marine environment; how we can cruise and enjoy pristine areas while leaving nothing more than our wake as our evidence of having been there. Whether it’s where and how we moor, what we do with our waste water and rubbish, or something deeper in how we engage with the sea and coast. It is about the things sailors can do to reduce their impact on the planet.

Coppercoat, experts in bio anti-fouling solutions, is sponsoring the award this year for the first time. There is a prize of £2,000 for the best 1,800-word article and accompanying images. There is also a prize of £2,000 for the best video of up to 10 minutes, and prizes for two additional runners up in each category. The winning article and video, along with the runners up, will be published in Yachting Monthly, and on the magazine’s digital channels.

The award also includes a donation of £1,000 to the marine conservation charity, Sea-Changers, which raises funds for grass-roots conservation projects around the UK coastline.

Ewan Clark, Director of Coppercoat, said: ‘The team at Coppercoat is delighted to support the Brian Black Memorial Award. The concept of using sailing boats to explore the natural world with minimal impact on the environment is absolutely aligned with our values, and we believe our product helps sailors do just that.’

‘Coppercoat antifouling has almost no biocide leach and lasts for 10-15 years between applications.

‘At Coppercoat, we remain convinced that our product is still leading the market when it comes to low-impact antifoul, and independent tests have shown that Coppercoat’s impact on the marine environment is almost completely negligible compared to any eroding antifoul,’ added Director Jayson Kenny.

In esteemed company

Previous BBMA winners include: Tim Linsell, who evoked his expedition from Norway to Svalbard with his beautiful writing and dramatic images, but is dismayed by the rate of change in the Arctic; Jon Amtrup, who witnessed the retreat of glaciers in Svalbard during voyages to the island over 12 consecutive years, and Sophie Dingwall, who crossed the Atlantic and recounted how remote islands are being buried beneath mountains of ocean plastic.

Irenka and Alan Wood, who have been sailing the world with their three children since 2017, won the 2023 video award with a fun, informative and emotional video that captured the joy of wildlife at sea and the pressures faced by different eco systems. Their adventures are often documented on their Mothership Adrift Youtube channel.

The judging panel for the award includes Volvo Ocean Race skipper Dee Caffari MBE; Vendée Globe veteran Mike Golding OBE; conservation expert Dr Bob Brown, and marine environmental consultant and daughter of Brian and Lesley Black, Sarah Brown, plus the Yachting Monthly team.

Learn more about the Brian Black Memorial Award sponsor at: coppercoat.com
Submit your entry for the Brian Black Memorial Award 2024 to: yachtingmonthly@futurenet.com

Entries should be submitted via yachtingmonthly@futurenet.com

• Articles should be in electronic written format as Microsoft Word or Plain Text documents with no inserted images. Include a 100 word biography about yourself, your sailing background, and the boat you were sailing on.
• Between 20 and 30 high resolution images (1MB or larger) only should be supplied via Dropbox, WeTransfer or GoogleDrive link and should be clearly labelled in the file name and with a list of images in the text document. As well of general images of people, places, and photos of the issues described, please include images of the boat sailed (taken during the voyage where possible), a head shot of the author, and a sketch chart of the route taken.
• Links to supporting video can be included but will not form part of the judging decision.
• Entries should be between 1,700-1,900 words in length and articles above this length will not be considered.
• Entries should be submitted no later than 22 August 2024. Entries received after this date will not be considered.
• Entries are limited to one article per person.
• The entry must be the original work of the author and not have been previously published.
• Images submitted need not have been taken solely by the author, but they should be specific to the project or voyage, and the author must have written permission to submit the images for publication in print and online. Images and articles may be shared in their original context by supporting organisations and sponsors for the purpose of promoting the award.

Additional guidance

• The judges are looking for articles that focus on the issues of climate change and biodiversity loss, told through the detail of your story.
• The judges are looking for articles and videos that focus on coastal biodiversity and the threats faced by marine species.
• Entries are invited from anyone who has recently used a sailing boat or sailing voyage to explore an environmental issue, or who has encountered environmental issues whilst sailing and has a story to tell.
• Entries are invited from anyone who has recently used a sailing boat or sailing voyage to explore an environmental issue, or who has encountered environmental issues whilst sailing and has a story to tell.
• There is no geographical limit to where the voyage should have been undertaken, but judges are looking for voyages close to home in the UK and Atlantic Europe in particular. A special mention will be made of the best article and video concerning high latitude sailing to reflect Brian and Lesley Black’s lifelong commitment to sailing in the Arctic and North Atlantic.
• For the articles, the judges are looking for great stories told well and will focus primarily on the quality of the writing and should inform, educate and inspire the reader about a particular area and environmental issue. Articles should be illustrated with beautiful photography. Articles should be at least 1,600 words and no more than 1,800 words, and include a 100-word biography of the author.
• There is no geographical limit to where the voyage should have been undertaken, but a special mention will be made of the best article concerning high latitude sailing to reflect Brian and Lesley Black’s lifelong commitment to sailing in the Arctic and North Atlantic.
• Videos should communicate both the story of the voyage undertaken, and the threats to biodiversity witnessed. The judges are looking for compelling video with a clear story that is beautifully shot and well-edited. It should be at least 7 minutes but no more than 10 minutes in length.
• By submitting an entry, you guarantee that you are the copyright holder, or have the written permission of the copyright holder, of the material submitted for publication in Yachting Monthly in print and across all of its online channels, including without limitation JW Player and YouTube. You further guarantee that the use of ​any music in an entry will not infringe the intellectual property or proprietary rights of any third party or contravene any applicable laws and will not give rise to any mechanical fees, royalties or other payments whatsoever becoming due to you or any other person or entity​.​
• The judges are looking for great stories told well and will focus primarily on the quality of the writing.
• The closing date for this award is 23:59 on 22 August 2024.
• Articles should be illustrated with beautiful photography
• Articles should inform, educate and inspire the reader about a particular area and environmental issue.

Judging

The panel of judges includes:
Monty Halls – former Royal Marine, conservationist and television producer
Mike Golding OBE – round the world race winner, multiple world champion
Dee Caffari MBE – six-time circumnavigator and Volvo Ocean Race skipper
Dr Robert Brown OBE – conservation expert and sailor
Sarah Brown – marine environmental professional and daughter of Brian and Lesley Black
The Yachting Monthly editorial team

Entry criteria

• By taking part, you agree to be bound by these terms and the Competition Rules: https://www.futureplc.com/competition-rules/.
• Entries should be submitted by 23:59 BST on 22 August 2024 to: yachtingmonthly@futurenet.com, with Brian Black Memorial Award 2024 in the subject line.
• Entries are limited to one article and one video per person
• By taking part, you agree to be bound by these terms and the Competition Rules: https://www.futureplc.com/competition-rules/.
• The entry must be the original work of the author and not have been previously published.
• The author must have participated in the voyage described in the article or video
• Images and footage submitted need not have been taken solely by the author but they should be specific to the project or voyage, and the author must have written permission to submit the images for publication in print and online across all of Yachting Monthly’s channels.
• Images and articles may be shared in their original context by supporting organisations and sponsors for the purpose of promoting the award.

Articles

• Articles should be in electronic written format as Microsoft Word or Plain Text documents with no inserted images. Include a 100 word biography about yourself, your sailing background, and the boat you were sailing on.
• Between 20 and 30 high resolution images (1MB or larger) only should be supplied via Dropbox, WeTransfer or GoogleDrive link and should be clearly labelled in the file name and with a list of images in the text document. As well as general images of people, places, and photos of the issues described, please include images of the boat sailed (taken during the voyage where possible), a head shot of the author, and a sketch chart of the route taken.
• Entries should be between 1,600-1,800 words in length and articles above this length will not be considered.

Terms and conditions

By taking part, you agree to be bound by these terms and the Competition Rules: https://www.futureplc.com/competition-rules/. Entries must be submitted via email by 23:59 BST on 22 August 2024. Late or incomplete entries, or entries which do not comply with the entry requirements, will be disqualified. Entries are limited to one per individual. Unchanged: Late or incomplete entries, or entries which do not comply with the entry requirements, will be disqualified. Entries are limited to one per individual.

Open to anyone aged 16 and over, except employees of Future Publishing Limited (“Future”) and CopperCoat (“Sponsor”).

Entrants aged under 18 represent and warrant that a parent/guardian has consented to the entry and to these terms. Unchanged: Entrants aged under 18 represent and warrant that a parent/guardian has consented to the entry and to these terms.

The winner will be selected by the judging panel in its sole discretion from all entries validly submitted. Unchanged: The winner will be selected by the judging panel in its sole discretion from all entries validly submitted.

Entries will be judged on the quality of writing and how the story informs, educates and inspires on the issues of climate change and biodiversity. Unchanged: Entries will be judged on the quality of writing and how the story informs, educates and inspires on the issues of climate change and biodiversity.

The winner will be notified by email at least 1 week prior to the award presentation at the Southampton Boat Show.

The value of the prize may be taxable as income and each prize winner is solely responsible for any taxes, including, but not limited to all applicable federal, state, and local taxes that become due with respect to the value of the prize. Unchanged: The value of the prize may be taxable as income and each prize winner is solely responsible for any taxes, including, but not limited to all applicable federal, state, and local taxes that become due with respect to the value of the prize.

Sponsor (or a third party acting on its behalf) must report the value of the prize to the IRS in the year the prize is received by the prize winner and will report the prize winner to the IRS. Unchanged: Sponsor (or a third party acting on its behalf) must report the value of the prize to the IRS in the year the prize is received by the prize winner and will report the prize winner to the IRS.

Prize(s) will not be fulfilled where prohibited or restricted by law. Unchanged: Prize(s) will not be fulfilled where prohibited or restricted by law.

The prize is non-transferable and non-refundable. There is no cash alternative. Unchanged: The prize is non-transferable and non-refundable. There is no cash alternative.

You retain all rights you have in the copyright and other intellectual property rights comprising your entry but, by entering the Competition, you grant Future, its licensees and the Sponsor, the right free of charge to republish your entry in any medium or format. Unchanged: You retain all rights you have in the copyright and other intellectual property rights comprising your entry but, by entering the Competition, you grant Future, its licensees and the Sponsor, the right free of charge to republish your entry in any medium or format.

By entering this competition you acknowledge and agree that Future shall have no liability for any loss, damage or injury suffered by you or others (i) during the process of submitting your entry, and/or (ii) while travelling to and from the Southampton Boat Show (if you choose to attend). Unchanged: By entering this competition you acknowledge and agree that Future shall have no liability for any loss, damage or injury suffered by you or others (i) during the process of submitting your entry, and/or (ii) while travelling to and from the Southampton Boat Show (if you choose to attend).

You also warrant that your entry is entirely your own work and will not infringe any third party intellectual property rights, and that Future shall have no liability as a result of any actual or threatened claim that your entry infringes third party intellectual property rights. Unchanged: You also warrant that your entry is entirely your own work and will not infringe any third party intellectual property rights, and that Future shall have no liability as a result of any actual or threatened claim that your entry infringes third party intellectual property rights.

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