Staffs designer makes waves at superyacht competition
A Staffordshire University student has been crowned winner of the Superyacht UK Young Designer 2023 competition
Eight finalists were given a day and a half to design a unique superyacht and present their creations to a panel of industry judges.
After almost 14 hours of sketching, BA (Hons) Industrial Design student Ollie Rommelrath was revealed the winner at the Southampton International Boat Show last week.
The 23-year-old from Checkley said: “This is fantastic, I really didn’t expect it. This is my first time doing a superyacht design and winning feels like a great achievement. It has really been heads down right from the start and although the process is exactly the same as my other design work, there have been challenges such as working out how to fit the exterior design around the interior design.
“I knew from the start I wanted to do a motor yacht and once I had the brief, I had a vision in my head of how it would look. As for the prize, I’m going to sleep on it before I decide, but I am definitely going to have a smile on my face.”
Along with the winner’s title, Ollie can now choose from two industry opportunities, either an internship with Olesinski or Sunseeker, with the runner-up taking advantage of the other internship.
Despite its landlocked location, it the fourth year in a row that a Staffordshire University designer has won the competition, with Ollie and course mates Jonathan Stock, Sebastian Horbacz and Taylor McGraw making up half of this year’s finalists.
Dan Lewis, Course Director for Automotive & Transport Design, said: “We’re absolutely delighted that Ollie has secured the first place position in the prestigious Superyacht UK Young Designer competition – a remarkable achievement. This marks the fourth consecutive year that our Automotive & Transport Design students have taken the top prize, demonstrating the quality of work that our students produce, as well as the course and committed teaching team.
“Notably, this year, four students from Staffordshire University reached the finals of the competition, with Jonathon, Seb, and Taylor also establishing crucial industry connections, joining our winner, Ollie, in this significant accomplishment.”
2019 winner and Staffordshire University graduate James Shakespeare also returned this year as a member of the judging panel alongside industry experts.
Stephen Hills, Chairman of Superyacht UK and one of the judges for the competition, commented: “These young designers have produced a really impressive body of work; from a blank piece of paper to these fantastic outputs on display is incredible. The judges have been really impressed by the diversity of the designs and commend everyone for using their imagination and for the quality of their designs in such a short space of time.
“It was incredibly hard to pick a winner, but the top three really stood out for the judges. The judges loved the profile drawings presented by Oliver. His designs quickly caught the judges’ eyes and stood out, with exceptional quality of line. Fantastic.”
Amy Platts
Media Communications Officer
t: 01782 292702
m: 07799 341911
e: amy.platts@staffs.ac.uk
Staffordshire University’s ambition is to become the UK’s best modern university. An institution with a strong civic mission, it has committed to being a ‘catalyst for change’ for students and businesses, positively impacting wider society and the regional economy.
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