The winners of the 2024 National Historic Ships UK Photography Competition, Marsh Volunteer Awards, and Excellence in Maritime Conservation Award were revealed on Wednesday 20th November, in an Awards film premiered on Youtube. The Awards film also celebrated the six Flagships of the Year, announced earlier in the season. Filmed in Windermere in the beautiful Lake District, the film also features behind the scenes content from our joint hosts, Windermere Jetty Museum and Windermere Lake Cruises.
Watch the Awards film on YouTube
National Historic Ships UK’s (NHS-UK) annual awards are a celebration of maritime heritage around the UK. They encourage people of all ages and backgrounds to engage with historic vessels through photography, volunteering, conservation, online activities, and skills-based training.
PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION
The Photography Competition is always hugely popular, with hundreds of entries each year from Britain and around the world. This year's theme was 'True Colours', and it attracted nearly 500 entries featuring historic vessels and the people who engage with them.
There are four main Award categories: Photographer of the Year - awarded to the photographer and image selected by the judges as the Overall Winner of the competition; The Classic Boat Award - chosen by Classic Boat and awarded to the image most closely fitting the ethos of the magazine; Newcomer of the Year; and the People's Choice Award - the only award voted for by the public.
WINNER: Photographer of the Year
Painting Trafalgar, by Peter Collins (Portsmouth)
Highly Commended
Old and New: Waverley at Canary Wharf, by Mark Dillen (Gravesend, Kent)
WINNER: Classic Boat Award
A sinking feeling, by Chrissie Westgate (West Mersea, Essex)
Highly Commended
Pudge, by Shaun Mills (West Mersea, Essex)
WINNER: Newcomer of the Year
A white world, by Amy Lawson (Perth, Australia)
WINNER: People’s Choice Award
True LMS Locomotive Colours, by Julie Fletcher (Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire)
See our 2024 Photography Competition Winners
MARSH VOLUNTEER AWARDS
The Marsh Volunteer Awards recognise outstanding volunteers in the conservation or operation of historic vessels in the UK. Volunteers are the lifeblood of the sector with many vessels depending on them to keep going. These Awards, run in partnership with the Marsh Charitable Trust, celebrate the hard work and achievement of the many diverse individuals and groups who volunteer in support of maritime heritage. There are three Award categories: Group, Individual, and Shipshape Project – for projects listed on NHS-UK’s Shipshape Network.
WINNER: Marsh Volunteer of the Year - Group
The Wick Society Boat Team (Wick, Caithness)
WINNER: Marsh Volunteer of the Year - Individual
Christopher Barlow, West Wales Maritime Heritage Society (Pembroke)
WINNER: Marsh Volunteer of the Year - Shipshape Project
The Pythoneers (Chesterfield, Derbyshire)
Lifetime Achievement Award
The Marsh Charitable Trust also recognised Pam Bathurst of The Medway Queen Preservation Society (Gillingham, Kent) for a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Meet our 2024 Marsh Volunteer Awards Winners
THE MARTYN HEIGHTON AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN MARITIME CONSERVATION
In honour of NHS-UK’s late Director, Martyn Heighton, the Excellence in Maritime Conservation Award was launched in 2019 to mark best practice in the conservation of historic vessels.
WINNER:
Bernard Condon (Coleraine, Northern Ireland) - Grace Paterson Ritchie
HIGHLY COMMENDED:
Boathouse 4 at Portsmouth Historic Quarter (Portsmouth) - CMB 4R
Meet our 2024 Excellence in Maritime Conservation Award Winners
FLAGSHIPS OF THE YEAR
The annual Flagship of the Year Awards provide an opportunity to demonstrate and celebrate the value of historic vessels to the wider public, through online activities, museum engagement, events, open days and special tours. Flagships promote the role of NHS-UK and ‘fly the flag’ as ambassadors for the UK’s maritime heritage sector. This year, the judges awarded Flagship status to one National Flagship, one Static Flagship, and two Operational Flagships.
National Flagship of the Year 2024
Waverley (Glasgow)
Operational Flagships of the Year 2024
Challenge (Medway, Kent)
Provident (Oban, Argyll & Bute)
Static Flagship of the Year 2024
Lady Daphne (Charlestown Harbour, Cornwall)
Meet our 2024 Flagships of the Year
