Innovation Route: The Cannes Yachting Festival Unveils the Future of Boating

The Cannes Yachting Festival has just come to a close after another edition featuring a wealth of boats on display, world premieres, and—above all—a particularly well-attended “Innovation Route”…

The 2026 Cannes Yachting Festival, in numbers, could be summed up as follows: 710 boats on display, including 150 world premieres, nearly 700 exhibitors ranging from boat builders to marine equipment suppliers, including sailboat manufacturers, brokers, insurers, lenders, and other equipment suppliers—and, above all, a dense crowd of enthusiasts lining the aisles. But amid a challenging economic climate, the boating industry as a whole has demonstrated impressive resilience: to attract a clientele whose habits are changing, it is essential to offer products tailored to their new expectations. In this regard, the Innovation Route established by the show’s organizers is particularly valuable.

A path paved with innovations…

For several years now, the trade show’s organizers have sought to highlight exhibitors’ innovations. To avoid conflicts of interest, they called upon a completely independent jury composed of journalists, industry professionals, and experts. The discussions were lively, and opinions were sharply divided. The first step was to select the most relevant projects from among more than 120 submissions.

Result: A total of 47 projects, boats, initiatives, or pieces of equipment were ultimately selected in one of the five categories for this year’s edition—Best Equipment for Improving Navigation, Best Sustainable Product, Best Innovative Boat, Best CSR Initiative, and the Special Jury Prize.

Nominees who showcase the journey of innovation at the trade show

One of the major strengths of “Innovation Route” is that it offers a clearly marked route along the exhibition’s piers—whether at the Old Port of Cannes or at Port Canto—with specific signage for each of the 47 nominees. For visitors, this also makes it easy to immediately identify the exhibitors whose projects have caught the jury’s attention.

A festive awards ceremony

After numerous meetings and intense discussions, the jury finally reached its decision, and the awards ceremony took place in a (very) festive atmosphere on the first evening of the show. Hosted by Constance Brément, director of the Cannes Yachting Festival, the evening also served as an opportunity to reaffirm the support of the show and the entire boating industry for the SNSM (Société Nationale de Sauvetage en Mer).

For anyone who wasn’t able to attend the 2026 Cannes Yachting Festival, feel free to watch and rewatch the official news reports from the event, produced by the entire team at your magazine, Skippers.

Results of Innovation Route 2026 – Cannes Yachting Festival

Best equipment for improving navigation

Winner: Bluenav Smart Mooring Finalists: Kronos Weenav – Jool One box

Best Sustainable Product

Winner: Suzuki Edge eCoat

Finalists: VEEM Extreme Propulsion System – MITEK Rotating Saildrive

Best Innovative Boat

Winner: Excess 11

Finalists: Sea Loft 480 – Loxo 40

Best CSR Initiative

Winner: D-Marin Biohuts® – Marine Biodiversity Restoration Initiative

Finalists: PrimoAcces Water – Day 1 Shuttle

Special Jury Prize

Azimut Grande 44 M