IBEX reveals judges, entrants & new plans for Innovation Awards

The International BoatBuilders’ Exhibition and Conference (IBEX), north America’s leading trade show for the recreational marine sector, has revealed the judging panel for the 22nd edition of its Innovation Awards. The awards recognise manufacturers and suppliers that are bringing new and innovative products to market.

Organised by the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) and independently evaluated by Boating Writers International (BWI), the awards are regarded as one of the industry’s most respected accolades. The judging panel is listed below.

This year’s Innovation Awards is the largest to date, with more than 110 entries submitted by companies across the marine industry. All participating products will be on display along Innovation Way in the second-floor rotunda for the duration of the show.

IBEX published the entrants to the 2025 Innovation Awards in a statement this week.

The 2025 Innovation Awards will be presented during IBEX’s annual Industry Breakfast on Tuesday 7 October, from 7.30am to 9.30am, at the JW Marriott Tampa Water Street. The event also features a ‘State of the Industry’ address and a keynote presentation. Tickets for the award ceremony are available via the registration portal.

IBEX is set to take place at the Tampa Convention Center, 7-9 October. This year the show will host its first Innovation ‘meet and greet’ along Innovation Way from 2.30pm to 3.30pm on 7 October, offering attendees the opportunity to meet the trailblazers behind 100-plus inventions and innovations entered into the 2025 awards programme.

IBEX recently also announced its programme of presentations, panel discussions and technical seminars for the 2025 IBEX Education Conference and the return of the Startup Pitch Competition.

The panel of judges for the 2025 IBEX Innovation Awards are: 

• Ben Stein (chair): Ben Stein is editor of Panbo.com covering marine technology. He also writes a monthly Getting Technical column for Soundings Trade Only and serves as electronics editor for Power & Motoryacht. Stein chairs the NMMA’s Innovation awards at IBEX and co-chairs the awards at the Discover Boating Miami International Boat Show. Additionally, he is a member of DAME design awards jury at Metstrade. After 15 years in financial services technology, he left the corporate world to pursue his passion for boating. Stein is the current president of Boating Writers International, a USCG 100-ton master, and ABYC-certified marine electrical technician.
   
• Tim Murphy (co-chair): Tim Murphy is the education director for the American Boat & Yacht Council. A contributing editor to BoatUS Magazine, and a Cruising World editor-at-large, Murphy has worked as a marine journalist for more than 30 years. Having directed and judged Cruising World’s Boat of the Year programme for two decades, he has sea-trialed more than 500 new boats in that time. He co-wrote Fundamentals of Marine Service Technology (ABYC 2012). He is the author of Adventurous Use of the Sea (Seapoint Books, 2022). Murphy holds a USCG 100-ton master’s license.
   
• Theresa Nicholson: Theresa Nicholson is an award-winning journalist who has covered the marine industry for 25 years. She is the former senior editor of Cruising World, and an IBEX Innovation Award and Newport for New Products judge. This past summer she worked at the marina in Yellowstone National Park. Nicholson lived aboard her 31ft ketch for 11 years and sailed from Miami to Malaysia. Her work currently focuses on weather, marine safety, risk analysis, the environment and high-latitude sailing.
   
• Pim Van Hemmen: Pim Van Hemmen is the former deputy editor of Soundings magazine and a lifelong boater. He spent 25 years in the newspaper industry and another decade as a nautical photographer.
   
• Wendy Mitman Clarke: Wendy Mitman Clarke is a 35-year marine industry and general assignment writer and journalist. She was most recently editor-in-chief of Sail magazine. A lifelong sailor, she has cruised and raced all manner of boats, including a four-year stint cruising full-time with her family. She and her husband own a 1978 Peterson 34 they sail regularly on the Chesapeake Bay, and a 1966 Cal 40 they are restoring.
   
• Pete McDonald: Pete McDonald is the executive editor of Boating magazine, where he first started working in 1998. He’s also been a BWI member since 1999 and started serving on the board in 2023.
   
• Steve Mitchell: Steve Mitchell is a year-round Pacific northwest cruiser aboard his 50ft steel trawler. A lifelong boater with experience in both sail and power, he spent decades in the technology industry and has over 20 years’ hands-on experience designing and installing marine electronics, electrical systems, and optimised solutions for customers. As founder of SeaBits, he tests, reviews, and consults on the latest marine technology, and contributes to 48° North and other boating publications.
   
• Ryan Gullang: Ryan Gullang is the communications coordinator and program manager for Annapolis Boat Shows. As a freelance writer, his DIY and tech articles have appeared in BoatUS, Boats.com, FishTalk, and SpinSheet Magazine. He has served on three NMMA Innovation Award panels and, in 2021, received the BWI Active Interest Boating Media Journalist Scholarship.

Mary Velline, IBEX show director, says: “IBEX is the centerpiece to fostering, encouraging and showcasing innovation in the manufacturing segment of the marine industry to improve the boating lifestyle. Each and every year we’re honored to celebrate innovators and the revolutionary concepts, products and solutions that continue to impact the future of boating. We know the Innovation Awards are a moment of extreme pride for both entrants and winners, and we’re looking forward to highlighting this year’s winners.”

Ben Stein, chair, Innovation Awards, adds: “Judging all of these new products and solutions, as well as selecting winners is a huge undertaking, however, it is always fascinating to see the innovation across the industry. I am very grateful for my fellow judges and the dedication of their time, energy and expertise. I know I can speak for all of them in saying we are eager to see all of this year’s entries and look forward to welcoming winners with this prestigious honour.”

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