Monaco Energy Boat Challenge: the future of boating goes through Monaco

From July 8 to 11, the Yacht Club de Monaco will host the thirteenth edition of the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge, an international event that has established itself over the years as one of the main laboratories for innovation and energy transition in the nautical sector. For four days, the Principality will become the meeting point for students, researchers, engineers, shipyards, and companies from around the world, called to discuss the technologies aimed at transforming the future of mobility at sea.

Monaco Energy Boat Challenge: the Principality calls the world

The expected numbers for this year’s edition confirm the growing international interest in the event, with the participation of over 1,000 students, 52 teams from 21 nations representing 33 universities, along with 14 universities present as observers. These numbers testify to how the event has established itself in recent years as a privileged platform for the development of solutions dedicated to sustainable yachting.

Organized as part of the initiative “Monaco, Capital of Advanced Yachting”, the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge can count on the support of Fondation Prince Albert II de Monaco, UBS, BMW, and SBM Offshore, in addition to the participation of major players in the nautical industry such as Safe Harbor, Oceanco, Ferretti Group, Azimut | Benetti Group, and Lürssen.

“This year we find loyal teams, but also new participants and universities coming to observe the event to prepare for their future entry into competition. It is probably the best indicator of the dynamics of the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge,” comments Bernard d’Alessandri, Director and Secretary General of the Yacht Club de Monaco.

A single challenge: the decarbonization of maritime transport

The teams will compete in the categories Energy Class, AI Class, SeaLab Class, and Open Sea Xperience, presenting projects ranging from electric propulsion to hydrogen and methanol-powered systems, to the most advanced foil technologies. Different solutions united by a single goal: to contribute to the decarbonization of maritime transport. From 2024, NatPower H will serve as the technical partner of the event and official supplier of hydrogen, ensuring the supply of the fuel necessary for the trials.

Among the novelties of this year is the presence of a U.S. delegation composed of Columbia University in New York, George Washington University, Howard University, and Florida International University. The universities will participate as observers with the intention of competing starting from the 2027 edition.

Monaco Energy Boat Challenge: not just races

Alongside the races, the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge will also offer a rich program open to the public. From July 9 to 11, the Village of the event will be open for free visits, from 10 AM to 6 PM, featuring a television stage with live coverage of the competitions and daily awards, driving simulators, the Winch Challenge, family activities, exhibition areas dedicated to new technologies, refreshment points, and free ice cream distribution during the afternoon.

Among the most anticipated events is the Fondation Prince Albert II de Monaco Sustainable Yachting Technology Award, which will award a prize of 25,000 euros to the university or research project deemed most promising for energy efficiency and carbon emission reduction in the yachting sector. Competing for the prize will be University of Genoa, ENSAM – Hydrogadz, Politecnico di Torino, and Kumaraguru College of Technology.

The event also confirms its role as a bridge between the academic world and the industrial sector through the Corporate Mentoring Programme, an initiative that in 2026 involved 20 professionals and 22 teams, facilitating the transfer of technical and industrial skills during the development of projects.

Demonstrating the concrete impact of the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge on the sector is the journey of NEMO Systems, a startup founded by three former participants of the event. This year, the company will provide the official GPS tracking system, data collection, and analysis for all competing vessels, allowing real-time monitoring of geolocation and energy performance of the prototypes.

The link between the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge and the industrial world is also strengthened through the direct involvement of companies in the development of university projects.  Safe Harbor, a partner of the event, has supported two teams from the Energy Class during the year – Hydrogadz from the École nationale supérieure des Arts et Métiers and TAMEO Energy from ENSTA Paris – providing technical support, project management assistance, and access to its infrastructure. The prototypes were also tested at the group’s shipyard in La Seyne-sur-Mer, where students were able to complete sea trials and fine-tune the vessels before the competition.

Also, UBS confirms its support for the initiative, emphasizing how the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge represents a concrete example of collaboration between research, industry, and new generations of engineers engaged in developing solutions for more sustainable and efficient maritime mobility.

An important opportunity for discussion

The 2026 edition will also offer a rich program of in-depth discussions dedicated to industry professionals. On July 9, theAdvanced Yachting Technology Conference will analyze the latest technological innovations applied to the nautical industry, while the following day, the seventh Alternative Fuels & Sustainable Yachting Conference, organized by the Yacht Club de Monaco together with the Fondation Prince Albert II de Monaco, will review the main decarbonization strategies in the sector, with presentations dedicated to nuclear propulsion, wind energy, methanol, batteries, and electrification.

There will also be space for knowledge sharing with the Tech Talks, scheduled for July 10. The best teams from the various categories will present their solutions on innovation, design, eco-design, ergonomics, and life cycle analysis to the public and an international jury, competing for awards dedicated to Innovation, Design, and Eco-Design. An event that confirms the vocation of the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge as a platform for open discussion, where the technologies developed by the teams become shared heritage for the entire sector.

With its mix of competition, research, and collaboration between universities and industry, the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge continues to represent a privileged observatory on the technologies that will drive the evolution of yachting in the coming years. An event that confirms the role of the Principality of Monaco as an international reference point in the development of innovative solutions for increasingly sustainable maritime mobility.