Why Boat Insurance and Photography?
At Stoneways Marine, we are passionate about providing great boat insurance for the UK boating community. While insurance may not be the most exciting part of boating life, we believe it plays an important role in helping people enjoy their time on the water with confidence and peace of mind.
Our annual Amateur Boating Photographer of the Year competition is about celebrating the experiences, memories and moments that make boating so special. Through photography, we can showcase the beauty of life afloat, share the boating lifestyle with others and bring colour and creativity into what is often seen as a practical necessity.
2026 Amateur Boating Photographer of The Year Competition
The 2026 Stoneways Marine Amateur Boating Photographer of the Year Competition is now open for entries, with this year’s theme being ‘Boating Through the Seasons’. From crisp spring mornings and long summer evenings to dramatic autumn skies and peaceful winter waterways, every season brings its own atmosphere and character to life on the water. We want to see how boating changes throughout the year and what each season means to you. Whether it’s colourful autumn reflections on inland waterways, exhilarating winter racing conditions, family adventures during the summer holidays or the first signs of spring at the marina, we are looking for photographs that capture the unique connection between boating and the changing seasons.
The competition judges are looking for creative, atmospheric and inspiring images that showcase boating in all conditions and environments. We encourage entrants to think creatively and interpret the theme in their own unique way.
The competition closes on the 31st August 2026. To allow maximum freedom and creativity, photographs may be taken on the coast or inland waterways, during leisure or commercial activities, and from either land or water.
The best images will be featured in the 2027 Stoneways Marine Calendar and displayed in an online gallery on the Stoneways Marine website. The top three images, selected by a judging panel from the Stoneways Marine team, will receive the following prize packages.
1st Place Prize
• £100 worth of chandlery vouchers
• Branded Stoneways Marine merchandise
• Photograph featured in the Stoneways Marine online gallery
• Photograph featured in the yachtsandyachting.com, sail-world.com, powerboat.world and marinebusinessworld.com galleries
• Photograph featured in the Stoneways Marine 2027 calendar
• PLUS: 10 Stoneways Marine 2027 calendars for you, friends or family
2nd & 3rd Place Prizes
• £50 worth of chandlery vouchers
• Branded Stoneways Marine merchandise
• Photograph featured in the Stoneways Marine online gallery
• Photograph featured in the yachtsandyachting.com, sail-world.com, powerboat.world and marinebusinessworld.com galleries
• Photograph featured in the Stoneways Marine 2027 calendar
• PLUS: 5 Stoneways Marine 2027 calendars for you, friends or family
The Stoneways Marine Amateur Boating Photographer of the Year Competition continues to grow in popularity across the marine industry, with increasing numbers of entries received each year. The competition offers amateur boating photographers a fantastic opportunity to showcase their creativity, passion, and talent through the lens while celebrating life on the water. Take a look at the winners of our 2025 competition here.
Boating Photography Advice
For advice on taking great boating pictures, Katy Stickland, Editor of Practical Boat Owner wrote an article for Yachting Monthly back in 2021. Read it by clicking here.
Classic Boat Editor Steffan Meyric-Hughes also provided photography advice in his 2017 article which you can read by clicking here.
How To Enter
To enter, email your pictures to info@stoneways.co.uk, remembering to include your name and a contact phone number so we can let you know if you are a winner.
If you would like to provide your business / boat details and insurance renewal date in the email, then we would be happy to help you with a quote at the right time, but that is not essential to enter the competition.
Our team of boat and marine trade insurance experts can be contacted for all your boat insurance and marine trade insurance enquiries via 03333 609 886 or via our website stoneways.co.uk.
Photo Competition T&Cs:
- This competition is open to members of the public. Both members of the leisure boating and marine trade communities.
- Competition entry closes at midnight on the 31st August 2026
- Entrants must own the copyright to the images submitted and the images must be original, previously unpublished photos.
- Entrants may edit their photos using editing software prior to submission.
- Winners of the competition will not be entitled to financial rewards.
- Entrants under the age of 18 must have parent or guardians permission to enter.
- Prizes of boating gear will be in the form of chandlery vouchers from a major UK based chandlery. No cash alternative available.
- By submitting your photograph as part of our competition, you are agreeing for Stoneways to use the photos for varied publicity purposes both in digital and print forms with a name credit to the entrant.
- Judges’ decisions are final.
- Stoneways Marine reserve the right to amend the competition details at any point.
- This competition is not sponsored, endorsed, or administered by or associated with Facebook in any way.
- This competition is administered by Stoneways Marine and its marketing agents.
- Your personal data provided to enter the competition will be used purely for the purposes of running the competition in accordance with the data protection policy of Stoneways Marine, which can be found here.
To Be Eligible, Entries Must Include:
- A photo of your boat or a related subject matter to the marine industry.
- High-quality photos (over 1MB).
- Photos in a landscape format (for a chance to be in the 2027 Stoneways Calendar).
- Original photos only.
- Amateur Boating Photographer of the Year Competition photos need to be sent by email – we will be unable to collect entries sent via social media.