MONACO, July 17, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Yacht Club de Monaco is expanding the global reach of the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge with the launch of a new international qualification programme: the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge World Series. “We started the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge more than 10 years ago and, with the growing success of the event and the increasing number of participating teams, we are now expanding our reach. That’s why we want to introduce a qualification system, similar to what exists in other sports. The first preliminary qualifying events will take place in Australia and Italy, before bringing the selected teams together for the final here in Monaco,” said Bernard d’Alessandri General Secretary and Managing Director of the Yacht Club de Monaco.
Designed to support the development of the Energy Class while accommodating the growing number of university teams seeking to participate, the initiative aims to preserve the sporting and technical standards of the final competition in Monaco.
Created in 2014 as a platform bringing together universities, industry and leading maritime companies, the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge has become a reference point for sustainable marine innovation, showcasing breakthrough technologies in clean propulsion. A major milestone came in 2018 with the introduction of the Energy Class, dedicated to experimental boats powered by alternative energy solutions, including hydrogen, kinetic energy storage and advanced battery systems. Since then, participation has grown from a single team to more than 20 teams representing over 20 countries.
To support this expansion, the Yacht Club de Monaco has created the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge World Series, establishing regional qualifying events that will strengthen local innovation ecosystems while creating a pathway to the final in Monaco.
As the first international partner to join the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge World Series, Darwin, Australia, will host a qualifying event dedicated to universities and teams from the Asia-Pacific region. Scheduled to begin in 2027, it will serve as the qualifying stage for the 2028 Monaco Energy Boat Challenge World Final. “Darwin is honored to become one of the first destinations outside of Monaco to partner with Monaco and work alongside the Yacht Club to promote sustainability in marine innovation and technology,” said Michael Canaris, Director of Big Blue Ventures APAC, a company specialized in developing and delivering innovation-led initiatives that connect industry, technology and investment opportunities across the Asia-Pacific region.
“We have a lot of work ahead of us. Initially, we’re going to focus on working with the Yacht Club and our partners to make sure we can create the same level of professionalism and international standard for the event in Darwin. Our main focus now is to attract university teams from Australia and across our region, making sure we have a strong number of teams competing in Darwin. At the same time, we’re focusing on the logistics of hosting the event locally, ensuring it meets the same standards as the Monaco edition, while building partnerships with local stakeholders, industry and companies,” he added.
When applications exceed the available places for the Monaco final, the competition will determine which teams qualify, with a maximum of two teams per country advancing to the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge World Final, scheduled from 29 June to 3 July 2027.
“The new structure is designed to make the Challenge more accessible to universities worldwide while encouraging the development of regional centres of excellence in sustainable maritime technology. Rather than concentrating participation in a single annual event, the World Series will help foster year-round collaboration between universities, industry and local stakeholders,” said Szilard Czibere, Innovation Manager for the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge at the Yacht Club de Monaco.
The long-term ambition is to establish the event as a true world final, where the best teams emerging from regional qualifying events organised across different continents compete to showcase the next generation of clean marine propulsion technologies.
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