The entries for the 2024 edition of the CSI Awards are now open and well underway. This year, we’re not just celebrating the ingenuity and evolution of cruise ship interior design. CSI Awards will also be celebrating its half-decade birthday with new judges and exciting new categories.  All-new categories include Best Onboard Experience, Best Refurbished Space, and Galley Innovation of the Year.

New categories

The new categories to the CSI Awards aim to shine a light on the amazing ways that interior design makes outstanding guest experiences a reality. Best Onboard Experience invites cruise lines to submit their amazing headline spaces, full of cutting edge technology and the big ‘wow’ moments that guests will remember forever. In addition, judges also invite cruise brands to submit their smaller areas, such as sports and recreation areas. These are the spaces that may not always make the headlines but provide texture and richness to a guest’s onboard experience.

For many guests, the food they experience on board their cruise will make, or break, their stay. Behind the scenes, cruise lines are always looking for ways to drive down food waste, streamline their processes and keep their restaurant selections fresh and exciting. That’s why this year we will be honouring Galley Innovation of the Year. This award will be looking to heap praise on everything from systems that transform the efficiency of the galley to products that elevate the guests’ dining experience.

The new award Best Refurbished Space will be diving into the detail of successful vessel refurbishments. As refurbishments become more sustainable, architects and designers work near-magic to transform existing features and finishes into a space that feels new and refreshes the guest experience. Judges will be looking at improved functionality, aesthetic impact and remarkable transformations.

Introducing the judging panel

The CSI Awards have made several exciting new additions to the judges panel. The panel now includes Jessica Payne, Windstar Cruises, who will be bringing her unique luxury yacht experience to the awards. The CSI Awards also welcomes for the first time a judge representing the customer perspective. Dave Monk, cruise writer for publications including The Daily Telegraph, and veteran of over 100 voyages across 41 river, ocean and expedition cruise lines, will be lending his expertise to the proceedings. 

Other new judges include Kim Bjørge Hofslundsengen, Hurtigruten, Janice Davidson, Norwegian Cruise Line, Adrienne Chin, Carnival UK and Ben Wilson, MSC Cruises. Each judge will be lending their own unique perspective, whether their focus is architectural or product and brand integration, and whether their brand is a large or small cruise line.

What next?

Entries close 6 September, so seize the opportunity to submit your space or product. Over the past five years, the CSI Awards have awarded more than 50 people, cruise brands, design studios, leaders and suppliers in the cruise industry. Don’t miss the opportunity to advertise your work as award-winning, submit your entry by entering the relevant category.