IED Barcelona catamaran concept OW wins Digital Yacht Week award

OW, IED Barcelona’s 30-metre catamaran concept for the W Barcelona Hotel, won the first Digital Yacht Week 2026 Award after beating 13 other international entries and drawing 400 votes. For catamaran watchers, the real takeaway is not just the trophy: the project shows how multihulls are increasingly being used as floating architecture, where guest experience and brand identity matter as much as range or sail performance.

The student team behind OW was led by Marco Bonfliglia in Transportation Design, working with Álvaro Prados and Alicia López Jaimes from Interior Design. IED Barcelona said the jury picked OW as the “most professional, detailed, comprehensive and futuristic” entry, a verdict that fits the concept itself. Designed for hospitality rather than conventional cruising, OW was conceived as a high-end vessel for the W Barcelona Hotel, with two decks, a swimming pool and three massage cabins.

That combination puts OW squarely in the luxury experience lane and gives the concept a practical edge beyond its styling. The boat’s futuristic look was inspired by Catalan modernism, tying the project to Barcelona’s architectural identity while still pushing the catamaran format into new territory. In a market where owners and charter guests increasingly want customised onboard spaces, OW suggests where production cruising cats could borrow ideas next: softer lines, more purposeful deck planning and a stronger focus on the way guests move, relax and gather aboard.

The award also carried weight because of who judged it. The professional jury included Exequiel Cano Lanza, identified by Hynaval as a naval architect and founder and president of the CLYD group, along with Carlo Nuvolari, co-founder of Nuvolari Lenard, and Yacht Club de Monaco representatives Bernard d’Alessandri and Jérémie Lagarrigue. Nuvolari Lenard describes itself as one of the world’s most active and recognized yacht-design studios, while the Monaco club, founded in 1953 by Prince Rainier and now presided over by H.S.H. Prince Albert II, has made innovation, sustainable transition and youth training part of its 2026 focus.

That backdrop helps explain why a student concept like OW landed so strongly. IED Barcelona says its transportation-design pathway trains students to design interiors and exteriors of vehicles and complete transport systems, and OW shows that this thinking now extends cleanly into yacht design. For the catamaran world, the signal is clear: the next competitive leap may come from how well a boat performs as a private resort, not just how it sails.