Rewards of $10,000 will be offered to organisations or individuals in sailing who are undertaking innovative, impactful and replicable sustainability projects.

World Sailing will allocate the funding in order to sustain the chosen projects over the next three years.

Working with sustainability specialists, 11th Hour Racing, the governing body is inviting applications and nominations for the prize money and the Sustainability Award trophy (made from recycled carbon fibre and bioresin), which will be presented at the World Sailing Award 2018 in Florida on 30 October.

The deadline for applications is 8 October 2018.

Any person or organisation connected with sailing – such as National Federations, clubs, event organisers or sailors – can apply or be nominated, as long as their project was developed after November 2017.

However, to be considered the projects must comply with a number of eligibility criteria. They are required to demonstrate meaningful impact, be innovative and replicable, and align with the key objectives outlined in World Sailing’s Sustainability Agenda 2030 strategy (see below).

During the application process, applicants will be asked to explain their project in the context of leadership and vision, engagement, commitment and delivery, future plans, as well demonstrating how it raises industry standards and knowledge-sharing opportunities.

Dan Reading, World Sailing’s sustainability programme manager, will be part of the judging panel that chooses the winners. He will be joined by a representative from 11th Hour Racing and members of the World Sailing Sustainability Commission: Mike Golding OBE (chair), Mark Orams, Jill Savery, Will Oxley, Stratis Andreadis, James Blake, Emily Penn and Stephanie Draper.

Reading said that the award would allow both World Sailing and 11th Hour Racing learn about other sailing organisations and how they contribute to the sustainability of the sport.

“We will use the process to amplify and learn from successful, replicable projects to progress World Sailing’s sustainability strategy,” he added.

The initiative also strengthens the relationship between the governing body and 11th Hour Racing. The organisations worked together to create the sustainability plan for the 2018 Youth Sailing World Championships in Texas, which was single-use plastic free – an event that Reading said would be the sustainability “benchmark” for competitions organised by World Sailing in the future.