A jury decision centred on space
The independent Design Innovation Award jury selected the Pardo GT65 from the motor-yacht entries above 14 metres, highlighting the yacht’s unusual spatial arrangement and panoramic helm experience. The citation places the emphasis on how owners and guests actually move through the yacht rather than on decoration alone.
More than 100 projects entered the seventh edition of the programme organised by Confindustria Nautica, giving the category win broader context within contemporary yacht design. For a model at the upper end of the sub-24-metre market, that independent scrutiny adds weight to its public debut.
A walkaround reworked for 20 metres
At 20.14 metres overall and 5.65 metres in beam, the GT65 scales Pardo’s familiar walkaround vocabulary into a larger and more protected platform. Nauta Design shaped the exterior and interior, while Zuccheri Yacht Design developed the naval architecture that supports the crossover brief.
Broad glazing and a strong connection between saloon and exterior spaces are intended to make the main deck read as one continuous social area. A hydraulic bathing platform and three-cabin layout add practical cruising capability without pushing the yacht beyond Luxury Yacht Guide’s 24-metre editorial limit.
Performance beneath the architecture
Standard propulsion comes from twin Volvo Penta IPS 1200 units, with IPS 1350 available as an option for owners wanting additional performance. The installation is paired with a 3,350-litre fuel capacity, giving the yacht useful reserves for coastal cruising and longer Mediterranean programmes.
Freshwater capacity is 1,100 litres, while the accommodation provides three cabins, three bathrooms and six berths for guests. Those figures give substance to the design award because the GT65 has to combine architectural ambition with the service capacity and storage expected from a genuine cruising yacht.
Why the award matters
Design awards are most useful when they recognise ideas an owner can experience directly rather than styling that only works in photographs. In the GT65, the jury specifically focused on sightlines and spatial sequencing, suggesting that the strongest innovation is the way the principal living zones interact.
The award therefore gives the model an early independent endorsement at the start of its market life. It also reinforces a wider trend below 24 metres, where builders are trying to create the volume and openness associated with larger yachts while retaining manageable dimensions and performance.
Official sources: confindustrianautica.net; pardoyachts.com.
