In the first five months of each year all members of the 12-strong jury pre-select the most promising new sailing yachts. They upload specifications, sailplans and renderings as well as comments to an intranet. This database is the common source of information for the nomination process which takes place in June. Once the top candidates in each catgory are chosen the yards are informed and the seatrials are organized. They usually take place before or after one of the major in-water boatshows during fall, ideally one in Northern and one in Southern Europe to keep travelling and boat deliveries to a minimum. Each of the two seatrials lasts for up to 5 days, with regular debriefings every evening when the editors get back form the boats. The final decisions are taken shortly before FlagshipNight, the opening ceremony of boot Düsseldorf at the end of January. There the European Yacht of the Year Awards – together with the European Powerboat if the Year Awards – are finally presented to the public, followed by a wave of publications in print, online and social media. #europeanyachtoftheyear