The 2026 National Boating Safety Awards, now in its eighth year, announced this year’s winners at IBEX on October 6, 2026, recognizing outstanding education, community engagement, digital initiatives, technology, partnerships, campaigns and advocacy to promote boating safety with awards across nine categories. Our own Lakeland Boating magazine received an honorable mention for the Best Integrated Boating Safety Campaign!
“The 2026 winners demonstrate just how many different ways our industry focuses on safe and responsible boating,” says Gail R. Kulp, Executive Director of the Sea Tow Foundation. “From hands-on education and innovative technology to community programs, partnerships, and individual leadership, these efforts are connecting with boaters and helping them become more confident on the water.”
The winners of the 2026 National Boating Safety Awards include:
Best Boating Safety Education & Training Program: BoatClass for its hands-on boating courses that put participants behind the wheel with certified captains to practice boat handling, docking, navigation, anchoring, VHF use and emergency response.
Best Youth Boating Safety Initiative: SUNY Maritime College for its Maritime Adventure Boat Camp.
Best Boating Safety Community Engagement Program: Sawyer Paddles and Oars for Fit to Float, a statewide life jacket education initiative developed with the Oregon State Marine Board and community partners.
Best Boating Safety Digital Initiative: The Qualified Captain for its new NASBLA-approved online boating safety course. BoatClass earned runner-up recognition in this category.
Best Boating Safety Product or Technology Innovation: Garmin for its OnBoard Wireless Man Overboard Detection and Engine Cutoff System.
Best Boating Safety Partnership/Collaborative Initiative: U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Paddlecraft Safety Division and Cross Currents Leadership for the 2026 Spring Auxiliary Training.
Best Marine Dealer Boating Safety Effort: Causeway Marine for its Become a Better Boater campaign. MarineMax Miami earned runner-up recognition in this category.
Best Integrated Boating Safety Campaign: ACR Electronics for its campaign educating boaters about Electronic Visual Distress Signaling Devices (eVDSDs), or electronic flares. Lakeland Boating Magazine earned runner-up recognition in this category.
Best Individual Boating Safety Advocate: John Sewell, Director of Safety for Freedom Boat Club, for building a comprehensive safety program across 170 locations in 11 states and two countries.
SUNY Maritime College was selected to receive the Boating Safety Excellence Award, the Sea Tow Foundation’s highest recognition, for its Maritime Adventure Boat Camp and its lasting impact on the future of boating.
For more information about the 2026 National Boating Safety Awards and this year’s winners, visit boatingsafety.com/awards.
