Naomi sails away with an award
It’s been a long voyage for Wearside lecturer Naomi Austin who has sailed off into the sunset with a prestigious award.
Earlier last year, the University of Sunderland fashion design lecturer published her debut book, The Call of the Seas, to critical acclaim.
A few weeks later, she was taking part in the Tall Ships Races, which had inspired the book, setting sail from Sunderland to Denmark.
Then, in August last year, she was front-and-centre at her own art exhibition featuring digital drawings from her book at Arts Centre Washington.
Her latest accolade has seen Naomi’s hard work pay off after The Call of the Sea – a 288-page publication based on the Tall Ships – was one of three books to be awarded a certificate of merit for the Mountbatten Award for Best Book at the annual Maritime Media Awards.
The lecturer’s book also contains a chapter on the history of shipbuilding on the Wear.
At an award ceremony in London, Naomi picked up her prize. And it was a night she will not forget.
She said: “I wasn’t expecting the nomination in the first place so to find myself on the shortlist of 10 was incredible.
“I was sat at my table just drinking in the whole atmosphere when they announced that they had selected three books which the judges felt deserved special recognition for excellence.
“And,then I heard the words ‘our first award goes to an incredible illustrated book based on the Sunderland shipbuilding heritage and the Tall Ships Race ...’ and after that I kind of went deaf with shock.
“I had to walk past 200-plus people applauding me to go up on stage to receive the award from Admiral Sir Philip Jones, First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff. That was the longest but proudest walk of my entire life.
“The strangest thing happened about 30 minutes after coming back to my table. I was discussing with my partner how Kate Adie was somewhere in the room and how I should try to find her for a picture when I became aware of a very familiar face heading towards me across the sea of people.
“The next thing I heard was, “Naomi? I’m Kate Adie, what a pleasure to meet you and I just wanted to congratulate you so much on a fantastic award and for ensuring the history of Sunderland shipbuilding has been made available to a wider audience – I’m very, very pleased for you.”
“I kind of went deaf with shock” NAOMI AUSTIN