Jack LavanchyThe EUF Lavanchy Award is presented by the European Underwater Federation. The award is presented to honour the vision of diving pioneer Jack Lavanchy, a former Life Honorary Vice President of the EUF, who was personally instrumental in the initial development and growth of European recreational diving.
During his lifetime, Jack strived tirelessly to persuade the members of the diving community to work together for the good of recreational diving and the benefit of divers everywhere.

The Lavanchy Award is presented annually to an individual who has made a significant and sustained contribution toward the responsible development of the European diving community. The award is usually presented at the Düsseldorf Boot show in January of each year.
Nominations for the award must be submitted to the Secretary General of the EUF by the 15^th of November of the previous year. Nominations must be made by email using the nomination form and sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Award Criteria

The criteria for the award are as follows:

• The individual should have made a significant contribution to the European recreational-diving community;
• The nominee’s actions should have generally encouraged cooperation within the community and have consistently shown a willingness to advance recreational diving;
• The nominee may have been employed in the diving industry or contributed voluntarily;
• The award is generally made to a single person, however, it might be awarded to a small team who consistently worked together for the benefit of the recreational diving community;
• The nominee cannot be an organisation or company;
• The nominee shall be living or, exceptionally, recently deceased;
• The nominee can be of any nationality, age or sex.

The candidates for a particular year will first be screened as suitable by the EUF Board, and then voted on by the members of the EUF.