The We are Cunard trophy arrives on Queen Mary 2!

Back in January we revealed the winners of the World of Cunard Competition 2024. The theme was ‘Sailing as four’, and from over 100 entries – Marlon Umali, Crew Administrator, HR on Queen Mary 2 was crowned the overall winner, and the recipient of the prestigious We are Cunard trophy!

Marlon with the trophy, surrounded by his proud colleagues from Queen Mary 2

John White, Human Resources Manager, Queen Mary 2, tells us about the inspiration behind Marlon’s winning artwork, has shared some fantastic photos of the moment Marlon was awarded with the trophy, which now has pride of place on board.

In early 2024 when the World of Cunard competition opened, I asked Marlon if he would consider entering some artwork for the competition, as he is a well-known artist onboard Queen Mary 2, for using bold colour.

Following our conversation, Marlon set about the task of preparing the sketches of his ideas onto paper, drawing inspiration for the concept of the majestic Cunard Queens, sailing as four. When he was satisfied with his overall plan, he began to draw in colour, depicting the four Queens along with the four corners of the world.

At that time we had Queen Elizabeth in the east, Queen Mary in the west with Queen Victoria doing voyages in the North and Queen Anne due to join the fleet, with a projected World Voyage visiting many ports of call in the south. 

Each of the segments of the picture were drawn with our Fleet in mind. Segment 1 showcasing our people coming from all corners of the globe. Segment 2 displaying our proud flagship Queen Mary 2. Segment 3 featuring our 4 Queen Fleet coming to fruition. Finally segment 4 displaying our proud heritage in White Star, Cunard, and Great Britain. 

The World of Cunard Trophy has come to Queen Mary 2 for the first time and is proudly on display in the Crew Mess.

Captain Andrew Hall presenting the winning trophy to Marlon 

Where will the trophy head to next? 

In 2025 we’re excited to be celebrating 185 years of Cunard! 185 years of ocean travel is no mean feat, and to celebrate this incredible milestone for our brand, the World of Cunard Competition returns this year with a new theme celebrating the ‘Now & Wow’ of Cunard.

Find out more and enter, here!