Maui’s Big Wave Surfers Among WSL Award Finalists

The list of nominees for the 2018 World Surf League Big Wave Awards has been released. $350,000 in total prize money will be awarded across seven categories.  The majority of the nominated rides come from the infamous big wave breaks of Nazaré in Portugal and Peʻahi “Jaws” on Maui.

Ian Walsh (HAW) earned his first Big Wave Tour victory at the Men’s Pe’ahi Challenge in October. He is nominated for a wave he caught on Oct. 28, 2017 at Peʻahi, Maui. File photo credit: © WSL / Hallman

Maui’s Kai Lenny and Ian Walsh are up for Ride of the Year.  Kai Lenny is also nominated for the Quicksilver Airlift XXL Biggest Wave Award.  Haʻikū residents Billy Kemper and Ian Walsh were nominated for Tube of the Year. Kemper is also among the nominees for Wipeout of the Year for a winter wave at Peʻahi. And Maui’s Paige Alms is up for the Hydro Flask Women’s Best Performance award.

Winners will be revealed at the invitation-only Big Wave Awards event in Southern California on April 28, 2018.

The 18th Annual WSL Big Wave Awards competition window concluded on March 20, 2018 and spanned the previous 12 months of surfing action. Every wave ridden at every big wave break around the world in this period was eligible for consideration across the seven categories. A panel of judges chose best rides in each of the categories based on photographic and video evidence.

The preliminary list of nominees in each category is posted below:

RIDE OF THE YEAR AWARD NOMINEES
Surfer prizes total $125,000 – Videographer prizes total $13,000

Ross Clarke-Jones (Avoca, New South Wales, Australia) at Nazaré, Portugal on Jan. 18, 2018.
(Video by Pedro Miranda.)
Ryan Hipwood (Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia) at Peʻahi, Maui, Hawaiʻi on Oct. 28, 2017.
(Video by WSL Video Team.)
Kai Lenny (Pāʻia, Hawaiʻi, USA) at Nelscott Reef, Oregon on Nov. 29, 2017.
(Video by Ian Kennelly.)
Sebastian Steudtner (Nuremberg, Germany) at Nazaré, Portugal on Jan. 18, 2018.
(Video by Javier Goya.)
Ian Walsh (Haʻikū, Hawaiʻi, USA) at Peʻahi, Maui, Hawaiʻi on Oct. 28, 2017.
(Video by Dan Norkunas.)

BIGGEST PADDLE AWARD NOMINEES
Surfer prize $30,000 – Photographer prize $5,000

Lucas Chianca (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) at Nazaré, Portugal on Jan. 4, 2018.
(Photos by Vitor Estrelinha and Rafael G. Riancho. Video by Cesinha Feliciano.)
Lucas Chianca (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) at Peʻahi, Maui, Hawaiʻi on Jan. 14, 2018.
(Photos by Tony Heff, Aaron Lynton and Fred Pompermayer. Video by Elliot Leboe.)
Nathan Florence (Haleʻiwa, Hawaiʻi, USA) at Peʻahi, Maui, Hawaiʻi on Jan. 14, 2018.
(Photos by Photos by Dooma Photos, Aaron Lynton and Fred Pompermayer. Video by Aldo Tassara.)
Aaron Gold (Haleʻiwa, Hawaiʻi, USA) at Peʻahi, Maui, Hawaiʻi on Jan. 13, 2018.
(Photos by Dooma Photos, Aaron Lynton and Fred Pompermayer. Video by Bruno Lemos.)
Aaron Gold (Haleʻiwa, Hawaiʻi, USA) at Peʻahi, Maui, Hawaiʻi on Jan. 14, 2018.
(Photos by Erik Aeder, Brent Broza, Robin Ernst, Tony Heff and Aaron Lynton. Video by Tony Heff.)

QUIKSILVER AIRLIFT XXL BIGGEST WAVE AWARD NOMINEES
Surfer prize $25,000 – Photographer prize $5,000

Ross Clarke-Jones (Avoca, New South Wales, Australia) at Nazaré, Portugal on Jan. 18, 2018.
(Photos by Bruno Aleixo and Ricardo Bravo. Video by Humberto Santos.)
Rodrigo Koxa (Guarujá, SP, Brazil) at Nazaré, Portugal on Nov. 8, 2017.
(Photos by Raphael Alvim, Pedro Cruz, Rafael G. Riancho, Manuel Ricardo and Leandro Sieves. Video by Carlos Muriongo.)
Kai Lenny (Pāʻia, Hawaiʻi, USA) at Peʻahi, Maui, Hawaii on Jan. 14, 2018
(Photos by Dooma Photos, Tony Heff, Aaron Lynton, Fred Pompermayer and Stu Soley. Video by Marcus Rodrigues.)
Benjamin Sanchis (Hossegor, France) at Nazaré, Portugal on Jan. 18, 2018.
(Photos by Bruno Aleixo, Helio Antonio, Andre Botelho, Antonio Bravo and Vitor Estrelinha. Video by Michael Darrigade.)
Sebastian Steudtner (Nuremberg, Germany) at Nazaré, Portugal on Jan. 18, 2018.
(Photos by Helio Antonio, Andre Botelho, Rafael G. Riancho, Surfemotions and Gillen Usandizaga. Video by Nuno Dias.)

TUBE OF THE YEAR AWARD NOMINEES
Surfer prize $10,000 – Still photography prize $5,000

Grant Baker (Durban, South Africa) at Peʻahi, Maui, Hawaiʻi on Jan. 14, 2018.
(Photos by Dooma Photos, Aaron Lynton, Fred Pompermayer and Randy Sarrow.)
Mick Corbett (Perth, W.A. Australia) at The Right, Western Australia on May 16, 2016.
(Photo by Trent Slatter.)
Tyler Hollmer-Cross (Hobart, Tasmania, Australia) at Shipstern Bluff, Tasmania on July 25, 2017.
(Photo by Andrew Chisholm.)
Billy Kemper (Haʻikū, Hawaiʻi, USA) at Peʻahi, Maui, Hawaiʻi on Oct. 27, 2017.
(Photos by Richard Hallman, Tony Heff and Keoki Saguibo.)
Ian Walsh (Haʻikū, Hawaiʻi, USA) at Peʻahi, Maui, Hawaiʻi on Oct. 28, 2017.
(Photos by Adam Carbajal, Richard Hallman, Paul Karaolides, Tracy Leboe and Sofie Louca.)

WIPEOUT OF THE YEAR AWARD NOMINEES
Surfer prize $5,000 – Videographer prize $2,000

Andrew Cotton (Braunton, Devon, United Kingdom) at Nazaré, Portugal on Nov. 8, 2017.
(Video by Pedro Miranda.)
Billy Kemper (Haʻikū, Hawaiʻi, USA) at Peʻahi, Maui, Hawaiʻi on Oct. 28, 2017.
(Video by WSL Video Team.)
Coco Nogales (Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, Mexico) at Puerto Escondido, Mexico on July 31, 2017.
(Video by Yana Vaz.)
Eli Olson (Haleʻiwa, Hawaiʻi, USA) at Peʻahi, Maui, Hawaiʻi on Jan. 13, 2018.
(Video by Bruno Lemos.)
Owen Schultz (Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, Mexico) at Nazaré, Portugal on Jan. 18, 2018.
(Video by Remi Blanc.)

HYDRO FLASK WOMEN’S BEST PERFORMANCE AWARD NOMINEES
First prize $15,000, $32,500 total

Paige Alms (Haʻikū, Hawaiʻi, USA)
Justine Dupont (Seignosse, France)
Maya Gabeira (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
Keala Kennelly (Haleʻiwa, Hawaiʻi, USA)
Bianca Valenti (Mill Valley, California, USA)