LOS ANGELES, Calif./USA (Thursday, April 11, 2019) – The 2019 World Surf League (WSL) Big Wave Awards (BWA) nominees are officially locked in. Top honors will be awarded across eight categories: Ride of the Year, Women’s XXL Biggest Wave, Men’s XXL Biggest Wave, Women’s Biggest Paddle, Men’s Biggest Paddle, Wipeout of the Year, Men’s Best Overall Performance of the Year, and Hydro Flask Women’s Best Overall Performance of the Year. The WSL’s official BWA Nominee page is now live HERE: worldsurfleague.com/bigwaveawards/nominees.

The 19th Annual WSL BWA competition window came to an end on March 20, 2019, and spanned the previous 12 months of the world’s greatest big wave surfers taking on the biggest swell in that timeframe. Every wave ridden at every big wave break around the world in this period was eligible for consideration across the eight categories. A panel of judges chose the best rides in each of the categories based on photographic and video evidence.

Pictured: Newly crown Big Wave Tour Champion Grant Baker (ZAF) is nominated for the prestigious Ride of the Year along with two Biggest Paddle Award waves.  
Credit: © WSL / Kenneth Morris

The winners will be crowned at a celebration open to the public in Redondo Beach, California, on Thursday, May 2, 2019. For the first time, general admission tickets can be purchased to watch the awards from the comfort of beach seating at the BeachLife Festival stage hosting this year’s awards. Viewers are also invited to watch a live broadcast of this year’s awards via WorldSurfLeague.com and the WSL’s Facebook page.

This year’s nominees include a global population of big wave surfers representing countries as diverse as Germany, Australia, Chile, England, Brazil, the United States, and France. With the Northern Hemisphere triggering massive swells this year, the majority of the nominated rides come from the infamous big wave breaks of Nazaré in Portugal, Pe’ahi (a.k.a. “Jaws”) in Maui, Hawaii, USA, and Mavericks, California, USA.

The nominees for 2019, in alphabetical order:

RIDE OF THE YEAR AWARD NOMINEES
Surfer prizes total $102,000 – Videographer prizes total $12,000

The Ride of the Year is the top-line category of the event and is awarded to the surfer who demonstrates the most advanced and committed level of big wave surfing during a successful ride, as judged by available video-footage. While raw size is taken into consideration, it is ultimately the level of performance that is rewarded. First Place: $65,000; Second Place: $17,000; Third Place: $10,000; Fourth Place: $6,000; Fifth Place: $4,000; First Place Videographer: $5,000; Second Place Videographer: $2,500; Third Place Videographer: $2,000; Fourth Place Videographer: $1,500; Fifth Place Videographer: $1,000

Grant Baker (Durban, South Africa) at Jaws, Maui, Hawaii, on November 26,  2018 (Video by Carlo Carbajal)
Naxto Gonzalez (Basque Country, Spain) at Nazaré, Portugal, on November 16, 2018 (Video by Jon Aspuru)
Billy Kemper (Maui, Hawaii) at Jaws, Maui, Hawaii on November 26, 2018 (Video by Johnny Decesare)
Kai Lenny (Maui, Hawaii) at Jaws, Maui, Hawaii on November 26, 2018 (Video by Ryan Johnson)
Ramon Navarro (Pichimelu, Chile) at Cloudbreak on May 22, 2018 (Video by Taylor Curran)

Caption: Carlos Burle (BRA) Credit: Martin Caprile / Nominated for XXL Biggest Wave of the Year.

Caption: Justine Dupont (FRA) / nominated for XXL Biggest Wave of the Year.
Credit: Shannon Reporting

MEN’S XXL BIGGEST WAVE AWARD NOMINEES
Surfer 1st place prize $20,000 – Photographer 1st place prize $5,000

The XXL Biggest Wave Awards goes to the male and female surfers who, by any means available, catch and ride the biggest wave of the year. The winners will receive a $20,000 prize and the photographers of the rides will receive an $8,000 prize.

Carlos Burle (Rio De Janeiro, Brazil) at Jaws, Maui, Hawaii on November 26, 2018 (Photos by Martin Caprile, Dooma Photos, Aaron Lynton and Randy Sorrow. Video by Carlo Carbajal)
Tom Butler (Newquay, United Kingdom) at Nazaré, Portugal, on December 14, 2018 (Photos by Pedro Cruz, Jorge Leal, Manuel Ricardo and Rafael G. Riancho. Video by Jorge Leal)
Kai Lenny (Maui, Hawaii) at Jaws, Maui, Hawaii on November 26, 2018 (Photos by Martin Caprile, Mike Coots, Ryan Craig, Robin Ernst, Aaron Lynton and Randy Sarrow. Video by Marcus Rodrigues)
Sebastian Steudtner (Nuremburg, Germany) at Nazaré, Portugal on February 7, 2019 (Photo by Pedro Miranda. Video by Pedro Miranda)
Anthony Tashnick (Santa Cruz, California) at Mavericks, California, on December 17, 2018 (Photos by Fred Pompermayer and Frank Quirarte. Video by Benjamin Ginsberg)

WOMEN’S XXL BIGGEST WAVE AWARD NOMINEES
Surfer 1st place prize $20,000 – Photographer 1st place prize $5,000

Justine Dupont (Segnoisse, France) at Nazaré, Portugal, on November 9, 2018 (Photos by Mike Jones and Pedro Vilela. Video by Antione Chicoye)
Justine Dupont (Segnoisse, France) at Nazaré, Portugal on November 18, 2018 (Photos by Rafael G. Riancho and Shannon Reporting. Video by the WSL Team)
Nicole Pacelli (Guarujá, Brazil) at Jaws, Maui, Hawaii, on January 12, 2019 (Video by Marcus Rodrigues)

Caption: Former WSL Champions Billy Kemper (HAW) / Nominated for Biggest Paddle Awards. / Credit: Ryan Craig

Caption: Paige Alms (HAW) / Nominated for Biggest Paddle Awards / Credit: Frank Pompermayer (R)

Photographs and video of all the nominated rides can be viewed at WorldSurfLeague.com/bigwaveawards/nominess.