Another winter season of big-wave surfing has come and gone. Now it’s time to review the footage and hand out some hardware. Tomorrow, May 7, the Mavericks Awards will go off at Pillar Point Harbor in Half Moon Bay. If you’re in the area, snag a ticket here and head down to Old Princeton Landing where any serious Mavericks mission launches for an evening of good food, good drink, music from the Monophonics, and a chance to rub shoulders with some of the biggest names in big-wave surfing. If you’re out chasing waves halfway around the world, tune in to the awards ceremony at 7 p.m. on MavericksAwards.com.
These judges know what a well-surfed wave at Mavericks looks like. Photo: Mavericks Awards.
The window for submissions closed on April 15. Since then, the judges (above) have been hard at work reviewing footage to select the winners for this year’s awards. As announced this past fall, the Mavericks Awards have outlined six categories – three for men and three for women, with an equal prize money split for men and women across all categories. Sixty percent goes to the surfer, and 40 percent to the photographer credited for the winning wave. Here are the nominees:
Biggest Wave (Male): Ben Andrews (USA), Grant Twiggy Baker (ZAF), Jamie Mitchell (AUS)
Biggest Wave (Female): Bianca Valenti (USA), Katie McConnell (USA), Michaela Fregonese (BRA)
Performer of the Year (Male): Grant Twiggy Baker (ZAF), Jojo Roper (USA), Luca Padua (USA)
Performer of the Year (Female): Bianca Valenti (USA), Katie McConnell (USA), Michaela Fregonese (BRA)
Ride of the Year (Male): Ben Andrews (USA), Grant Twiggy Baker (ZAF), Jamie Mitchell (AUS)
Ride of the Year (Female): Bianca Valenti (USA), Katie McConnell (USA), Michaela Fregonese (BRA)
Jamie Mitchell on January 11, 2022. Photo: @runamuckphotography.
