Wave pools are changing surfing. The ocean is no longer necessary to ride waves, and although opinions are divided, wave pools are likely here to stay. There’s even a new tour devoted entirely to man-made waves, and its organizers have announced a new contest. The Wavepool Surf Tour is calling it the Ride the Future competition.
“Running from 13 November to 13 December 2026, the Ride The Future competition invites surfers to submit their best wave pool performances from 2026,” reads a press release. “For just $10, surfers can compete for cash and prizes across men’s and women’s Grom, Junior, Open, and Masters categories, with 72 prizes to be won.”
The Wavepool Surf Tour doesn’t run events in the traditional way. Including both live events and online competition formats, it borrows from traditional surfing events and online ones like the Mavericks Big Wave Awards, where competitors submitted videos with their best waves.
Competitors pick from eight divisions, surf the chosen wave pool venue, film it, and download the footage from the official video provider. After the season ends, the online submissions are judged by a panel. The leading surfers then come together for an in-person showdown to decide the champions.
For the Ride The Future competition, any and all surfers are welcome to enter. All wave pools around the world are fair game. Any wave ridden is, too. The only stipulation is that it must be a wave from 2026. There are three categories: Best Air, Best Turn, and Best Barrel.
“Best Air celebrates progressive aerial manoeuvres,” the press release continues. “Best Turn focuses on power, rail surfing and commitment, while Best Barrel rewards those surfers getting absolutely drained.”
The prize pool includes $3,000 cash, WPST sponsor prizes, memberships and event entry packages. All in all, there are 72 prizes to be won.
If you’re interested, the event page is live here. In order to be considered, though, you’ve got to stick to a few rules:
- Waves must have been surfed during 2026.
- Footage must be original, unedited and available for verification.
- Videos must be in landscape format, with a maximum file size of 2GB.
- Mobile phone footage is permitted, but only in landscape format.
- Waves previously entered in another competition are not eligible, so no footage wearing competition rash vests.
“Ride The Future is all about having fun, celebrating great surfing and giving everyone a chance to get involved,” said Clyde Martin, WPST Chief Operating Officer. “Whether you’re a professional surfer or someone who’s just scored the wave of your life at your local wave pool, we want to see it. It’s a great opportunity for surfers to experience the WPST platform, compete against surfers from around the world and become part of our growing community as we build towards the 2027 international tour.”
Ride the Future is a specialty event, though, so the results won’t count towards the WPST’s official world rankings, nor will it affect qualifications for the 2027 World Finals.
