2018/2019 WSL BIG WAVE AWARDS • OFFICIAL RULES PACKAGE
PART A: GENERAL RULES
This Part A of these Big Wave Awards rules will apply to each Category (as defined below) in addition to the rules that are defined within the specific description of the Category in Part B. Part A and Part B as described herein will be referred to herein as the “BWA Rules”, and may be changed from time to time effective from the time of delivery of such updated BWA Rules to the individual named in the relevant Surfer Entry Form and Release. Where there is a conflict between an Entry Form (as defined below) and these BWA Rules, the terms of the Entry Form will apply.
1. Introduction
The following describes the rules governing the Big Wave Awards, where surfers riding big waves and videographers and photographers capturing the surfers doing so, are invited to be nominated or submit their content in the hope they are selected by the Association of Surfing Professionals LLC d/b/a World Surf League (“WSL”) as described herein as a nominee finalist and winner of cash, prizes and possible notoriety within the big wave surfing community in accordance with these rules and regulations (“Big Wave Awards”).
2. Successful Ride
For a ride to be deemed successful and eligible to be considered as a Submission (as defined below) to the Big Wave Awards, a surfer must be standing only on their feet on a board and complete the meaningful portion of the wave while in control and under the power of only the wave and gravity (“Ride”). For the Paddle Award and the Wipeout of the Year awards, there are further terms relating to what is a successful Ride (see the Category specifics in Part B). The ruling of the judges relevant to each Category (as defined below) will always have final say on what is a successful Ride.
3. Categories
The following awards are available through the Big Wave Awards (each a “Category”):
a) Ride of the Year – paddle or tow;
b) Men's Paddle Award;
c) Men's Biggest Wave;
d) Men's Best Overall Performance;
e) Women's Paddle Award;
f) Women's Biggest Wave;
g) Women's Best Overall Performance; and
h) Wipeout of the Year.
4. Surfers who may be considered for the Big Wave Awards
For a surfer to be considered for an award within the Big Wave Awards, they must be invited. Once a surfer is invited, they are encouraged to coordinate with any photographers/ videographers who have captured images of a Ride. A surfer will only be considered for an award within the Big Wave Awards if they satisfy the following (each individual then referred to as an “Invited Surfer” until they provide an Opt Out Notice in accordance with section 5):
a) They are qualified watermen (and women) who have earned the respect of their peers by demonstrating the ability to Ride extremely large waves without unnecessarily endangering themselves or others in the discretion of WSL;
b) They are invited by WSL and have signed the relevant terms and conditions as delivered by WSL (an “Entry Form”);
c) They are 18 years of age, unless approved specifically by WSL; and
d) They have been featured in a Submission that complies with these Big Wave Awards Rules.
A surfer’s status as an Invited Surfer may be revoked at any time by WSL if, in their sole discretion, the Invited Surfer acts (or evidence is made available to WSL that they acted) in a way that impugns their own image or WSL’s image to the public by written notice from WSL.
5. Opt Out Notice
An Invited Surfer remains an Invited Surfer, until such time that the individual notifies the BWA Director (as defined below) in writing they are no longer participating by “opting out” of the Big Wave Awards (“Opt Out Notice”). The Opt Out Notice must be sent to BWA Director by email stating that the surfer is to be no longer considered for the Big Wave Awards, taking effect from that date of the Opt Out Notice. The Opt Out Notice will have the effect that the Invited Surfer is no longer an “Invited Surfer” for the purposes of the Big Wave Rules.
6. Request for Invitation
Individuals who wish to request that someone (including themselves) be considered as an Invited Surfer or specific audiovisual content be considered as a Submission may do so by email requesting the same to the BWA Director, at the details provided below.
7. Submission Window
WSL will consider Submissions from videographers or photographers depicting a Ride occurring between dawn (US Pacific Standard Time) March 20, 2018 and 7:00PM (US Pacific Standard Time) March 20, 2019 (“Submission Window”). The Submission Window may be extended when a potential swell is prominent, determined at the discretion of WSL upon notice by WSL on the WSL website. WSL reserves the right to request further information relating to a Submission and the Ride involved so that WSL is satisfied that the Ride occurred within the Submission Window. All submissions within the window are still subject to the 10-day requirement within Rule 8 below.
8. Submissions
Photo or video content will only be considered for a Big Wave Awards Category, and therefore a “Submission” if:
a) The content (image or video) was emailed and is of an Invited Surfer acknowledged by Bill Sharp (bsharp@worldsurfleague.com) (“BWA Director”) in writing;
b) Such content must be submitted in accordance with WSL discretion;
c) The content owner has signed (or agreed to via the online form) the relevant terms and conditions required by WSL (an “Entry Form”);
d) Is at least 18 years of age; and
e) The content submitted complies with specifications for a specific Category described in Part B of these BWA Rules.
In order to allow timely authentication of Submissions, actual images or video of the Ride along with completed Submission requirements should be completed within ten (10) days of the date the Ride occurs.
Leniency in relation to the requirement above will be given to Submissions in the first half of the Submission Window in the discretion of WSL, especially in the case where Submissions are awaiting significant release in certain forms of media, but adherence will be strictly enforced beginning on December 15 of each year. WSL reserves the right to disqualify a Submission if, in WSL’s sole discretion, the photographer or videographer responsible for the Submission acts (or evidence is made available to WSL that they acted) in a way that impugns the individual’s own image or WSL’s image to the public by written notice from WSL.
9. Ownership of Big Wave Awards WSL owns and conducts the Big Wave Awards. Sharp Media Inc. conducted all prior versions of the Big Wave Awards. The rules, name and format of the Big Wave Awards are owned by WSL and are protected by copyright and other forms of intellectual property whether able to be registered or not (e.g. trademark). The same may not be copied, adapted or otherwise applied to any other application without written permission from WSL. WSL reserves the right to add to, delete, amend or adjust the rules of the Big Wave Awards as appropriate to accommodate real-life developments at any time with the same to be effective and applicable to the Big Wave Awards from the time the same is uploaded onto the WSL website and available for public access.
10. Big Wave Awards Ceremony Attendance
Following the closure of the Submission Window, an awards ceremony will be held (at a location to be announced) where the finalists and winner of each Category will be honored. Winning surfers and videographers/photographers (as applicable) must be present at this ceremony in order to receive certain prizes at the discretion of WSL.
11. Judges Viewing Submissions
Following the closing date of the Submission Window, the judging academy members will be contacted by WSL and given details on how to view the finalist Rides via the Big Wave Awards website or other technically sufficient manner of content delivery. Judges will be expected to use their best efforts to fully review available materials and participate according to the rules and spirit of the Big Wave Awards. Judges who may have personally witnessed candidate Rides may draw on those experiences in addition to the Submission available in formulating their opinions. Judges should refrain from contacting other judges relating to a Big Wave Awards Submission or otherwise making their opinion of any Submission public without WSL approval.
12. Safety
Safety of all surfers, photographers, videographers and other individuals in the ocean is of the highest priority to WSL. Any attempts that are deemed extraordinarily dangerous, discourteous or unsportsmanlike will not be considered as a Submission. All individuals involved are expected to demonstrate the same high level of dedication to safety that has defined the top level of big wave surfing in recent years. These awards honor and reward those individuals who have demonstrated great surfing skill for years and will not acknowledge any instances of reckless bravado. The Big Wave Awards does not encourage unqualified surfers to take risks for which they are unprepared by ensuring that only the best surfers, photographers and videographers are invited to be considered in the Big Wave Awards.
13. Use of Personal Water Craft (“PWC”)/Jet Skis
All users of PWC are expected to observe all applicable regulations. Use of PWCs in close proximity to paddle-surfers is dangerous and if an Invited Surfer is determined to be acting in a dangerous or discourteous manner on or in association with a PWC driver, they may be disqualified from the Big Wave Awards. Such discipline will be at the discretion of WSL.
14. Multiple Surfers on one Wave
Occasionally in big-wave surfing, multiple surfers may Ride the same wave. To encourage safety of surfers, drop-ins are discouraged when considering a Submission for the Big Wave Awards. In the case of multiple surfers on a wave worthy of consideration for a Category, only the surfer closest to the breaking part of the wave will be eligible, unless specifically stated otherwise (i.e. Paddle Award)
15. Surfing Equipment
While not meant to stifle innovation, to be eligible as a Submission, the surfer must Ride the wave in a manner consistent with recent surfing history but there is no limitation on the size or materials of the board being ridden. Both paddle surfing and tow surfing disciplines will be considered on their own merits in each Category. Only stand-up surfing will be considered. Surfing on powered equipment will not be eligible, including standing on motorized or wind-driven craft.
16. Cheating
Access to digital manipulation of content (both video and photo) exposes the possibility for fraudulent Submissions. In order to eliminate the chances of a fake Ride or a Ride being enhanced in a Submission, the BWA Director may ask for additional input from various sources to assist verification, including requesting of original raw digital files, source files or complete Ride sequences, including to verify that a Ride within a Submission occurred during the Submission Window. Any Submissions that are of a place in a relatively obscure location and that are not witnessed by a large number of observers will be subject to special scrutiny prior to being accepted as a Submission in WSL discretion.
17. Announcement of Winners of Big Wave Awards
A list of winners will be posted on or about May 4, 2019 on the WSL website. WSL will go to reasonable endeavors to approach any finalist or winner but should they not be able to contact a finalist or winner, WSL may award the award to another Invited Surfer or owner of another Submission.
18. Contact Details
For any requests of additional information or if you have video or photographs you would like considered for an invite to the Big Wave Awards:
Bill Sharp
BWA Director
E-mail: bigwave@worldsurfleague.com
Address:
WSL BIG WAVE AWARDS
147 Bay Street, Santa Monica, CA, 90405
PART B – CATEGORY-SPECIFIC RULES
1. RIDE OF THE YEAR AWARD
Summary: The Ride of the Year Award will be won by the individual surfer who — based on review of available video images by a panel of experts — demonstrates the most advanced and committed level of big wave surfing performance during a single successful Ride during the annual event period. The Judging Criteria is purely subjective as described further below and will be tallied from a collection of votes of a large panel of surfers, photographers and surf magazine editors and writers selected by the BWA Director. Photo Submissions are not eligible for the Ride of the Year Award.
1. Prize Money
Surfer Prize Money
First Prize: USD$50,000
Second Prize: USD$15,000
Third Prize: USD$10,000
Fourth Prize: USD$5,000
Fifth Prize: USD$3,000
Videographer Prize Money
First Prize: USD$5,000
Second Prize: USD$2,000
Third Prize: USD$1,750
Fourth Prize: USD$1,250
Fifth Prize: USD$1,000
2. Limit of Rides in a Submission
There is no limit to how many Rides an Invited Surfer may have considered for the Ride of the Year Award, although each Ride must be its own Submission and the signed relevant Entry Form must already be completed and on file with the BWA Director.
3. Submissions (Video Only)
a) For a video clip Submission to be considered for the Ride of the Year Award, the surfer depicted must be an Invited Surfer:
b) The preferred method of delivery of video clips are a full size Quicktime file with H.264 compression sent by a large file transfer provider such as DropBox, YouSendIt.com or WeTransfer.com, etc. (Resubmission of the original clip in maximum quality format may be required at a later time if the clip is nominated for the Ride of the Award). Video clips may also be delivered digitally on flash drive mailed or shipped to the BWA Director. The WSL is not responsible for damage to or loss of entries while in transit or for files not received due to failure of transmission.
c) An unedited version of a video Submission must be submitted including all available frames of the start and end of the Ride and without any embedded bugs or watermarks.
d) There is no limit to how many Rides a videographer may submit as a Submission into consideration for the award, although each Ride must be entered separately.
e) Videographers shooting from the water must be experienced in handling high-surf and dangerous ocean conditions.
4. Submission Specifications
a) Video images of the Ride will be the only evidence accepted in determining the Ride of the Year award.
b) Personal testimonials, "expert" opinions, buoy readings or any other data purporting to establish the quality of a Ride or height of a wave will not be considered.
c) Angles and Clarity: Preference may be given to high-definition video clip Submissions that are shot from those angles that minimize distortion of a wave’s true height and maintain continuity for the longest portion of the Ride and provide evidence of the Ride’s successful completion. Part of a Ride, which is not clearly visible due to loss of focus, haze, darkness, wave lumps in foreground or other visual interference cannot be fully considered.
d) Film and Video Stock: Quality reproduction is an essential requirement of a winning video Submission and, therefore, technically superior video or motion picture formats are given preference. Rides must be originally shot on video or motion picture film to qualify for the Ride of the Year category award. Sequence montages of photographs transferred to video are not eligible for Ride of the Year consideration.
5. Judging Procedure
a) Selection of Finalist Submissions: After the closing date of the Submission Window, a qualifying panel (including representatives from the surfer and photographer communities along with the WSL Commissioner’s office) selected by WSL (“Qualifying Panel”) will evaluate the Submissions received and the Qualifying Panel will nominate five (5) finalist Rides for the Ride of the Year award, which fairly depict the diversity of modern big wave riding and avoid significant redundancy. The Qualifying Panel will also select the single definitive Submission of each of the five (5) Rides, considering all factors such as sharpness, framing and completeness of the Ride from beginning to end. If multiple quality angles exist of a Ride, the featured surfer will make the final selection of the definitive Submission for the videographer award within this Category. The Qualifying Panel will determine by consensus what constitutes a “big” wave from the Submissions. The Qualifying Panel may seek input from some or all members of the larger judging panel at its discretion.
b) Selection of the Ride of the Year Award: The Judging Panel (as described below) will consider the five (5) finalist Submissions selected by the Qualifying Panel above.
c) Judging Panel: The Ride of the Year Award judging panel will consist of a large number of individuals who are respected within the big wave surfing community. Invitations to participate on this panel will be extended to all seasoned Big Wave competitors, photographers and videographers along with a selection of writers and editors who regularly cover the sport of big wave riding (“Judging Panel”). The Judging Panel should be sufficiently large and diverse so as to prevent any manipulation of the results.
d) Methodology of Judging Panel: Following the official close of the Submission Window, the Judging Panel will be contacted and given details on how to view the finalist Submissions selected by the Qualifying Panel via the WSL Big Wave Awards website or other technically sufficient manner of content delivery. Judges will be expected to use their best efforts to fully review available materials and participate according to the rules and spirit of the Big Wave Awards. Judges who may have personally witnessed candidate Rides may draw on those experiences in addition to the video in formulating their opinions. Judges should refrain from lobbying other judges or otherwise making their votes public prior to the passing of the voting deadline.
e) Judging Criteria: The judging criteria referred to by the Qualifying Panel and Judging Panel as described above in determining the better of a Ride of the Year Award Submission shall be:
“The Ride of the Year Award will be won by the individual surfer who — based on review of available video images by a panel of experts — demonstrates the most advanced and committed level of big wave surfing performance during a single successful Ride during the Submission Window.”
The following additional guidance can also be referred to:
“While the determination of excellence will always be a subjective matter, the Qualifying Panel and Judging Panel are urged to reward sustained performance throughout the entirety of a Ride, including the overall quality and quantity of maneuvers or critical positions achieved, and to value the skill of the surfer in a challenging situation above the good fortune presented purely by the unique shape of a particular wave.”
f) Judging Points System: After becoming familiar with the five (5) Ride of the Year finalist Submissions, each judge on the Judging Panel will be asked to rank the five (5) finalist Rides in the order they feel appropriate from first place to fifth place. Each judge will then submit his or her ballot order of finalist Submissions as instructed by the BWA Director. The following point values will be assigned to the ranking on each selection and an overall total will be calculated from each judge’s ballot order of finalist Submissions.
1st = 100 points
2nd = 75 points
3rd = 55 points
4th = 40 points
5th = 30 points
In case of a judge assigning a tie to two or more Submissions in their order of finalists, the averaged score of the tied waves on that ballot will be tallied. For example, a tie between 4th and 5th would each receive 35 points, etc.
An appropriate deadline will be set for receipt of all ballots by the BWA Director. Any ballot of Submissions sent after the deadline nominated by the BWA Director will not be counted. Individual judge’s ballots will remain confidential to ensure candid input, but the final relative scores in aggregate will be available upon request.
g) Submissions involving both paddle surfing and tow surfing will be considered for the Ride of the Year Award.
2. BIGGEST WAVE AWARD
Summary: The Men's Biggest Wave Award will be won by an Invited male Surfer who, by any means available, catches and successfully Rides the single biggest wave during the Submission Window based on objective analysis and measurement of the available images. Both video and photos will be considered for the Biggest Wave Award.
1. Prize Money
For Men:
The winner will be awarded with a cash amount of USD$20,000. Each of the four (4) other finalist Invited Surfers will receive an appearance fee of USD$1,000. The photographer or videographer who captures the winning photo or video image will be awarded USD$5,000. The four non-winning video nominees will each receive $750.
For Women:
The winner will be awarded with a cash amount of USD$20,000. Each of the two (2) other finalist Invited Surfers will receive an appearance fee of USD$1,000. The photographer or videographer who captures the winning photo or video image will be awarded USD$5,000. The two non-winning video nominees will each receive $750.
2. Limit of Rides
There is no limit to how many Rides an Invited Surfer may submit to be considered for the Biggest Wave Award, although each Ride must be its own Submission and the relevant Entry Form must already be completed and on file with the BWA Director.
3. Submission Specifications (Photo and Video Submissions)
a) For a photograph or video clip to be considered for the Biggest Wave Award, the surfer featured in the image must be an Invited Surfer.
b) Photo Submissions owners must agree to the relevant Entry Form and deliver the files by the agreed method to the BWA Director. A digital image Submission of sufficient clarity must be submitted on file with the BWA Director within ten (10) days from the date of the featured Ride. The minimum resolution for a Submission of photos is at least 2000 pixels in its longest dimension in a JPEG format.
c) Video Submission owners must agree to the relevant Entry Form and Submissions should be submitted as full quality uncompressed Quicktime files in full resolution, with 1920 x 1080 HD preferred. Large or multiple files may be delivered by a file transfer system such as WeTransfer.com, etc.
d) When required for verification or reproduction purposes, the maximum quality raw digital photo or video files must be submitted on request of the BWA Director. The WSL is not responsible for damage to or loss of Submissions at any time, including while in possession of the WSL.
e) Sequential photos of the start and end of the Ride are essential to proving that the Ride was indeed successful and should be included in the Submission.
f) Photos of the Ride will be the only evidence accepted in determining the Biggest Wave Award winner. Personal testimonials, "expert" opinions, buoy readings or any other data purporting to establish the height of a wave will not be considered.
g) Preference may be given to photo or video Submissions that are shot from those angles that minimize distortion of a wave’s true height. Submissions shot from near sea level from the shore or from a personal watercraft or boat from some distance in front of the wave are best for showing a wave’s actual trough-to-crest face height. Submissions shot from high vantage points such as sea cliffs or helicopters often fail to define where the face ends and the flats begin, and such factors will be taken into consideration by the judges.
h) Image resolution: Image clarity of Submissions (video or photo) is essential to accurate evaluation and measurement of the relative sizes of wave faces, surfers, surfboards and other key elements. Soft focus, haze, darkness, limited pixel count or other visual degradation will limit the value of an image as evidence of actual wave height. Reproduction is an essential requirement of the winning image and therefore technically superior film stocks or higher resolution digital files are preferred Submissions.
i) Digital photo submission guidelines: In the case of sequences, no more than eight (6) photos should be submitted from a single Ride. When submitted, photos should be given a unique file name, which identifies the name of the surfer, the surf break, the photographer and the position in the sequence, but contains no more than 30 total characters. (EXAMPLE: BObamaMavsSpielberg1.jpg).
Please contact the BWA Director for the latest WSL Big Wave Awards Submission Guidelines information sheet should you require further information on Submission requirements.
4. Judging Procedures
a) Selection of Biggest Wave Award Finalist Submissions: After the closing date of the Submission Window, a qualifying panel (including representatives from the surfer and photographer communities along with the WSL Commissioner’s office) selected by WSL (“Qualifying Panel”) will evaluate the Submissions received and the Qualifying Panel will nominate five (5) finalist Submissions for the Biggest Wave award. Due to space and time constraints, a maximum of one video Submission and five (5) photo Submissions by different photographers per wave will be named as Biggest Wave Award finalists, with the selection based on the best comparative sharpness, framing and overall quality of the Submissions.
b) Objective Measurement Panel: The Biggest Wave Award measurement panel will consist of at least eight judges and a head judge who will only vote in case of a tie (4-4). At least two measurement panel positions will be assigned to respected big-wave surfers who are not Invited Surfers and another assigned to a representative from the WSL Commissioner’s Office. The balance of the panel will consist of WSL editorial department representatives from Surfline.com, Surfer Magazine, The Surfer’s Journal and/or other respected media outlets selected at the discretion of WSL (“Measurement Panel”). No employees or companies involved in the sponsorship of Invited Surfers will be voting members of the Measurement Panel. The BWA Director will head judge, facilitate and mediate the Measurement Panel.
c) Methodology: Following the closing date of the Submission Window, the Measurement Panel will be convened. The Measurement Panel will consider all available photos and video Submissions of each of the five (5) finalist Rides, making an effort to assign an approximate objective measurement of the height of the wave in each Submission. By using the traditional “This-Many-Times-Overhead” formula and/or any useful technique or technology at the discretion of the WSL, which extrapolates the known height of the featured surfer to determine the wave and takes into consideration the angle of the photo or video in the Submission, each of the finalist Rides will be given an estimated face height (“EFH”) in feet. The EFH for each Submission will be compared and the judges will debate the merits of each finalist Ride and then a confidential ballot vote will be taken by the judges of the Measurement Panel for whom they believe is the winner. If there is not unanimous consensus on the first vote, further analysis and discussion will take place, followed by a second vote. The finalist Submission garnering the most votes in the second ballot will be deemed the winner. While the semi-objective EFH rating will be an important tool in the discussion, the subjective opinion of the Measurement Panel will be the deciding factor for which Submission is the winner and their decision will be final and binding.
d) Wave Height: The wave height to be measured will be the distance from the Lip to the Trough (both defined below) of the wave at its highest moment during the Ride as measured above and below the featured surfer. If the surfer catches the wave on the shoulder, the height of the wave at their point of entry will be counted, not the height of the wave at the peak (“Lip”). The bottom trough measurement will be taken from what is agreed to be the lowest point relative to the extended slope of the wave face to which either the surfer or the whitewater of the broken wave may ever reach (“Trough”). The vertical distance between the Lip and the Trough will be the overriding factor in deciding the winner but thickness or "heaviness" of the wave will be considered if two waves appear to be of nearly identical height.
3. PADDLE AWARD
Summary: The Paddle Award will be won by the surfer who paddles into and successfully rides the single biggest wave during the Submission Window based on objective analysis and measurement of the available images, with the Judging Procedure parts (a) and (b) described in the Biggest Wave Award to apply to this Category.
Prize:
For Men:
The winner will be awarded with a cash amount of USD$20,000. Each of the four (4) other finalist Invited Surfers will receive an appearance fee of USD$1,000. The photographer or videographer who captures the winning photo or video image will be awarded USD$5,000. The four non-winning video nominees will each receive $750.
For Women:
The winner will be awarded with a cash amount of USD$20,000. Each of the two (2) other finalist Invited Surfers will receive an appearance fee of USD$1,000. The photographer or videographer who captures the winning photo or video image will be awarded USD$5,000. The two non-winning video nominees will each receive $750.
Further to the requirement of a successful Ride being performed, an Invited Surfer must complete the initial drop down the entire wave face and maintain forward momentum with his body and entire surfboard clear of the lip at its moment of impact.
For the Paddle Award, multiple surfers not interfering with each other on the same wave may each be considered as individual Submissions.
Due to space and time constraints, a maximum of one video Submission and five (5) photo Submissions by different photographers per wave will be named as Biggest Padddle Award finalists, with the selection based on the best comparative sharpness, framing and overall quality of the Submissions.
4. BEST OVERALL PERFORMANCE AWARD
Summary: The Best Overall Performance Award will be won by the surfer who puts on the greatest number of outstanding big wave performances over the course of the Submission Window. Excellence in the water and leadership in safety in both paddle in and tow-in surfing disciplines at all breaks around the world will be considered. Judging criteria is purely SUBJECTIVE and will be calculated from the votes of a special panel of expert judges upon review of all photos and video Submissions.
1. Prize Money
For Men
First Prize: USD$10,000
Second Prize: USD$3,000
Third Prize: USD$2,000
Fourth Prize: USD$1,000
Fifth Prize: USD$1,000
For Women
First Prize: USD$10,000
Second Prize: USD$3,000
Third Prize: USD$2,000
2. Surfers
To be considered for the Best Overall Performance Award, a surfer must be an Invited Surfer. At the conclusion of the Submission Window, all Submissions featuring the Invited Surfer will be considered for the Best Overall Performance Award.
3. Request to be Considered
As such, each Invited Surfer wishing to be considered for the Best Overall Performance Award should work with any photographers or videographers to ensure that all useful imagery of any Ride are considered Submissions in the WSL Big Wave Awards in a timely basis and in accordance with Part A of these BWA Rules.
4. Judging Procedure
a) Selection of Finalists: After the closing date of the Submission Window, a qualifying panel (including representatives from the surfer and photographer communities along with the WSL Commissioner’s office) selected by WSL (“Qualifying Panel”) will evaluate all Submissions received in all Categories and the Qualifying Panel will nominate fifteen (15) Invited Surfers, ten (10) men and five (5) women, as finalists.
b) Judging Panel: The Best Overall Performance Award judging will be conducted by a special blue-ribbon panel of approximately ten (10) individuals who are respected within the big wave surfing community and can be relied upon to complete the due diligence required to completely assess each finalist nominated by the Qualifying Panel in all relevant Submissions available on the Big Wave Awards website (“Performance Judging Panel”). Invitations to participate on this Performance Judging Panel will be extended to current and seasoned Big Wave Awards or Big Wave Tour (“BWT”) surfers, WSL judges from the BWT and Championship Tour, top big wave photographers and videographers along with a selection of writers and editors who regularly cover the sport of big wave surfing. The Performance Judging Panel should be sufficiently large and diverse enough so as to prevent any bias effecting the final result.
c) Judging Criteria and Guidance: The criteria to be referred to by the Qualifying Panel and the Performance Judging Panel in determining the Best Overall Performance Award shall be (“Judging Criteria”):
“The surfer who puts on the greatest number of outstanding performances over the course of the Submission Window will be ranked based on all available Submissions to the Big Wave Awards or other evidence of Rides. Excellence in the water in both paddle in and tow-in surfing disciplines will be considered along with a global diversity in big wave venues challenged and leadership in safety.”
d) Judging Points System: After becoming familiar with all Best Overall Performance Award finalist Rides, each judge of the Performance Judging Panel will be asked to consider the Judging Criteria and guidance and rank the ten (10)/five(5) finalist surfers in the order they feel appropriate from first to fifth. Each judge will then submit his or her ballot by email to the BWA Director. The following point values will be assigned to the ranking on each ballot and an overall total will be calculated from all ballots submitted:
Men:
1st = 100 points
2nd = 75 points
3rd = 55 points
4th = 40 points
5th = 30 points
6th = 25 points
7th = 20 points
8th = 15 points
9th = 10 points
10th = 5 points
Women:
1st = 100 points
2nd = 75 points
3rd = 55 points
4th = 40 points
5th = 30 points
In case of a judge assigning a tie to two or more surfers in a ballot, the averaged score of the tied waves on that ballot will be tallied. For example, a tie between 4th and 5th would each receive 35 points, etc.
An appropriate deadline will be set for receipt of all ballots by the BWA Director. Any ballots submitted after the deadline will not be counted. Individual ballots will remain confidential to ensure candid input, but the final point scores in aggregate will be available upon written request to the BWA Director.
e) Men’s BWT Qualification. The final rankings for the Best Overall Performance Award may be utilized as a qualifying system for the following BWT. The four (4) highest-ranking male Best Overall Performance Award surfers not already seeded or otherwise qualified for the BWT (i.e. a top 10 BWT surfer) will be included as one of the twenty-four (24) surfers competing in the following year’s BWT events provided the necessary terms, conditions and waivers agreed by all other BWT surfers with WSL are agreed and signed by the relevant surfer.
5. WIPEOUT OF THE YEAR AWARD
Summary: The Wipeout of the Year Award is an informal honor meant to acknowledge the most spectacular wipeout of the season that was incurred without significant injury to the surfer. Only a Submission by an Invited Surfer attempting a Ride will be considered. No intentional wipeout can be considered. The Judging Procedure parts (a) and (b) described in the Best Overall Performance Award apply to this Category
Prize:
The Invited Surfer who is deemed winner of this Category will be awarded in the amount of USD$3,000.
Each of the four (4) other finalist Invited Surfers will receive an appearance fee of USD$1,000.
The videographer who captures the definitive video clip of the winning Ride in their Submission will be awarded USD$3,000. The four non-winning video nominees will each receive $750.
For the avoidance of doubt, a “Ride” as defined in Part A is obviously not applicable for a Submission to be considered for the Wipeout of the Year award.