Wednesday, May 5th, 2021
Bookending a fourteen-strong Australian Surfing Awards ceremony was the forty-third inductee in the Surfing Australia Hall of Fame, three-time World Champion Mick Fanning, joining world-renowned names like Mark Richards, Layne Beachley and Tom Carroll for his outstanding contribution to the sport, in and out of the water.
Mick Fanning said: "It's pretty incredible looking at the inductees over the years, it's a who's who of Australian Surfing. They are all heroes and people I have idolised from a young age. It's a huge honour to now be a part of that myself."
Now happy in retirement, the Gold Coast local says he's enjoying life as a new dad, and still manages to surf, all be it not as much as he used to.
"The surfs are a fair bit shorter these days and I run to and from the beach trying to be a good dad and not spend too much time in the water. I can't wait until the little man is old enough to come with me!"
Tyler Wright and Jack Robinson won Female and Male Surfer of The Year in what was an incredible celebration of Aussie surfing.
Tyler Wright said: "It's an honour to receive this award tonight and an incredible privilege to do what I do and be really well supported."
Jack Robinson said: "I was super happy to be nominated again for Male Surfer of The Year so to be able to win again is such an honour and I look forward to many more and putting on some good performances for you guys!"
The inaugural Indigenous Surfing Community Celebration Award and ACCIONA Innovation Awards made the celebration even greater with Naru Indigenous Corporation and URBNSURF Melbourne putting themselves in the record books as the first recipients respectively.
In 2021, as in every other year, the Nikon Surf Photo and Video of The Year Awards were hotly contested with the still and moving images submitted of an extremely high standard once again.
Tasmanian Stu Gibson once again put himself in the danger zone, capturing an amazingly powerful shot of Tyler Hollmer-Cross in the bowels of a Shipsterns Bluff beast to take out Nikon Surf Photo of the Year.
Nikon Surf Photo of the Year - by Stu Gibson
Avalon Beach's Spencer Frost, whose beautifully shot and constructed Icelandic journey "A Corner of The Earth", won Nikon Surf Video of The Year.
A Corner of the Earth is a cinematic exploration of surfing in the brutal northern winter featuring aspiring professional surfer Fraser Dovell who is struggling with the harsh realities of competitive surfing. Along with filmmaker Spencer Frost and photographer Guy Williment, Fraser throws himself out of his comfort zone to embark on an adventure of a lifetime. The trio journey to a far Corner of the Earth to search for waves in the wildly beautiful and treacherous solitude of the arctic. Battling extremes of weather and close encounters with the majesty of nature, Fraser comes to a new appreciation of what it means to be a surfer.
The film was a family affair; Frost’s brother produced the soundtrack, their father assisting with production.
In its ninth year running, the submissions were judged by a panel of thirteen high-profile individuals within the surfing industry, including seven-time World Surfing Champion and Nikon Brand Ambassador Stephanie Gilmore.
2021 Australian Surfing Awards Incorporating the Hall of Fame WINNERS:
Male Surfer of the Year
- Jack Robinson
- Morgan Cibilic
- Reef Heazlewood
Female Surfer of the Year
- Tyler Wright
- Molly Picklum
- Macy Callaghan
Griffith University Rising Star Award - Female
- Sierra Kerr
- Nyxie Ryan
Sierra - photo: Blainey Woodham, Surfing Australia
Griffith University Rising Star Award - Male
- Jarvis Earle
- Dylan Moffat
- Joel Vaughan
Heavy Water Award
- Russell Bierke
- Laura Enever
- Chris Lougher
Russell with Ryan Hipwood - photo: Blainey Woodham, Surfing Australia
ASB Greater Good Award
- Mike Durante, Ron Clarke, Jenna Clarke - Surf February The premise of SurFebuary is simple. Ride waves every day in the month of February and ask people to sponsor your efforts to raise money for research and treatment related to cancer. You can use any form of surf-craft, or bodysurf your way through a big month of waves.
- Tahlia Anderson - Surfing The Spectrum
- Cooper Chapman - The Good Human Factory
Surfebruary - photo: Blainey Woodham, Surfing Australia
Peter Troy Lifetime Award
- Martin Tullemans
- Matt Grainger
- Sandra English
Coach Of The Year
- Adam Robertson
- Stacey Galbraith
- Clancy Dawson
ACCIONA Innovation Award
- URBN Surf Melbourne
- Surf Better Now
- Surf Lakes
Surf Culture Award
- Chris Nelius and Team - Girls Can't Surf
- Vaughan Blakey - Postcards From Morgs and Free Scrubber
- Tracks Magazine - 50 Years
Simon Anderson Club Award
- North Shelly Boardriders
- Queenscliff Boardriders Club
Indigenous Surfing Community Celebration Award
- Naru Indigenous Corporation
- Otis Carey
- Soli Bailey
- Jalaan Slabb
Shakira West Dorp & Amber Hammer from Naru Indigenous Corporation - photo: Blainey Woodham, Surfing Australia
Nikon Surf Video of the Year
- Spencer Frost - A Corner of the Earth
- Tom Jennings - SPIRIT, Starring Jay Davies
- Andrew Kaineder - FIRST NAME IN THE WATER | RUSS BIERKE | 90
Nikon Surf Photo of the Year
- Stu Gibson
- Russell Ord
- Mark Onorati
The Winners of both the Nikon Surf Photo of the Year Award and the Nikon Surf Video of the Year Award will receive a Nikon Z 6II including a NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/4 S and FTZ adapter each.
World-renowned Surf Journalist Nick Carroll continues in the role of Curator of the Australian Surfing Awards incorporating the Hall of Fame.
The Australian Surfing Awards incorporating the Hall of Fame is proudly presented by Surfrider Foundation and supported by Tourism and Events Queensland, QT Gold Coast, Nikon, nudie, Hyundai, Australasian Surf Business Magazine, 2XP, Griffith University, Acciona and OnStone.
Photos: Blainey Woodham, Surfing Australia.