We live in a digital age, where access to so much good surfing is literally at our fingertips. #YGSURF is about evening the playing field. It’s not about who's hyped, who’s sponsored, who’s this or who’s that. It’s about raw surfing. Every kid, everywhere, has the chance to make their mark. So if you think you got what it takes, it’s time to prove it.
Quiksilver’s going on a mission to find the top eight young surfers in the world. So fine-tune your quiver. Grab your filmer. Perfect your air, rail and combo game — you might just end up joining guys like Gabriel Medina and Mikey Wright by becoming a Young Guns Surf champion.
Glued to your phone? Good, that’s where Young Guns Surf kicks off. Round 1 provides three different ways to enter.
- #YGRail
- #YGAir
- #YGCombo
Post your best clips on Instagram, tag @quiksilver and hashtag whatever category you want to enter. Stomp a crazy air and hit #YGAir. Lay into the turn of your life and it’s #YGRail. Do both on one wave and you’ve got yourself a #YGCombo. Stick something big, post it, then cross your salty fingers.
Enter as many times as you like and our official Young Guns judges — Zeke Lau, Mikey Wright and Jeremy Flores — will make the call.
If you’re not under the age of 18 on August 20, 2017, then sorry old man, you’re out. On the flip side, you need to be over the age of 13 before April 13, 2017 to qualify.
Ok, let’s break these categories down.
#YGRail - Don't hold back !
There ain’t nothing like a good rail turn. Make it timeless. Make it tech. Make it stand out - Zeke Lau (@zekelau) will be watching.
Hot Tip: Keep it simple - one big turn is all you need.
#YGAir - Send it !
Mikey Wright (@mikeywright1) will be scrolling his feed hunting down your best punts. So find a big ramp and don’t hold back...try not to claim!
Hot Tip: Land it clean. Mikey doesn’t want to see you go whitewater rafting.
#YGCombo - Make it count !
Think speed, think power, think flow. Jeremy Flores (@floresjeremy) - who has won two CT events - will be watching. Link together a few big moves and you'll have no trouble getting through.
Hot Tip: Be smart with your wave selection and do it right. Try not to waste any time between maneuvers — the key here is fluidity.
Our official #YGSURF judges will make the call and Young Guns Top 30 will be published on the Gram.
Think the job is done for these lucky pals? No chance. Instagram was just the beginning and now it’s time to step it up to the next level.
Made it into the top 30? It’s time to step up — Round 2 is a DIY chance to impress. And this time, it’s all about bringing the hype. You’ll have 4 weeks to put together a 1-2 minute clip showcasing your best surfing. Use all your A+ clips and crank the volume up to, say, 12.
Music and graphics will be provided by Quiksilver, but it’s up to you to shoot your footage and cut your edit. All clips will be live on Quiksilver’s Young Guns Surf website open for public voting.
Remember, more hype = more votes! Drag crew in from Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook...maybe even pay to get a guy dancing in a gorilla suit on every street corner of your hometown. Every vote counts here, so don't be lazy — that one extra click could be your ticket to the final.
The public holds the power in Round 2, and the five Young Guns with the most votes will move on. Our three judges will each pick their fave, rounding out the top 8 and telling them all to pack their bags.
There’s an island somewhere in Indo where tigers run wild and tubes go unridden. We can’t tell you exactly where it is just yet — but if you make the top 8, you’ll find out. And by “find out,” we mean go on a free trip there.
This is where the pressure cooker gets turned on — you gotta show up and blow up. No slouching. The format here remains the same. Push some big rail turns, stomp some mega airs, and combo it all the way to the beach (as long as no tigers are around). Knock all that out with style and you, my friend, might need to buy a bigger wallet. As in, one that’ll fit $10k.
