Big Wave Challenge 2025/26: Awards Gala Takes Place Today in California

The winners of the Big Wave Challenge 2026 Awards will be announced this Saturday, September 19, 2026, at the annual ceremony celebrating the world's best big wave surfing performances. The event will be held at the Lido Theater in Newport Beach, California.

Although the ceremony is branded as the Big Wave Challenge 2026, the awards recognize performances from the 2025/26 season. This year's event features more than $100,000 in prize money.

Praia do Norte in Nazaré is strongly represented among the nominees, with 10 nominations for waves surfed in Nazaré across four categories.

Nazaré Scores 10 Nominations

Nazaré is represented in the Men's Biggest Wave, Women's Biggest Wave, Men's Paddle and Wipeout of the Year categories.

Watch the videos and highlights from all 10 nominated Nazaré waves:

Men's Biggest Wave

All three nominees for Men's Biggest Wave are from Nazaré: Lucas “Chumbo” Chianca, Rodrigo Koxa and Clément Roseyro.

• Lucas “Chumbo” Chianca – 🎥 Watch the video
• Clément Roseyro – 🎥 Watch the video
• Rodrigo Koxa – 🎥 Watch the wave | Watch reaction

Rodrigo Koxa could reclaim the world record. The wave he is nominated for could put him back at the top of the world record list for the biggest wave ever surfed. The current record belongs to Sebastian Steudtner, who surfed a record wave at Nazaré in 2020. According to Koxa in the video accompanying his nomination, the wave would need to measure more than 86 feet (around 26 metres) in the official measurement to break the current record. Koxa set the world record at Nazaré in 2018 with a wave that was later ratified by the Guinness World Records. He also won the Big Wave Challenge that year. If the official measurement confirms a height above the current record, Koxa could once again become the world's record holder. See the history of Nazaré wave records here.

Women's Biggest Wave

The three nominees for Women's Biggest Wave are Michelle des Bouillons, Justine Dupont and Michaela Fregonese, all for waves surfed at Praia do Norte in Nazaré.

• Michelle des Bouillons – 🎥 Watch the video
• Justine Dupont – 🎥 Watch the video
• Michaela Fregonese – 🎥 Watch the video

Men's Paddle

Nazaré also features in the Men's Paddle category, which recognizes the biggest waves ridden by paddling into them. The two nominees are Grant “Twiggy” Baker and Jojo Roper.

• Grant “Twiggy” Baker – 🔗 View post
• Jojo Roper – 🎥 Watch the video

Wipeout of the Year

There are also two Nazaré nominations in the Wipeout of the Year category: Lucas “Chumbo” Chianca and Alberto Truncer.

• Lucas “Chumbo” Chianca – 🎥 Watch impressive wipeout!
• Alberto Truncer – 🎥 Watch wipeout

An Important Distinction: The 2025/26 Season Awards

The Big Wave Challenge Awards should not be confused with the TUDOR Nazaré Big Wave Challenge, the World Surf League competition held at Praia do Norte in Nazaré. A new edition is expected during the coming winter season in Portugal.

The most recent TUDOR Nazaré Big Wave Challenge waiting period ran from November 2025 to March 2026, and the event took place on December 13, 2025. The Big Wave Challenge Awards, meanwhile, are an annual international event celebrating standout big wave performances from around the world during the previous season.

There is some overlap between the two events. Several surfers who competed at Nazaré during the season are also among this year's award nominees, but they are distinct events: one is a surfing competition, while the other is an awards ceremony.

Ride of the Year: No Nazaré Waves Among the Nominees

Despite Nazaré's strong presence in the categories focused on wave size and paddle-in surfing, none of the Ride of the Year nominees surfed their nominated wave at Nazaré.

The men's nominees are Matahi Drollet, at Teahupo'o in Tahiti, and Natxo Gonzalez and Tom Lowe, at Mullaghmore Head in Ireland.

The women's nominees are Justine Dupont, at Mullaghmore Head, and Izzi Gomez and Aelan Vaast, at Teahupo'o.

Big Wave Challenge 2026 Gala Tonight in Newport Beach

The Big Wave Challenge 2026 awards ceremony takes place today, September 19, 2026, at the historic Lido Theater in Newport Beach, California.

Presented by Aquamar Seafood, the event will reveal the winners across the different categories for the 2025/26 season, bringing together some of the biggest names in big wave surfing from around the world.

Follow nazarewaves.com for more information and updates on the winners.