Wondering what some of the world’s best surfers are up to? Well, from December to February, a slew of them will be chasing Hawaii’s biggest waves in the Red Bull Magnitude contest.
Red Bull Magnitude is the only big-wave, search-and-strike digital contest. What does that mean? Well, it’s an open-invite, big-wave women’s event in which surfers get support from Red Bull in the form of swell forecasting, film crews, and photography teams to capture their talent on the waves.
And by big-wave, Red Bull means big — the rules state only waves of 12-foot Hawaiian scale and above are eligible.
“Red Bull Magnitude contest pays homage to the heritage of women big-water pioneers while simultaneously paving the way for a new future in big-wave contests,” Red Bull wrote.
Red Bull Magnitude: Event Details
The event/swell period window is set to run from Dec. 1, 2021, to Feb. 28, 2022. And judging will take place from March 1 to 11, 2022. Surfers will be judged on their wave size, commitment, consistency, and style.
A $35,000 prize will go to the top performer. Other awards include the Tow In Award ($5,000), Best Ride ($5,000), YETI Biggest Wave ($5,000), and a “product reward” ($2,000 in value).
Participating surfers include Paige Alms, Emi Erickson, Keala Kennelly, Makani Adric, Annie Reickert, Maddie Anzivino, Wrenna Delgado, Raquel Heckert, Skylar Lickie, Siri Masterson, Remi Nealon, Kelta O’Rourke, Polly Raida, Momo Sakuma, Kiyomi Sheppard, and Kaya Waldman.