The Mavericks community wrapped up another big wave season by celebrating the close of the 2023 Mavericks Awards. The season-long, all-digital event turned into a California sweep with San Clemente’s Greg Long taking the award for men’s biggest wave, San Francisco’s Bianca Valenti sweeping three awards for the women, and two Santa Cruz locals, Ryan Augenstein (Ride of the Year) and Alo Slebir (Performer of the Year) rounding out the list of winners.
The Mavericks Awards took on its season-long format in 2019, ditching the traditional single-day format of big wave contests in an effort to create a larger community around the wave and the event itself. It’s also expanded to include more opportunities for female prize winners in recent years and maintains a 60-40 surfer/photographer or videographer prize money split for awards. Over the weekend it culminated in a ceremony with 400-plus attendees, including athletes and fans who watched highlights from the season and story-driven film segments.
One particular highlight of the season was the presence of big wave bodysurfer Kalani Lattanzi. The Brazilian athlete became the first person to bodysurf Jaws, Nazaré, and Mavericks after this season — an accomplishment he dedicated to his mother. The night also highlighted Augenstein and Slebir’s friendship, coming from nearby Santa Cruz and taking two of the top awards from this season’s competition. And finally, the night also celebrated Valenti for her role as a big wave mentor, taking local 16-year-old Zoe Chait under her wing at Mavs this season before the pair also got into the mix at Waimea and Pipeline.
The official 2023 Mavericks Awards winners:
BIGGEST WAVE (MALE): Greg Long
BIGGEST WAVE (FEMALE): Bianca Valenti
RIDE OF THE YEAR (MALE): Ryan Augenstein
RIDE OF THE YEAR (FEMALE): Bianca Valenti
PERFORMER OF THE YEAR (MALE): Alo Slebir
PERFORMER OF THE YEAR (FEMALE): Bianca Valenti
