Grom Challenge!

In a press release, Quiksilver said that the challenge remained the same, to discover new talent on a global scale, but the idea was to level the playing field for the 13 to 18-year old age group via an easy access, online competition that attracted as many participants as possible, irrespective of location or experience. The aim was to reveal unknown talents who could go head to head against those who had already earned a reputation - laying a platform and benchmark for a new era of young surfers.

Following the online selection process, the public and Quiksilver’s team riders Dane Reynolds, Jeremy Flores and Craig Anderson, who formed the judging panel, would choose the Top 10 performers drawn from a worldwide pool of surfing youth. The finalists would be invited to a Super Final at an undisclosed location, and kept secret until the last second.

Joel Parkinson, Gabriel Medina, John John Florence, Jeremy Flores and Matt Banting have all won the King of the Groms (ex-Quiksilver Pro Junior) during their youth and been introduced to the highest level of competitive surfing thanks to this event.

To participate, candidates just need to film a 15-second video segment of their best wave and post it on Instagram @quiksilver followed by #kingofthegroms.

The judges would watch all videos and choose 30 surfers for the next step in the selection process. The next round of voting by the public would narrow the field to 7 candidates who would be joined by 3 surfers selected by the 3 Quiksilver judges.

Quiksilver would host an actual contest at an undisclosed break, a secret until the last possible moment. The King of the Groms final was scheduled for 10 November 2015, and would be broadcast live from an exceptional location, and feature an innovative, new competition format.

The event would be granted with $40,000 USD while the winner would take home the King of the Groms title and $20,000. All of the finalists would be invited to participate in the competition with all expenses paid by Quiksilver.

How to enter
The contest open only to male surfers from 13 to 18-years of age.

1 SELECTION (Instagram Challenge)
From 15 April 2015 to 10 June 2015
Post your 15 seconds surf video to Instagram : @quiksilver #kingofthegroms
The Top 30 will be chosen based on the following 3 criteria: best Air, best Rail and best Combo.
#kingoftheair
#kingoftherail
#kingofthecombo

2 FINAL (Video Challenge)
From 15 June 2015 to 15 September 2015
30 surfers are selected for the final. Each one must produce a new 1 to 2 minute(s) video, to be posted on www.quiksilver.com/kotg (It must be an edited clip. Music supplied by Quiksilver)
This stage of the contest allows candidates to express physical as well as creative talents. The public will select 7 surfers and the judging panel of Quiksilver pros will choose 3 others. Their names and the Super Final location will be officially announced during the Quiksilver Pro France.

"Round 1 was a breeze, right? Time to step it up a notch. In Round 2, it’s all about those longer-players. The remaining 30 groms will each put together a one to two-minute hype clip showing their best surfing with the volume turned up to 11. With music and graphics provided by Quiksilver, surfers will gather their own footage and cut their own edit. This will live on Quiksilver’s KOTG website for public voting (and no paying your friends to click all day, it’s limited to one vote per person). But just remember: more hype = more votes! Drag your crew in from Facebook, Instagram, snapchat, heck, pay to get a billboard put up in town. Do what you have to. Every vote counts. Use this as your chance to show everything you’ve got."

3 SUPER FINAL
10 November 2015
After the on-line selection process, it’s time for the real action, in the water.
The last 10 surfers in the running will be flown to a destination which will remain secret until the Quiksilver Pro France (the French stop of the World Surf League) to compete in the Super Final of the King of the Groms on November 10th.

"Often, it is about the journey and not the destination. But that’s not true in King Of The Groms. This year’s final will be held at a secret location, a live broadcast party of high performance surfing, music and good times. The only requirements here are progression, creativity and fun. These top 10 international Groms will complete a series of challenges, with each challenge winner scoring $1000. Overall runner-up will be gifted $10,000 and the winner, the best under-18 surfer in the world, will not only wear the King Of The Groms crown, but also go home $20,000 richer. Time to make some noise."

The only information available about the Super Final is that the location will be revealed to the competitors and public during the Quiksilver Pro France (October 6th to 17th) and will be broadcast live on www.quiksilver.com

The last 10 winners
2004 : Alejo Muniz (Bra) –World Surf League surfer
2005 : Wiggolly Dantas (Bra) - World Surf League surfer
2006 : Dean Bowen (Aus)
2007 : Tamaroa McComb (Tah)
2008 : Maxime Huscenot – 2009 ASP World Junior Champion
2009 : Gabriel Medina (Bra) – Current World Surfing Champion
2010 : Matt Banting (Aus) - World Surf League surfer
2011 : Yan Daberkow (Bra)
2012 : Mikey Wright (Aus)
2013 : Jake Marshall (USA)

Entries in the Instagram challenge are coming through here http://quiksilver.com/surf/events/kotg.html#round1