Quiksilver’s legendary U18 competition returns for a 2026 edition, giving groms worldwide a chance to compete in Hawaii…

…win a $10,000 cash prize and attend the Quiksilver Festival on the beaches of France’s Les Landes. Participants from past editions include the likes of 3x World Champion Gabriel Medina, World Champion Felipe Toledo, WSL CT riders Rio Waida, Leonardo Fioravanti, Mikey Wright and more. Safe to say the event has long been a stomping ground for the world’s most talented young surfers. So, what to expect for this 2026 edition?
Round 1

● Open to male and female surfers aged 18 and under, worldwide.
● Entrants must post a single-wave clip on Instagram before January 23, 2026.
● Tag @quiksilver, @stab, and #KOTG26.
● Previously posted clips are allowed in this round.
● A Top 8 will be selected among all participants by WSL CT surfer Griffin Colapinto and Olympic Gold medalist Kauli Vaast

Round 2
● Each selected surfer will submit another single wave, filmed within the last year.
● Head-to-head matchups will be posted on Instagram with a 24-hour poll.
● Audiences will vote to decide which 4 surfers they want to see move forward to the next round.

Round 3
● Each surfer will submit a never-been-seen/posted single wave.
● Head-to-head matchups are posted on Instagram with a 24-hour poll.
● Two winners will advance to the final.

Wildcard Picks
● Griffin Colapinto and Kauli Vaast will select two additional surfers from the original top eight to complete the Final.

Final
● The four selected surfers will be invited to spend one week at the Quiksilver House at Pipeline in February 2026.
● Whoever shines the brightest in Hawaii will win $10,000 and score an invite to the 2026 Quiksilver Festival in September.

Think you got what it takes? Upload your single-wave clip before January 2, 2026!

ABOUT QUIKSILVER
It is the emblematic boardsports brand founded by a group of surfing enthusiasts in Australia in 1969. True to a unique lifestyle, Quiksilver holds passion, authenticity and innovation as fundamental values. The brand’s identity is represented by its logo: a mountain inside a wave symbolizing its attachment to boardsports and its environments, the sea and the slopes. True to a unique lifestyle, brand holds passion, authenticity and innovation as fundamental values. Quiksilver is also intimately associated with the very best athletes and the biggest events in the history of boardsports.

Photo: Quiksilver