Submissions are in, votes are tallied and the 2015 GoPro Challenge has crowned its first winner. C.J. Hobgood (USA) claimed the contest outside the contest with this glide-in at Cloudbreak that had the rest of the channel roaring.
The world's best surfers are gathering in the South Pacific to meet up with some solid swell on the horizon. Get a head start of your Fiji fill with this flashback.
The GoPro Challenge asks competing World Surf League (WSL) athletes to submit their own GoPro videos from the competition venue and surrounding areas, with clips accepted starting two days prior to the contest window and no later than the conclusion of the event. Epic conditions at the Fiji Pro and the Fiji Women's Pro made for some fantastic shots, but none more so than Hobgood's serene barrel ride toward the sunlight.
The winning video was selected by a panel of five judges -- three from the WSL staff and two from GoPro -- based on cinematography, degree of difficulty of shooting, perspective and overall beauty and lighting. Each requirement held equal weight.
The GoPro Challenge returns in 2015, starting with the elite Tours' arrivals on Fiji.
Since his video was taken outside of the contest, Hobgood will receive $10,000 for his winning video, ticking off all the boxes of the judging criteria and using editing techniques that give the video a heightened sense of drama.
Want to know how to shoot winning clips? Check out this tutorial.
Hobgood's sunlit barrel was one of an array of stunning videos submitted by the elite men and women of the Samsung Galaxy Championship Tours. Here are some of the other nominees:
Wiggolly Dantas glides through a pristine barrel, catching up with a familiar face on his way out, in his first submission into the Fiji GoPro Challenge.
The Hawaiian's stunning 2015 GoPro Challenge submission.
Aritz Aranburu shows off a different perspective on a foamy barrel for the GoPro Challenge Fiji.
The next GoPro Challenge will be at the Billabong Pro Tahiti, Stop No. 7 on the Samsung Galaxy Championship Tour, which kicks off August 14. Check out all the submissions to the Fiji GoPro Challenge here.
Hobgood Wins 2015 Fiji GoPro Challenge
WSL
Submissions are in, votes are tallied and the 2015 GoPro Challenge has crowned its first winner. C.J. Hobgood (USA) claimed the contest outside the contest with this glide-in at Cloudbreak that had the rest of the channel roaring.
The GoPro Challenge asks competing World Surf League (WSL) athletes to submit their own GoPro videos from the competition venue and surrounding areas, with clips accepted starting two days prior to the contest window and no later than the conclusion of the event. Epic conditions at the Fiji Pro and the Fiji Women's Pro made for some fantastic shots, but none more so than Hobgood's serene barrel ride toward the sunlight.
The winning video was selected by a panel of five judges -- three from the WSL staff and two from GoPro -- based on cinematography, degree of difficulty of shooting, perspective and overall beauty and lighting. Each requirement held equal weight.
Since his video was taken outside of the contest, Hobgood will receive $10,000 for his winning video, ticking off all the boxes of the judging criteria and using editing techniques that give the video a heightened sense of drama.
Want to know how to shoot winning clips? Check out this tutorial.
Hobgood's sunlit barrel was one of an array of stunning videos submitted by the elite men and women of the Samsung Galaxy Championship Tours. Here are some of the other nominees:
The next GoPro Challenge will be at the Billabong Pro Tahiti, Stop No. 7 on the Samsung Galaxy Championship Tour, which kicks off August 14. Check out all the submissions to the Fiji GoPro Challenge here.
Fiji Pro
The Australian became the first person ever to score two perfect heats in a single event.
The big man scored not one, but two perfect 20-point heats on his way to winning the Fiji event in 2015.
The world's best surfers are gathering in the South Pacific to meet up with some solid swell on the horizon. Get a head start of your Fiji
Don't miss the Fiji Pro on ABC's World of X Games July 4 at 2:00 p.m. ET/12:00 p.m. PT.
See some of the greatest moments from the historic 2015 Fiji Pro, through the lenses of Surfing Magazine.
News
The now-Central Coast competitor Jack Van Wagoner is back in familiar waters, this time in Pismo Beach, looking for his second-career win.
The 2023 finalist Chloe Coleman is back after her rookie year among the world's best and looks for a second-career win heading into Pismo
Jahly Stokes and Keijiro Nishi Finish Runners Up as Jinzun Harbor Turns on Pumping Surf For Finals Day and Kerr Wins Second QS 5000 Event
Women's Top Seeds Dominate Round of 32 -- Stage Set For Potential Finals Day in Taiwan.