Everything You Need To Know About Quik Young Guns 2019

Alright, if you’re a florescent adolescent ranging between 13 and 18 years old*, you’re going to wanna pay attention.

The competition for Quiksilver’s prestigious Young Guns is one week down, which means clips are pouring in; we’re already analyzing closely, hoping to elevate eight of the best groms in the world. 

At the moment, we’re in the first stage of the event: the Instagram Challenge – where surfers post your clips to Insta, tag @quiksilver and #YGSurfContest, and patiently, hopefully, await our reply. 

In the past, Young Guns has been separated into three categories: Airs, Rail, and Combo; this year, that old notion has been crumpled up and tossed in the bin.

There are no guidelines to what a surfer should post (other than eff’d up surf action!).

Quik is also giving $1k to the most creative entry. So, if you’re feeling weird, and artsy, we wanna see it and reward you.

This year, the top eight will be hand-selected by Stab‘s editors. Come on, impress us! 

There are four phases of this event. For clarity purposes, we’re gonna bite this in bullet points. Here’s everything you need to know:

Instagram Challenge aka Slam the Gram. 

– The window runs from August 1 – August 29
– Anything goes. Got a single wave you’re proud of? Post it. A tube? Get it up. A one-minute rip clip? We wanna see. 
– Seriously, all you got to do is post and tag @quiksilver and #YGSurfContest. No tags, no entry. It’s that simple. 
– Not sure you got the skills to make the top 8? Send in something creative and maybe win $1k. 

The Top 8

– Our top 8 favorite entrees will be hand-selected and announced on September 8th. 
– The 8 will be pulled from the #YGSurfContest tag and will be one step closer to the final in Portugal. 
– Only one surfer from the Top 8 will make it into the Top 4.

The Top 4

– The Top 8 will be put into a public vote. 
– The Top 8’s clips will be posted on Quiksilver’s Instagram stories, and the Young Gun with the most votes will move onto the final along with three other finalists hand-selected by the decorated judging panel of Mikey Wright, Zeke Lau and Kanoa Igarashi. 
– The Top 4 will be announced on September 10.

The Final

– The Final includes a dream trip to Portugal
– Accommodation at Lapoint Surf Camp in Ericeira
– The final runs from November 1 – 8
– Whoever does the best surfing over the weeklong final will win $10k and the title of the best under 18 grom in the world. 

*If you’re not under the age of 18 on November 10, 2019, then sorry, you’re out. On the flip side, you need to be 13 on August 1, 2019 to qualify for the Young Guns event.