Award Details
NOMINATION PROCESS
Nominations are accepted from the general public during a 3-month open nomination period between January 1 and March 31 of each year. The deadline for nominations for the 2024 Aloha Award is March 31, 2024. The call for nominations is publicized in the media and promoted by the judges and the award sponsor. You may submit a nomination by clicking on the Nomination Form on our website. Nominations should make the case for why the nominee deserves to receive the award (e.g., attitude in the water, community engagement outside the water) and typically include relevant links to websites and social media profiles. A nominee may receive multiple nominations, and may be nominated year-after-year, but that will not necessarily increase his/her/their chances of winning the award or being named a finalist.
AWARD CRITERIA
There are no strict eligibility criteria for the Aloha Award other than a demonstrated commitment to living a life consistent with the principles of the Aloha Spirit. However, most successful nominees have: (a) a demonstrated commitment to spreading joy and stoke in the line-up; and (b) a track record of social or environmental activism, typically (but not exclusively) in the surf therapy or ocean conservation arenas.
JUDGING PROCESS
At the end of the nomination period, nominations are submitted to our five-member judging panel, which narrows the list of nominees to the top 5. Each of the top 5 nominees is interviewed by at least one judge, who records and shares the interview with the remaining judges. In addition to questions aimed at determining each finalist’s suitability for the award, the interviewing judge asks each finalist about the charity / charitable endeavor to which they would apply the cash award. The judges then select (by majority vote) a winner and runner-up from among the 5 finalists. The winner, runner-up, and three remaining finalists are announced within 60 days of the end of the nomination period.
AWARD
The winner of the Aloha Award receives a one-week, all-expenses paid trip (i.e., flights and accommodation) to Fiji’s premier water sports resort, Namotu Island, a donation of $10,000 to a charity or charitable endeavor of his/her/their choice, and a $2,500 stipend to either attend the International Surf Therapy Organization (ISTO) conference or pay for for education-related expenses (e.g., online classes) intended to help the winner develop the capacity to scale his/her/their organization. The runner-up also receives a one-week, all-expenses paid trip to Namotu Island, a donation of $5,000 to a charity or charitable endeavor of his/her/their choice, and a $2,500 stipend to either attend the International Surf Therapy Organization (ISTO) conference or pay for education-related expenses (e.g., online classes) intended to help the runner-up develop the capacity to scale his/her/their organization. Each of the three remaining finalists receives a donation of $2,500 to a charity or charitable endeavor of his/her/their choice plus one online ticket to attend the ISTO conference. The winner, runner-up and remaining finalists all receive personalized commemorative trophies.
The trips to Namotu Island for the winner and runner-up take place in July of the year following receipt of the award in order to allow time for scheduling (e.g., the 2024 Aloha Award winner will go to Namotu in July, 2025).