June 2023

The Aloha Award announces 2023 award winner and finalists, and a new nomination schedule.

The Aloha Award team is honoured to announce the winner, runner-up and 3 finalists for the 2023 award.

Winner: Ben Brondsema, for his dedication to Surfivor, a Netherlands based surf therapy program for first responders and veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Ben is a former police officer with PTSD who found healing through surfing. Surfivor’s mission is to create a safe space to enable other PTSD survivors to experience the healing power of the ocean, raise awareness about the positive effects of surf therapy on PTSD, and bring smiles and joy to program participants.

Runner up: Rebecca Van Der Veer, for her role with Reclaim the Sea, a U.K based non-profit with a mission to share the tools to enable people to reclaim the sea as a safe place when it has previously been a place of trauma, using holistic swim and surf programmes and campaigning for safe passage for people seeking refuge.

Finalist: Chris Antao, founder of Gnome Surf, for utilising surf therapy to make his community a more kind, inclusive and accepting place for a vast demographic of underrepresented youth and their families in Rhode Island and Costa Rica.

Finalist: Hugo Gonzales for providing free surf lessons to local kids from underserved communities in Cartagena, Colombia, and applying the values of Aloha and the spiritual dimension of surfing as a vehicle for self-awareness, transformation and connection for his students at Ohana Surf Experience.

Finalist: Kshisya Tachanskaya, for her selfless service providing non-profit surf camp experiences for Ukrainian refugee mothers and their children at Good Days Surf Camp in Portugal, nurturing community, confidence and connection to nature.

The winner of this years’ Aloha Award, Ben Brondsema, received a $10,000 donation to the charity or non-profit organization of his choice, a one-week, all-expenses paid trip to Namotu Island in Fiji and a scholarship to attend the 2023  Global Surf Therapy Conference “Blue Health” hosted by International Surf Therapy Organization, in Puerto Rico in December. Ben has chosen to direct his cash donation primarily to Surfivor, with a portion of the funds generously donated to Australian based surf therapy organisation Operation Soul Surf, also providing ocean-based healing to first responders and veterans impacted by trauma.

Runner-up Rebecca Van Der Veer has received a $5,000 donation towards the charity or non-profit of her choice (which she directed towards Reclaim the Sea), a one-week, all-expenses paid trip to Namotu Island in Fiji and a scholarship to attend the 2023 International Surf Therapy Organization conference “Blue Health” in Puerto Rico.

Each of the 3 remaining finalists received $2,500 donation to the charity or non-profit organization of their choice and an online ticket to attend the 2023 International Surf Therapy Organization conference “Blue Health”.

2024 Nomination Schedule Change

The 2024 Aloha Award will see a change in the nomination schedule with the nomination period running from December 2023 through to the end of March 2024. The winner, runner-up, and remaining finalists, selected by a team of five judges, will be announced by June 1, 2024. The 2024 winner and runner-up will be offered scholarships to attend the 2024 ISTO conference in Fall 2024 and all expenses paid trips to Namotu in July 2025. Our team of judges, chaired by Greg Bertish, includes Chris Dennis, Brisa Hennesey, Kris Primacio, and Jesse Richman.

We would like to extend our wholehearted appreciation to everyone who has contributed to the success of the Aloha Award to date, including our Aloha Award ambassadors, International Surf Therapy Organization (ISTO), Plaza Home Mortgage, Inc.®, Namotu Island Resort, Fiji Airways, WSL One Ocean, Surfline and every person who has taken the time to nominate.

Aloha!