Six local surfers have been crowned winners of the 2023 Gail Couper and
Wayne Lynch Surf Coast Rising Star Surfing Awards.

The annual awards recognise the highest ranked Surf Coast Shire young male and female surfers (18 years old or under) of the past year.

Congratulations to this year’s recipients:
Female
• Juliet Muscroft (U18)
• Belle Day (U18)
• Dune Pruvot (U16).
Male
• Willis Droomer (U18)
• Remy Filer (U16)
• Jack Lindsay (U16).

The Rising Star awards added to the build-up of this year’s Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach, with recipients invited to receive the honour at the official Rip Curl Pro Welcome Event on Monday this week. The event was an opportunity for the local Rising Stars to rub shoulders with some of the sport’s biggest names, as they prepare to compete in the 60th anniversary of the iconic World Surf League competition.

Before the Welcome Event, the Rising Stars reflected on their blossoming surfing careers and where it all began. Each recipient caught their first wave on the Surf Coast – some at Cosy Corner while others started at Point Addis and Fairhaven. The youngsters also highlighted their idols – from Stephanie Gilmore, Laura Enever and Courtney Conlogue, to Griffin Colapinto, Ethan Ewing and Bobby Martinez.

With surfing a vital part of the region’s culture, history and social fabric, the Surf Coast Shire launched the Rising Star Awards in 2017 to acknowledge the outstanding surfing achievements by local young surfers.

Read Surf Coast Times story here.