Induction Process

All New Candidates will be submitted through an open, public online candidature process exclusively on this website. This process will begin on September 1, 2024 for the Class of 2026. (Note:  Candidates submitted in prior years, who were Nominated and whose names appeared on the official ballot, but not Inducted, will remain on an “In Perpetuity” list, and are available for Selection in 2026 and thereafter.

New Candidate applications must be complete and submitted by the deadline published on this official website.  Applications submitted after the date will not be accepted.  All New Candidate applications will be reviewed by the ECSHOF President and the Regional Nominating Committee Co-Chairs.  All New Candidates will be placed in either the North or South Region, based on their state of origin or permanent residence, to be determined by the ECSHOF Board of Directors.  The North Region will include the states of ME, NH, CT, RI, NY, NJ, DE, MD, VA, NC, SC, and the South Region will include GA and FL.

CRITERIA

A Regional Nominating Committee (RNC) will be formed that will be made up of eight (8) experts – four (4) from the North Region and four (4) from the South Region.  The RNC Members will be selected by the Nominating Committee Co-Chairs, Greg Loehr and Sandy Ordille.  Their selections are subject to ECSHOF Board of Directors approval.  All RNC Members will review and vet all of the completed New Candidate applications and select ten (10) New Candidates filling all the slots allocated in each Award Category – 3 Pioneers, 3 Surfers Men, 1 Surfer Woman, 1 Media, 1 Culture, 1 Industry.

RNC Members will select ten (10) new Nominees from the pool of all applications.  These ten Nominees will be in the various Categories.  Their names will appear on the Official Ballot along with the “In Perpetuity List” of previous Nominees not yet selected.  The Official Ballot will be submitted to the Selection Committee.

NOMINATING COMMITTEE CO-CHAIRS

Greg Loehr and Sandy Ordille

REGIONAL NOMINATING COMMITTEE MEMBERS

New England – Sid Abbruzzi
Mid-Atlantic – Mark Neustadter
Virginia/Outer Banks – Scott Busbey
North and South Carolina – Will Allison
Georgia and North Florida – Charlie Baldwin
Central Florida – Greg Loehr and Pete Dooley
South Florida – Hunter Joslin
West Florida – Pat Wilcox

A Selection Committee will be made up of twenty-four (24) well known and highly regarded surfers, selected by the ECSHOF Board of Directors. Of these, ten (10) will be from the North Region, ten (10) from the South Region, and four (4) At-Large. It is recommended, but not required, that the Selection Committee Members should be in the ECSHOF. The At-Large Members are not required to be East Coasters in origin nor in the ECSHOF. At-Large Members must have an exceptional knowledge of East Coast Surfing history.

Each Selection Committee Member will receive an Official Ballot and Biography Book of Nominees and will have ten (10) votes – 3 Pioneers, 3 Surfers Men, 1 Surfer Woman, 1 Media, 1 Culture, 1 Industry. The Selection Committee will submit their votes on the Official Ballot to the Secretary of the ECSHOF, who, along with the President, will be responsible for independently tallying the votes. No verbal selections or selections made on social media will be accepted. The Nominees with the greatest number of votes filling the required number in each category are “The Finalists.” The Nominees with the next highest number of votes in each category are “The Alternates.”

The Finalists will be submitted to the ECSHOF Board of Directors for Ratification.  It is the Board’s responsibility to approve or deny each Finalist.  A Finalist not ratified by the Board will be replaced by the highest-ranking Alternate in the same category.  The decisions of the Board of Directors are final.  Finalists ratified by the Board are The Inductees.

IMPORTANT NOTE:  Changes in this process may be made by the ECSHOF Board of Directors from time to time.

Legends

Awarded to an individual, male or female, who has achieved fame as a respected surfer, considered a legend or a pioneer. This recognition can be as one of the first surfers to establish the sport in a particular area; or an individual who has pioneered one, or more, innovative techniques in wave riding, surfboard design and construction; or achieved legendary status in the surfing community regionally, nationally or internationally.

Surfers, Men

Awarded to an individual male, who has achieved prominence as a highly respected surfer, competitive or non-competitive in the surfing community regionally, nationally or internationally.

Surfers, Women

Awarded to an individual female, who has achieved prominence as a highly respected surfer, competitive or non-competitive in the surfing community regionally, nationally or internationally.

Media

Awarded to an individual, male or female, who has achieved prominence in the creation or distribution of surfing content in print, digital, film, tv, or live event; as a publisher, editor, photographer, writer, or another position of prominence in the surfing community regionally, nationally or internationally.

Culture

Awarded to an individual, male or female, who has achieved prominence in the area of fashion, art, architecture, music, literature, film, acting, design, politics, sports, environmental or humanitarian leadership, or another area in culture in the surfing community regionally, nationally or internationally.

Industry

Awarded to an individual, male or female, who has achieved prominence in the surf industry as a surf shop owner; surfboard manufacturer, shaper or glasser; business leader or sales representative; contest producer or organizer; or whose work led to an important product design or equipment innovation in the surfing community regionally, nationally or internationally.

Cecil Lear’s President’s Award

An ECSHOF Cecil Lear President’s Award recipient shall be selected by the ECSHOF Board of Directors and awarded to an individual, male or female, who has made a lasting contribution in leadership or mentoring to East Coast Surfing.

Special Recognition

An ECSHOF Special Recognition Award recipient shall be selected by the ECSHOF Board of Directors, when appropriate.  It will be awarded to an individual who has made and extraordinary and significant contribution to Surfing globally.  His or Her contribution will have established a new positive standard for Surfing as a sport or industry and had a positive impart in raising the awareness and profile of East Coast Surfing with the public.