Induction Process

All New Candidates must be submitted through an open, public, online candidature process exclusively on this website.  This process begins on September 1, 2026 for the Class of 2028 and will close on January 31, 2027.  Candidates submitted in prior years who were nominated and whose names appeared on the official ballot but were not selected remain on an “In Perpetuity” list available here. Those on the In Perpetuity list will appear on the ballot for the Class of 2028 along with 9 new nominees.

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 Nominating Committee.  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

Nominating Committee
Chair, Greg Loehr
Vice-Chair Matt Pruett
Advisor, Women Sandy Ordille

In addition, Regional Nominating Committee (RNC) members will include 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, subject to ECSHOF Board of Directors approval.

All RNC Members will review and vet regional candidate applications.  From this, nine (9) New Candidates will be chosen and allocated in each Award Category – 2 Legends, 3 Surfers Men, 1 Surfer Woman, 1 Media, 1 Culture, 1 Industry.  These nine 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.

A Pioneers Selection Committee will be made up of no more than 5 well known and highly regarded surfers from throughout the East Coast and beyond plus one non-voting Chair appointed by the current ECSHOF Board of Directors.  It is recommended, but not required, that Pioneers Selection Committee members be in the ECSHOF.  All must have exceptional knowledge of East Coast Surfing History with a focus on the earlier generations in the sport’s history.  Each Pioneers Selection Committee member may nominate candidates along with full biographies.  Members will submit their vote for two candidates on the Official Pioneers Ballot to the Chair, who will be responsible for tallying the votes along with the Secretary of the ECSHOF.  No ECSHOF Board of Director has a vote.  No verbal selections or selections made on social media will be accepted.  A maximum of two (2) Nominees with the greatest number of votes are “The Finalists.”

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 or legend, and is part of an early group of surfers who established the sport in a particular area and who epitomized Surfing’s spirit and culture.

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.

Pioneers

Awarded to an individual, male or female, who has achieved fame as a pioneer in the evolution of our sport, and for being one of the first surfers to establish the sport in a particular area and who epitomized Surfing’s spirit and culture.

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.