Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards This Friday Performance Nominees Announced Newport Beach CA. April 11 2006. The sixth annual Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards presented by Monster Energy are only days away and as the top names in the surfing world are arriving in Southern California for the festivities, the final nominees have been announced in two more key categories. The invitation-only awards show takes place this Friday, April 14 at the Grove Theatre in Anaheim, California, and is available for worldwide viewing thanks to a live webcast at www.BillabongXXL.com. The webcast begins at 6 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time. Finalists announced today for the Surfline Best Overall Performance Award include: Grant Baker of Durban, South Africa; Shane Dorian of Kona, Hawaii; and Jamie Sterling of Haleiwa, Hawaii. Each received more than ten percent of the ballots cast by an evaluation committee of over 50 respected big wave surfers, photographers and surf magazine editors who considered each contender's performance at a variety of venues over the course of the entire year. The winner will be announced live during Friday night's show. Two women received the bulk of the votes cast for the Billabong Girls Best Overall Performance Award. Keala Kennelly of Honolulu, Hawaii garnered support for her giant tow-in tube at Tahiti's Teahupoo break while last year's winner Jamilah Star of Santa Cruz, CA received acclaim for large paddle-in sessions at Maverick's on the West Coast and Hawaii's Waimea Bay. In addition to the performer awards, the night will feature a review of the entire year's big wave action from around the world, and a series of other honors including the Monster Tube Award, Monster Paddle Award and the Billabong XXL Award for the single biggest wave of the year. The Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards are presented by Monster Energy. Surfline is the official surf forecast. The event is sponsored by Surfing Magazine, Honda Watercraft, Jeep, Hawaiian Airlines and High Surf Accessories. The nominees for 2006 are, in alphabetical order: BILLABONG XXL AWARD Surfer prize $1000 per foot ($60,000 minimum), photo prize $5000 Ibon Amatriain (Zarautz, Spain) at Playa Gris, Spain on February 17, 2006 (photo by Ramon "Lance" Blanco Gonzales) Ross Clarke-Jones (Victoria, Australia) at Todos Santos Island, Mexico on December 21, 2005 (photo by Robert BrownPhotography.com) Tyler Fox (Aptos, California) at Ghost Tree, Pebble Beach, California on January 4, 2006 (photos by Randy Brown, Bart Keagy, Aaron Kirks & Graham Nash) Brad Gerlach (Encinitas, California) at Todos Santos Island, Mexico on December 21, 2005 (photo by Robert BrownPhotography.com) Flea Virostko (Santa Cruz, California) at Mavericks, Half Moon Bay, CA on January 4, 2006 (photos by Frank Quirarte and Don Montgomery) MONSTER PADDLE AWARD Surfer prize $10,000, photo prize $2000 Grant Baker (South Africa) at Maverick's, Half Moon Bay, California on February 7, 2006 (photos by Doug Acton, Frank Quirarte/MavSurfer.com, Don Montgomery/MavSurfer.com) Garth Engelhorn (San Diego, California) at Todos Santos Island on December 21, 2005 (photo by Todd Pilmer) Rusty Long (San Clemente, California) at Todos Santos Island on December 21, 2005 (photos by RobertBrownPhotography.com, JasonAndrewPhotography.com) Diego Medina (Bellavista, Chile) at Punta Lobos, Chile on May 11, 2005 (photo by Philip Muller) Jamie Sterling (Haleiwa, Hawaii) at Waimea Bay, Hawaii on February 5, 2006 (photos by Dave Collyer/Sickshots.com, Bruno Lemos) MONSTER TUBE AWARD Surfer prize $5000, photo prize $2000 Shane Dorian (Kona, Hawaii) at Teahupoo, Tahiti on September 11, 2005 (photos by RobertBrownPhotography.com, Scott Carter, Keith Kipp, Towsurfer.com) CJ Hobgood (Melbourne, Florida) at Teahupoo, Tahiti on May 2, 2005 (photo by Karen / Tostee.com) Peter Mel (Santa Cruz, California) at Maverick's, California on January 4, 2006 (photos by Frank Quirarte/MavSurfer.com) Laurie Towner (Angourie, Australia) at Shipstern Bluff, Tasmania on March 11, 2006 (photos by Andy Chisholm, Stuart Gibson, Tim Jones) Raimana Van Bastolaer (Tahiti) at Teahupoo, Tahiti on May 1, 2005 (photo by Brian Bielmann) SURFLINE BEST OVERALL PERFORMANCE AWARD Male Surfer Prize $5000 Grant Baker (Durban, South Africa) Shane Dorian (Kona, Hawaii) Jamie Sterling (Haleiwa, Hawaii) BILLABONG GIRLS BEST OVERALL PERFORMANCE AWARD Female Surfer Prize $5000 Keala Kennelly (Honolulu, Hawaii) Jamilah Star (Santa Cruz, California) PRESS CONTACT: Bill Sharp SurfNewsEd@aol.com 949-548-6740