ICF Announces Judges for Best Places to Paddle Campaign

Olympic medalists and world champions will be among the judges helping to decide where are the best 100 places on the planet to paddle, as part of a campaign by the International Canoe Federation and brand for the planet, SOMWR.

The judging panel represents not only some of the best athletes on the planet, but also paddlers who have traversed some of the most beautiful waterways in the world. They will have hundreds of locations to chose from, as paddling enthusiasts from all corners of the globe have been sharing their favorite locations as part of the #Paddle100 campaign.

Australia’s Jessica Fox and Denmark’s Rene Poulsen have both won Olympic medals, USA’s Nevin Harrison is a canoe sprint world champion, Brazil’s Pepe Goncalves will compete at his second Games in Tokyo this year, and American Connor Baxter is a stand up paddling world champion.

They will be joined by SUP international yoga instructor Mary Stults to help compile the top 100 paddling locations on the planet, judged on beauty, tranquility, excitement, uniqueness and accessibility.

Paddlers of all levels and on all craft are being encouraged to reveal their favorite place to take to the water. The campaign is sponsored by SOMWR - the climate-positive apparel brand dedicated to protecting and improving the environments loved by paddlers.

The six judges are;

1. Jessica Fox (AUS) – Olympic canoe slalom silver medalist (London) and bronze medalist (Rio).
2. Rene Holten Poulsen (DEN) – Olympic canoe sprint silver medalist (Beijing).
3. Nevin Harrison (USA) – ICF canoe sprint world champion.
4. Pepe Goncalves (BRA) – ICF extreme canoe slalom world cup champion.
5. Connor Baxter (USA) – Stand up paddling world champion and Starboard SUP athlete.
6. Mary Stults – Stand up paddling yoga and mediation instructor.

To get involved with #Paddle100:

• post an image or video of your favourite paddle spot on Facebook or Instagram
• tell us where it is and why it’s special
• use the hashtag #Paddle100 and tag @planetcanoe

Nominations will close next week, and then it will be over to the judges to decide the best 100 locations. The public will then get a chance to vote from that list to determine the top 20 places to paddle on the planet. For more information, go to the ICF event website.