Supconnect Launches 2020 Awards

SAN DIEGO, California - For the 11th year, Supconnect has officially launched the Supconnect Awards. The Supconnect Awards started in 2010 as a way of recognizing individuals that made exceptional contributions to the sport. As such, it’s the world’s first and original awards in the stand up paddle industry. Unlike most awards, winners are not chosen strictly on athletic performance and results. The ultimate objective of the Supconnect Awards is to help to create positive icons for the youth in order to increase the longevity of the sport for generations to come. And what’s more, it also aims at recognizing exceptional brands, products, and shops that help raise the bar in their field, serving as blueprints of excellence for others to follow. In that light, do not expect the usual run-of-the-mill winners. Nominees and winners, at least we hope, capture the all-inclusive culture of the sport, with friendly smiles and awe-inspiring stories and, yes, performances.

Read more about the Supconnect Awards History here.

The selection process for the Supconnect Awards is a detailed one that involves the Supconnect Staff, SUP Industry and an advisory board consisting of highly knowledgeable individuals of the standup paddle community. The athletes chosen for the Supconnect Awards all went through the same criteria which is based on four qualities:

• Ambassadorship: Conveying the cheerfulness and inclusiveness characteristic of the sport.
• Involvement: Attending events and gatherings, having a finger on the pulse of the sport.
• Performance: Showing proficiency in the sport, though top results are not a requirement.
• Support: Having a following and votes to show you have some support to validate your credibility.

The brands and shops chosen for the Supconnect Awards all went through the same criteria which is based on four qualities:

• Involvement: Supporting the local SUP community by having demos, putting on events and educating consumers.
• Performance: Great customer service whether it be through sales, warranty or knowledge of the products.
• Support: Having a following and votes to show you have some support to validate your credibility.
• Quality: Quality of the products are superb.

In 2020, Supconnect will continue to have the original categories of Supconnect Man/Woman/Grom of the Year as well as continuing the industry-specific awards like Brand of the Year, Shop of the Year and Gear of the Year. The full list of awards to be given in 2020 are:

The Awards has two major phases, starting with open nominations at the start of June and continuing on to the selection of the final nominees, announced at the start of July and then narrowing the field even further to choose the winners. As people fully immersed in the sport, the members of the Supconnect Awards board had an incredibly hard time selecting only 30 or so nominees for each one of the Awards categories. The pool of talent is so vast and the location of these athletes so wide that it is nearly impossible to present a full array of the world’s top talents with a limited list of athletes. But after much deliberation and some very tough decisions, the committee has chosen a respectable lineup of athletes, brands, sales reps, shops, and products to be part of this year’s awards.

Often times awards play to the ol’ girls and boys club, i.e., industry folks who award themselves for the sake of … “who knows what,” other than perhaps some nice parties. The Supconnect Awards seeks exceptional talents wherever they may be found. It strives to find the unknown hero, the wunderkind in the making, and the quiet production manager cranking out heaven-sent equipment. So without further ado, the 11th annual Supconnect Awards is now officially open! Winners will be announced in early August.

Vote HERE.