The winners of the Australia's Surfing Life Oakley Big Wave Awards will be announced at Simmer on the Bay, Dawes Point, Sydney, on February 8th, 2012. The finalists of the Biggest Wave, Biggest Slab and Biggest Paddle-in Ride have been named and are available at www.bigwaveawards.com.au.

Big waves and stunning images make the decisive list of Australia's most prestigious big surfing challenge. Mark Mathews, Marti Paradisis, Jamie Mitchell, Ryan Hipwood, Chris Shanahan, Ben Rufus, Damien Warr and Tyler Hollmer Cross are some of the surfers that may lift the title and grab the $35,000 in prizemoney.

"We felt the surfers themselves were the best judges of each other’s performances," explained event co-ordinator Nick Carroll. "They know these wild surf zones better than anyone else and they have a clear view of the challenge involved. We were stoked with the way they responded! They’ve come up with an epic group of finalists, that’s for sure."