- WSL / Kirstin Scholtz
- WSL / Kirstin Scholtz
WSL Awards: Best of 2014
Catch some of the greatest moments from the men's and women's 2014 Samsung Galaxy Championship Tour.

If you think awards season peaked with the Oscars, think again. The world's best traded sunlight for spotlight February 25 as they hit the red carpet for the 2015 World Surf League (WSL) Awards -- the night that celebrates the achievements of the 2014 season, and officially opens the 2015 WSL Samsung Galaxy Championship Tour year. The new season kicks off February 28 with the Quiksilver Pro and Roxy Pro Gold Coast.

Accolades and awards were given to those that have contributed to the sport, including the Heat of the Year, Breakthrough Performers and the WSL Champions. Here's the full list of Awards winners and nominees:

Men's Wave of the Year

Nominees
Nominees for the best waves of the season from the men's 2014 Championship Tour.
  • Winner: Kelly Slater at the Billabong Pro Tahiti
  • John John Florence at the Billabong Pro Tahiti
  • Kai Otton at the Billabong Pro Tahiti
  • Jordy Smith at the J-Bay Open
  • Joel Parkinson at the J-Bay Open
  • Gabriel Medina at the Billabong Pipe Masters

Women's Wave of the Year

Nominees
Nominees for the best waves of the year from the women's Championship Tour.
  • Carissa Moore at the Roxy Pro Gold Coast
  • Courtney Conlogue at the Roxy Pro Gold Coast
  • Tyler Wright at the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach
  • Sally Fitzgibbons at the Fiji Women's Pro
  • Winner: Stephanie Gilmore at the Swatch Women's Pro Trestles
  • Carissa Moore at the Target Maui Pro

Men's Move of the Year

Nominees
Best maneuvers from the men's Championship Tour season.
  • Winner: Julian Wilson's J-Bay Alley-Oop
  • Filipe Toledo's Trestles Air
  • John John Florence's Bells Beach Punt

Women's Move of the Year

Nominees
Nominees for the best maneuver from the 2014 season.
  • Malia Manuel's Fiji Top Turn
  • Winner: Lakey Peterson's Trestles Aerial
  • Tyler Wright's Bells Beach Carve

Men's Heat of the Year

Nominees
Nominations for best men's matchup during the 2014 CT season.
  • Hurley Pro Trestles Round 4, Heat 3: John John Florence vs. Kelly Slater vs. Adriano De Souza
  • Billabong Pipe Masters Final: Gabriel Medina vs. Julian Wilson
  • Winner: Billabong Pro Tahiti Semifinal 1: Kelly Slater vs. John John Florence

Women's Heat of the Year

Nominees
Nominees for the best matchup on the women's Championship Tour in 2014.
  • Target Maui Pro Final: Tyler Wright vs. Carissa Moore
  • Rip Curl Women's Pro Bells Beach Round 3, Heat 1: Sally Fitzgibbons vs. Courtney Conlogue vs. Nikki Van Dijk
  • Winner: Rip Curl Women's Pro Bells Beach Semifinal 2: Stephanie Gilmore vs. Tyler Wright

Men's Longboard Champion: Harley Ingleby (AUS)

WSL Longboard Champions: Ingleby, Williams
Harley Ingleby (AUS) and Chelsea Williams (AUS) receive tops honors for 2014.

Women's Longboard Champion: Chelsea Williams (AUS)

Chelsea Williams won the ASP World Longboard Title at the 2014 GoPro World Longboard Championships China Williams won the Longboard Title at the 2014 GoPro World Longboard Championship in China. - WSL / Will H-S


Men's & Women's World Junior Champions: Vasco Ribeiro (PRT), Mahina Maeda (HAW)

World Junior Champions
Two young surfers surged ahead of the competition to become champs in 2014.

Men's Breakthrough Performer: John John Florence (HAW)

Florence's Perfection at Bells
John John Florence took flight to earn the first Perfect 10 of the 2014 season.

Women's Breakthrough Performer: Johanne Defay (FRA)

Defay's Standout Rookie Season
French surfer Johanne Defay stood out from the crowd in 2014.

Men's Runner-Up: Mick Fanning (AUS)

Fanning, In Form for 2014
Mick Fanning didn't win a fourth Title in 2014, but he came close.

Men's World Champion: Gabriel Medina (BRA)

The 20-year-old wunderkind is the first Brazilian ever to have won a Title.

"It is because of my support team that I'm here tonight," Medina said upon receiving the World Title. "My family, my friends, my fellow surfers on tour and my country. Brazil never had a world champion before".

Women's Runner-Up: Tyler Wright (AUS)

Wright's Stellar Year
Wright came close to winning it all in 2014. It's likely she'll carry that momentum into the new season when it kicks off on the Gold Coast.

Women's World Champion: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS)

Following the closest Title race in surfing history, the Australian won her sixth Championship.

"Every heat last year was do or die," Gilmore said during her acceptance speech. "The level of talent on tour has never been higher and the surfing has never been more exciting. To come away with a win in that kind of environment was incredibly rewarding on a personal level and it gives me great confidence heading into the year and women's surfing for the future."

The Quiksilver Pro and the Roxy Pro Gold Coast, the opening stops of the 2015 CT season, kick off February 28, 2015 and will be webcast LIVE on the WSL homepage.

Mick Fanning at the World Surfing Awards on the Gold Coast of Australia on Wednesday February 25, 2015.
- WSL / Kirstin Scholtz
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Mick Fanning at the World Surfing Awards on the Gold Coast of Australia on Wednesday February 25, 2015.
- WSL / Kirstin Scholtz
1 of 2
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