As part of our partnership with Surfing Australia, we’re thrilled to let you know the winners for the Nikon Surf Photo & Movie of the Year.

The Nikon Surf Photo of the Year is a prestigious award recognising the ‘best of the best’ in the Australian surfing photography industry.

Previous winners have included Jon Frank, Peter ‘Joli’ Wilson, Stuart Gibson and Jeremy Wilmotte, whose images are published and recognised around the world. The photo can be taken anywhere around the world by an Australian photographer and can be drawn from action, water, lifestyle, lineup or portrait photography.

The Nikon Surf Movie of the Year Award celebrates the best feature-length surf movie released in 2011 filmed, produced or directed by an Australian citizen or resident.

Nikon Surf Photo of the Year Winner – Ray Collins

A panel of 13 high-profile judges from within the surfing industry was tasked with selecting the winning surfing photo based on a range of strict criteria.

Jake White, Surfing Australia General Manager – Marketing and Communications said, “The entries this year were some of the best we’ve seen in years – the judges had an incredibly hard decision to make when choosing the winners. Our congratulations to Ray Collins and Jack McCoy for winning this year!"

Nikon Surf Movie of the Year Winner – A Deeper Shade of Blue by Jack McCoy

A Deeper Shade of Blue is about Hawaiian surf culture, from its ancient roots to today’s billion dollar industry; the evolution of the surfboard; and the spirit of Aloha.

In eleven interwoven chapters, today’s leading surfers are linked to those who came before, for a deeper appreciation of what it means to be a surfer and the soulful underlying power of modern surf culture.

Check out the top 20 Finalists of the Nikon Surf Photo of the Year by watching this video from Surfing Australia:

Our congratulations to Ray Collins for winning the Nikon Surf Photo of the Year and to Jack McCoy for winning the Nikon Surf Movie of the Year. We’re looking forward to your entries next year!