Competitor must be a Hawaii resident. By entering this event, the competitor declares that he/she is a Hawaii resident. Competitors may be asked to provide proof of residency and if unable to do so, competitor entry will be denied.

Please do not enter a division if you are under or over the age stated on June 1, 2024, failure to comply will result in immediate disqualification.

Contest is limited to the first 390 competitors to register and submit payment. Must be a Hawaii resident. NON REFUNDABLE $30 entry fee.

Competitors are limited to ONE SINGLE division only. Our goal is to allow as many kids as possible the chance to experience the opportunity to compete.

NO REFUNDS will be issued if you decide to rescind your entry. No exceptions.

Children who have participated in NSSA or HSA or any other organized competitive surfing branch are strictly PROHIBITED from participating in ANY division. It does not matter if your child has participated only once, or a few years back in a competitive surfing event, they are forbidden to enter the T&C Surf Grom Contest in ANY capacity. If your child has participated competitively as a shortboarder, your child is ineligible to enter the contest as a longboarder or bodyboarder. Again, they are strictly forbidden to enter the T&C Surf Grom Contest in ANY capacity.

Competitor's division will be determined by their age as of June 1, 2024. Thus, for example you want to enter your child in the shortboard division and they are 8 years old right now, but turn 9 before or on the 1st of June, you will need to enter your child into the 9 to 10-year-old division. Competitors must compete within their age division determined by their age on the day of the contest. Surfing up or down an age division is prohibited.

The FreeSurf Expression Session is open only to families who have a child in the contest. Child must be 3-6 years old and either be a participant in the contest or have a sibling in competing in the contest.

Wave Assist: Parental assist will not be permitted for any division except the Kokua division which will be held inside at Baby Queen's.

Judges: Each wave reviewed and judged on a point system based on HASA judging criteria. Your combined judges scores will be your final score.

Judging Criteria: Judging will be focused on the HSA criteria for high performance surfing and focused on major maneuvers with combinations and variety in the most critical sections of the waves submitted. Barrels will be considered but need to be combined with major scoring maneuvers to reach top scoring potential.

The results of the grom contest will be published online after the completion of the contest.

Goodie Bags: All competitors will receive a goodie bag and lunch from Duke's Waikiki only on their first day of competing. If your child misses their heat or you rescind from the contest, your child will not be eligible to receive a goodie bag. The child who moves up from the waitlist into the competition will be receiving the goodie bag.

Prizes: Top six competitors in each division will win medals and prize packs. All kokua competitors will receive a medal.

Thanks to the T&C Grom Contest sponsors: Duke's Waikiki, FreeSurf Magazine, Boys & Girls Club of Hawaii, Dakine, RVCA, Futures Fins, Vans and GoPro.

Questions: Email enquiries@tcsurf.com

Disclaimer: Per CDC/WHO/Local, State, and National Guidelines T&C Surf reserves the right to cancel the Grom Contest if deemed unsafe for its competitors based on safety, rules, and regulations.

Contestants, parents and immediate family authorize in advance and without any restriction or reserve T&C Surf to use free of rights their names, their images, footage and their photos for a commercial, editorial or a public relation purpose, without conferring to them any payment, right or advantage for any title. The present assignment of rights is granted worldwide and for an unlimited usage following the grom contest.

Competitors are limited to ONE division only. Our goal is to allow as many kids as possible the chance to experience the opportunity to compete.

The general rule of thumb is children who have participated in NSSA or HSA or any other organized competitive surfing branch are strictly prohibited from participating in ANY division. It does not matter if your child has participated only once, or a few years back in a competitive surfing event, they are forbidden to enter the T&C Surf Grom Contest in ANY capacity. If your child has participated competitively as a shortboarder, your child is ineligible to enter the contest as a longboarder or bodyboarder. Again, they are FORBIDDEN/INELIGIBLE to enter the T&C Surf Grom Contest in ANY DIVISION.

Your child's division will be determined by their age as of June 1, 2024. So if, for example if you want to enter your child in the shortboard division and they are 8 years old right now, but turn 9 before or on the 1st of June, you will need to enter your child into the 9-10 year old division.

If your child is waitlisted, it means that they are on standby for the heat that was submitted on the entry form. Please check the heat sheets online posted a few days before the contest. Check to see when that division is slated to compete. You should then show up at the event prior to the division you are waitlisted for. If there is a no show for the heat being called, the Beach Marshall will then replace the competitor with the entrant who is on the waitlist in the order that they are waitlisted. 

If your child is waitlisted, they are not eligible for a goodie bag or complimentary lunch or beverages. If your child makes it off of the waitlist and into the contest, then your child will become eligible for a goodie bag, lunch and beverages. 

As per our rules, no refunds will be issued if you decide to pull out. No exceptions. Only entrants who were waitlisted and did not make it into the contest will be refunded. 

Please arrive at the beach at least one hour before your scheduled heat time. First heat of each day's check in is at 7:45am for 8:00am start. Please check in when your name is called. You will then proceed to the head judge’s tent for your jersey color. Heat sheets are subject to change, so please arrive early. If you are not scheduled to compete on the first day of the contest, you do not need to be present at the event.

The Kokua division is held on Saturday and the FreeSurf Expression Session is held on Sunday.

For all other open divisions: shortboard, longboard or bodyboard we won't know when the participants are surfing until we create the heat sheets. We don't make these until about a week out from the event so we can check the surf report and the conditions on the days of the event. Safety is our top priority for the competitors. We like to make sure the younger competitors are surfing when the waves are smaller and the older participants compete when the waves may be larger in case there is high surf for the weekend. To find out about heat sheets see Q&A about heat sheets.

Heat sheets will be posted on-line a few days before the contest. The heat sheets are subject to change and may be updated a few times prior to the contest, so please check back.

The safety of the groms is our number one priority, thus, we need to have the flexibility to update the heat schedule if surf conditions should change. A tentative schedule of all divisions will be on-line a few days before the contest. This schedule is subject to change and may be updated a few times prior to the contest, so please check back. This will be tentative and after assessing the surf conditions each morning of competition, we decide if we need to alter heats for the safety of the competitors.

The Beach Marshall will review the contest rules before each heat enters the water at the check-in area. Surf conditions may change throughout the day, so listen each time the Beach Marshall gives his explanation.

A certified lifeguard will be present in the lineup for the safety of all participants at all times.

Absolutely NO PARENTAL ASSISTANCE IS ALLOWED in the line-up with the exception of the Kokua Division. Parents coaching or offering any form of support in the line-up or channel will be grounds for your child disqualification.

Please return your jersey back on the beach to the head judges tent right away. If it is your first heat, pick your contest goody bag after your heat is done. Results will be posted approximately 15 minutes after the end of each heat. If you entered the Kokua division, there is only one heat with no advancement, since everyone is a winner in this division. There will be a separate Kokua awards ceremony once all Kokua heats have been completed.

If your child misses their heat or you rescind from the contest, your child will not be eligible to receive a goodie bag. The child who moves up from the waitlist into the competition will be receiving the goodie bag.

You can follow us on Instagram at or on Facebook where we share the latest updates for the contest.

Plesae email enquiries@tcsurf.com or call 808.483.8711 (M-F 7a-3p)