GKA AWARDS 2024

OFFICIAL RULES ARE ADMINISTERED BY THE GLOBAL KITESPORTS ASSOCIATION and the GKA
EVENT GMBH.

These official rules need to be accepted to be able to participate in the GKA AWARDS 2024.
THE FOLLOWING TERMS AND CONDITIONS APPLY TO ALL SUBMISSIONS MADE BY YOU
(“YOU”):

1. Award Categories Prizes in the following categories will be presented through the Awards
(each a “Category”) and the timeframe that these awards will consider for all categories is
any achievements from 26th April 2023 through to 6th October 2024

GKA Awards Categories:


MOVE Categories:
Men’s Big Air Move of the Year (on a twin tip or surfboard)

The Men’s Big Air Move of the Year award will be won by the male kitesurfer who
demonstrates the most advanced and committed level of kitesurfing/kiteboarding in
a trick shot between 26th April 2023 through to 6th October 2024.

Women’s Big Air Move of the Year (on a twin tip or surfboard)
The Women’s Big Air Move of the Year award will be won by the female kitesurfer
who demonstrates the most advanced and committed level of
kitesurfing/kiteboarding in a trick shot between 26th April 2023 through to 6th
October 2024.

Men’s Freestyle Move of the Year (on a twin tip)
The Men’s Freestyle Move of the Year award will be won by the male kiteboarder
who demonstrates the most advanced and committed level of freestyle kiteboarding
in a trick shot between 26th April 2023 through to 6th October 2024.

Women’s Freestyle Move of the Year (on a twin tip)
The Women’s Freestyle Move of the Year award will be won by the female kitesurfer
who demonstrates the most advanced and committed level of freestyle kiteboarding
in a trick shot between 26th April 2023 through to 6th October 2024.

Men’s Wave of the Year (surfboard)
The Men’s Wave of the Year award will be won by the male kitesurfer who
demonstrates the most advanced and committed level of kitesurfing in a wave shot
between 26th April 2023 through to 6th October 2024.

Women’s Wave of the Year (surfboard)
The Women’s Wave of the Year award will be won by the female kitesurfer who
demonstrates the most advanced and committed level of kitesurfing in a wave shot
between 26th April 2023 through to 6th October 2024.

Men’s Strapless-Freestyle Move of the Year (surfboard)
The Men’s Strapless-Freestyle Move of the Year award will be won by the male
kitesurfer who demonstrates the most advanced and committed level of StraplessFreestyle in a trick shot between 26th April 2023 through to 6th October 2024.

Women’s Strapless-Freestyle Move of the Year (surfboard)
The Women’s Strapless-Freestyle Move of the Year award will be won by the female
kitesurfer who demonstrates the most advanced and committed level of StraplessFreestyle in a trick shot between 26th April 2023 through to 6th October 2024.

Hydrofoil Big Air Move of the Year (single award) (hydrofoil)
The Hydrofoil-Freestyle Move of the Year award will be won by the male or female
hydrofoiler who demonstrates the most advanced and committed level of HydrofoilBig Air in a trick shot between 26th April 2023 through to 6th October 2024.


PHOTO & VIDEO Categories:
Photo of the year (single award)
The Photo of the Year award will be won by any photographer and the athlete
captured in the picture who shows the most artistic and impressive piece of visuals
taken between 26th April 2023 through to 6th October 2024.

Video of the year (single award)
The Video of the Year award will be won by any video creator who shows the most
artistic and impressive piece of visuals taken between 26th April 2023 through to 6th
October 2024.

2. Move of the Year Categories Submission Criteria:
In order to be considered for an Award you must comply with the following criteria:
• You must perform a trick during the period between 26th April 2023 through to 6th
October 2024.
• The upload of the videos must occur until 06.10.2024 23.59h CET.
• Moves must be submitted into 5 categories on the official contest website
https://www.gkakiteworldtour.com/gka-awards-2024/
• You must be over 18 years or have a legal or parents permission of participation
• Safety of all kitesurfers, videographers or participants in the video is the highest
priority to the GKA and shall be respected at all times. Any attempts that are
considered to be extraordinarily dangerous, of an unsporting nature, or are
discourteous in any way will be disqualified, resulting in no other submitted video by
the same nominee to be accepted in the awards.
• To be eligible (Move category), the rider must perform the trick while controlling and
standing on his board alone while performing the trick. The trick can be done during
a competition or outside of it.
• In the submitted video: rider, trick, kite and board must be visible in the frame.
• POV clips are disqualified.
• The clips can be submitted in a 19:6 or 16:9 format.
• The GKA reserves the right to request further information of the uploaded video if
needed, to confirm the videographer, rider and time/place of the trick occurred.
• The GKA reserves the right to consider the eligibility of a successful attempt and
accepts the submission for consideration of the award category.
2.1. Photo of the Year Submission Criteria:
In order to be considered for an Award you must comply with the following criteria:
• The photo must have been taken between 26th April 2023 through to 6th October
2024.
• The upload of the photos must occur until 06.10.2024 23.59h CET.
• Photos must be uploaded by the content creator and owner of the photo-rights.
• Artwork needs to be created with a camera. The use of AI tools (e.g. Midjourney) is
not allowed and leads to the automatic exclusion of the submission as inappropriate.
• Only basic image editing and color corrections are allowed, i.e. brightness, contrast,
sharpening, mood and white balance.
• The GKA reserves the right to request further information of the uploaded photo if
needed, to confirm the photographer, rider and time/place of the artwork.
• The GKA reserves the right to consider the eligibility of a successful attempt and
accepts the submission for consideration of the award category.
2.2. Video of the Year Submission Criteria
In order to be considered for an Award you must comply with the following criteria:
• The video must have been taken between 26th April 2023 through to 6th October
2024.
• The upload of the video must occur until 06.10.2024 23.59h CET.
• Videos must be uploaded by the content creator or the owner of the video-rights.
• The GKA reserves the right to request further information of the uploaded video if
needed, to confirm the videographer, rider and time/place of the video.
• The GKA reserves the right to consider the eligibility of a successful attempt and
accepts the submission for consideration of the award category.
3. Content Entry Requirements:
All photos and videos submitted for consideration must comply with these Official Rules and
the Submission Directions. Each Video and Photo submitted (and any content submitted or
associated with your entry, hereafter collectively Submission) must:
• be an original work owned or licensed to the content creator submitting the Video or
Photo and all rights must be cleared for use by GKA.
Videos MUST NOT: 
• Contain any music (just for the Move of the Year, Video of the Year should be a fully
edited video incl. music);
• Be manipulated or enhanced in a manner that distorts or misrepresents the kitesurfer's
performance;
• Contain material which is hateful, slanderous, libellous, tortious, sexually explicit, obscene,
pornographic, inappropriate, violent, discriminatory, illegal or contain material which
appears to be unlawful or dangerous or in violation of, or contrary to the laws or regulations
in any state where the video is created;
• Contain material that violates or infringes another's rights, including but not limited to
material that violates privacy, publicity or intellectual property rights, or that constitutes
copyright infringement. Without limiting the foregoing, videos must not include third-party
trademarks, logos, insignia, location signage, photographs, artwork, or sculptures;
• Include third parties, including but not limited to minors, without parental consent,
celebrities and friends who have not expressly authorised you to display their image,
likeness or voice in any submitted Video or otherwise use such image, likeness or voice; or
• Disparage or cast a negative light on any person, entity, brand or any products or services.
The GKA reserves the right to disqualify any entry for the Awards if it believes the entry
violates or potentially violates any of the foregoing requirements or otherwise fails to
comply with any provision of these Official Rules.
You agree to reimburse GKA in full in respect of any losses, damages, and expenses,
including reasonable legal fees (including, where permitted, reasonable attorneys’ fees) that
they may sustain from the breach of a representation or warranty made by you or the use of
any rights granted by you to GKA hereunder.
Minors must have the prior consent of their parent or legal guardian to enter a submission
for consideration and to provide requisite personal information.

4. Privacy:
Submission of personal information in connection with the Awards, including, without
limitation, mailing address, phone number and email address, plus photographic/video
content featuring you constitutes permission for GKA and the other third parties who are
affiliated to or GKA or partners of the GKA or the Event defined below ( “Promotion
Partners”) to use a competitor’s personal information for purposes of administration of
these Awards and for other purposes permitted by GKA´s Privacy Policy. The information
you provide to GKA will only be used in relation to the GKA Awards including, without
limitation, the marketing and promotion of the entries and the GKA Awards, for historical
and archival purposes in the future, and in accordance with the GKA Privacy Policy.

5. Clearances and Warranty:
By doing an award entry you grant to the GKA, the irrevocable, non-exclusive, royalty-free,
perpetual right to use your voice, image, photograph, video, likeness, biography and all
attributes of your personality (collectively, “Name, Image and Likeness”) and any already
recorded or future image, photos, film and/or video footage involving your Name, Image
and Likeness for use by or in relation to GKA Awards and any sponsor of the same in the
context of each of their respective sponsorships. As full and fair consideration for the rights
granted by you to the GKA herein, GKA agrees to consider your Submissions for nomination
in the Category or Categories selected by you in accordance with these Official Rules. GKA
shall in no way be obligated to exercise any of the rights granted to it herein. GKA (and its 
licensees and assignees) shall have the right (but not an obligation) to distribute, advertise,
freely assign, promote, reproduce, perform, publicly display, exhibit, transmit and otherwise
use content (including all Video Submissions) submitted by you by any and all means and
methods, in all languages, and in any and all markets and media, whether now known or
hereafter devised, throughout the world in perpetuity and you waive the right to approve
any such use.

You hereby represent and warrant to GKA that: (i) Promotion Partner’s use of the
Submissions will not infringe upon or violate your proprietary rights, including, but not
limited to, patents, trade secrets, rights of privacy, copyrights and trademarks, (iii) all rights
granted herein are your sole property and are free and clear of any and all liens,
encumbrances or claims whatsoever, and (iv) you have secured all rights, interests, licences
and clearances necessary for the grant to GKA and use of Your Name, Image and Likeness
rights as permitted hereunder. When you submit a Submission for consideration you
represent and warrant that you are either the sole creator and owner of all rights in the
video, including without limitation the copyright(s) therein; or that you have a license from
the copyright owner to make the submission and grant the rights granted under these
Official Rules; that use of a video by GKA as contemplated by your Submission or the terms
and conditions herein will not infringe upon or violate any proprietary rights, including, but
not limited to, patents, trade secrets, rights of privacy, copyrights and trademarks, of any
third party; that all rights granted herein are free and clear of any and all liens,
encumbrances or claims whatsoever; and that you have secured all rights, interests, licenses
and clearances necessary for the use of the Video, including but not limited to: (i)
authorization by any persons appearing in the Video for the use, by GKA (and each of their
licensees and assigns), of his/her performance, image, name, likeness, voice, and biography
in connection with the exhibition and other exploitation of the Video as contemplated by
these Official Rules.

6. Rights in Video:
The submissions are required to enable GKA to judge a competitor’s skill and ability for the
GKA Awards. All Videos are deemed to be non-confidential and non-proprietary and shall
not be returned. By submitting content you hereby grant to GKA , and its licensees and
assignees, in perpetuity, the worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty free, sub-licensable,
assignable, irrevocable right, license and authority to: (i) use the Video to review and judge
your submission for the Awards; (ii) to distribute the Video submissions on GKA´s (and its
licensees’ and/or assigns’) owned and operated and licensed and nominated digital
platforms, such as the GKA website and app and social media channels, including, but not
limited to, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and other websites (the “Promotion
Platforms”), in any and all productions produced by GKA (and its licensees and/or assigns) to
market or promote the Awards, in promotions and/or advertising relating to the Awards,
and in connection with any other materials created in relation to the Awards; (iii) edit,
modify, distribute, publicly perform, promote, sell, lease, broadcast, transmit, exhibit and
otherwise use and exploit, in all languages, all versions and copies of any Video or any
production with the Video contained therein, on any and all media now known or
hereinafter devised; and (iv) to freely assign and/or sublicense the rights granted herein to
any third party in GKA sole discretion.
You acknowledge and agree that if GKA or a Promotion Partner elects to use the Video the
kitesurfer and/or videographer shall not be entitled to any credit, consideration or notice or 
payments of any kind, and all rights under copyright or other intellectual property rights
which may result from the use of the Videos by GKA or Promotion Partners shall be the sole
property of GKA. You waive any and all moral rights in the Video with respect to any use by
GKA or Promotion Partners, its sub-licensees, licensees or assignees. GKA, Promotion
Partners and its designees shall have the perpetual, worldwide right to publish and use the
Videos, in any way, and in any media fortrade, advertising, promotional, and/or other
purposes as GKA, Promotion Partners and/or its designees may determine without further
consideration to you or any third party.
GKA and Promotion Partners are under no obligation to use the Video or publish the same
on any media whatsoever.

7. Judging Panels
7.1. Moves of the Year Judging Panel
a. Selection of Nominees after the Closing Date of 06.10.2024,
- The GKA judging team will evaluate the entry´s received and judge all tricks. They
will select the top 5 men’s tricks and top 5 women’s tricks of each category to go
through to the public voting phase.
- Public can vote from 25 November - 8 December (dates are subject to change) their
favourite entry´s to select their favorite video.
b. Selection of top 5 men and top 5 women contenders in each category for public vote:
- A team of 3 of the GKA’s most experienced judges will select the top male and
female contenders to be out through to the final public voting phase of the
competition.
c. Selection of final winners:
- The final winners selected from the top male female entries in the five Move
categories will be awarded from a combination: 33% public vote, 33% GKA crew and
staff panel , 34% special committee of riders, media and legends
- The GKA head judge will facilitate and mediate the Judge panel and have the
deciding vote in hold of a tie.
- The final determination of all awards in all categories will be made by the GKA in its
sole discretion.
In case of interruptions, or unavailable network, server, or other connections, transmission
problems or miscommunications; computer or software malfunctions, technical problems,
viruses, bugs, etc, which can make public voting impossible, the final nominees will be
eligible directly by the judging panel.
d. Judging Points System:
The selection of top male and female tricks to go through to the final voting phase of the
competition will be done after the three GKA judges have scored each trick, in the following
categories:
- Technical difficulty: 30%
- Innovation / Originality: 30%
- Wow factor: 30% 
- Overall impression / style: 10%
Part two - Public voting phase: The final male and female moves in the public voting
phase, will be voted on as follows: (33% Public vote / 33% GKA crew and staff panel,
34% special committee of riders and legends) will be voted on according to 100%
overall impression. Voters will be presented with background information on the
rider, trick and information on the technical difficulty involved to help them make
their selection. Voters may only cast one vote.
7.2. Photo of the Year Judging Panel:
a. Selection of Nominees after the Closing Date of 06.10.2024,
- The GKA Photo judging team will evaluate the entry´s received and judge all photos.
They will select the top 10 photos to go through to the public voting phase.
- Public can vote from 25 November - 8 December (dates are subject to change) their
favourite entry´s to select their favorite video.
b. Selection of top 10 photos for public vote:
- A team of 3 GKA Photo judges of the industry’s most experienced and well-known
photographers will select the top 10 contenders to be out through to the final public
voting phase of the competition.
c. Selection of final winners:
- The final winners selected from the top 10 in the Photo Award category will be
awarded from a combination: 33% public vote, 33% GKA crew and staff panel , 34%
special committee of riders, media and legends
- The Photo of the Year head judge will facilitate and mediate the Photo Judge panel
and have the deciding vote in hold of a tie.
- The final determination of all awards in all categories will be made by the GKA in its
sole discretion.
In case of interruptions, or unavailable network, server, or other connections, transmission
problems or miscommunications; computer or software malfunctions, technical problems,
viruses, bugs, etc, which can make public voting impossible, the final nominees will be
eligible directly by the judging panel.
d. Judging Points System:
The selection of top 10 photos to go through to the final voting phase of the competition
will be done after the GKA photo judges have judged each artwork, in the following
categories:
- Vision: 20%
- Conception: 20%
- Composition: 20%
- Light: 20%
- Colors & Tonality: 20%
Part two - Public voting phase: The final selected photos in the public voting phase,
will be voted on as follows: (33% Public vote / 33% GKA crew and staff panel, 34% 
special committee of riders and legends) will be voted on according to 100% overall
impression. Voters will be presented with background information on the content
creator, athlete in the shot, action or lifestyle in the photo and information on the
creation process involved to help them make their selection. Voters may only cast
one vote.
7.3. Video of the Year Judging Panel:
a. Selection of Nominees after the Closing Date of 06.10.2024,
- The GKA Video judging team will evaluate the entry´s received and judge all videos.
They will select the top 10 videos to go through to the public voting phase.
- Public can vote from 25 November - 8 December (dates are subject to change) their
favourite entry´s to select their favorite video.
b. Selection of top 10 videos for public vote:
- A team of 3 GKA Video judges of the industry’s most experienced and well-known
content creators will select the top 10 contenders to be out through to the final
public voting phase of the competition.
c. Selection of final winners:
- The final winners selected from the top 10 in the Video Award category will be
awarded from a combination: 33% public vote, 33% GKA crew and staff panel , 34%
special committee of riders, media and legends
- The Video of the Year head judge will facilitate and mediate the Video Judge panel
and have the deciding vote in hold of a tie.
- The final determination of all awards in all categories will be made by the GKA in its
sole discretion.
In case of interruptions, or unavailable network, server, or other connections, transmission
problems or miscommunications; computer or software malfunctions, technical problems,
viruses, bugs, etc, which can make public voting impossible, the final nominees will be
eligible directly by the judging panel.
d. Judging Points System:
The selection of top 10 videos to go through to the final voting phase of the competition will
be done after the GKA video judges have determined each video, in the following
categories:
- Storytelling: 20%
- Creativity: 20%
- Cinematography: 20%
- Editing Techniques: 20%
- Sound & Music: 20%
Part two - Public voting phase: The final selected photos in the public voting phase,
will be voted on as follows: (33% Public vote / 33% GKA crew and staff panel, 34%
special committee of riders and legends) will be voted on according to 100% overall
impression. Voters will be presented with background information on the content
creator, athlete in the shot, action or lifestyle in the video and information on the 
creative process involved to help them make their selection. Voters may only cast
one vote.

8. Nominations:
The final contenders in the GKA Awards categories will be informed and announced on the
GKA website.

9. Winner Notification and Verification:
The Award winners will be notified on the evening of the 10th of January 2025, in the City
Hall of Cape Town. All decisions of the GKA are final.

10. GKA Awards Ceremony Attendance:
Physical attendance by nominees may be requested by GKA at an Awards ceremony.
Winners are expected to make themselves available for an in person or online presentation
of Awards at a date and in a manner determined by GKA.

11. Participants at the awards ceremony as well as entrants into the awards process must
never use the GKA Awards platform and media exposure to pursue any sort of political
message or statement.

12. Sponsorship:
It is obligatory that any sponsors of the GKA Awards must be treated in a positive manner by
all participants.

13. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY AND RELEASES:
GKA reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to suspend or cancel this Video submission
process at any time for any reason, including, without limitation, if a computer virus, bug or
other technical problem corrupts the administration, security, or proper conduct of this
submission process, strikes, lock-outs, acts of God, technical difficulties, and other events
not within the reasonable control of GKA.

14. Indemnity:
You agree to indemnify and hold harmless the GKA, any Promotional Partners, and each of
their respective parents, affiliates, successors, assigns and licensees, and each of their
respective employees, shareholders, officers, directors, agents and representatives from
and against any and all liability, claims, loss, damage, injury or expense, including reasonable
attorneys' fees, arising in connection with any third party action arising out of a breach or
allegation which if true would constitute a breach, of any of your representations,
warranties or obligations herein.
15. Waiver of Equitable Relief: You acknowledge and agree that GKA does not now and shall
not in the future owe any duty or liability, direct or indirect, vicarious, contributory, or
otherwise, with respect to the infringement or protection of the copyright in and to the
Video. 
You acknowledge that, with respect to any claim by you relating to or arising out of GKA´S
actual or alleged exploitation or use of any Video or other material submitted in connection
with these Awards, the damage, if any, thereby caused to you or to a third party, will not be
irreparable or otherwise sufficient to entitle you to seek injunctive or other equitable relief
or in any way enjoin the production, distribution, exhibition or other exploitation of the
Video or any other production based on or allegedly based on the Video, and your rights
and remedies in any such event shall be strictly limited to the right to recover damages, if
any, in an action at law.

16. Issues with submissions:
GKA is not responsible for lost, late, incomplete, damaged, stolen, misdirected, or illegible
submissions; lost, interrupted, or unavailable network, server, or other connections,
telephone transmission problems, or garbled transmissions or miscommunications;
computer or software malfunctions or damage to a user’s computer equipment (software or
hardware); technical failures; or other errors or malfunctions of any kind whether human,
mechanical, electronic, or otherwise. GKA is not responsible for any materials provided to
GKA which are deemed harmful or offensive to others. All statements and opinions made by
an individual are those of such individual(s) only, and the GKA neither endorses nor shall be
held responsible for the reliability or accuracy of the same.

17. Other Terms & Conditions:
By submitting a Video for these Awards, you agree to be bound by these Official Rules. The
decision of the GKA in all matters relating to this Competition is final and binding. In the
event that any provision is determined to be invalid or otherwise unenforceable or illegal,
these Official Rules shall otherwise remain in effect and be construed in accordance with
their terms as if the invalid or illegal provision were not contained herein.

18. Disputes:
By participating in these Awards, you agree that: (i) any and all claims, judgments and
awards shall be limited to actual out-of-pocket costs incurred, including costs associated
with participating in these Awards but in no event attorneys’ fees; (ii) under no
circumstances will you be permitted to obtain any award for, and you hereby waive all
rights to claim, punitive, incidental or consequential damages and any and all rights to have
damages multiplied or otherwise increased and any other damages, other than for actual
out-of-pocket expenses, and any and all rights to have damages multiplied or otherwise
increased; (iii) all issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation
and enforceability of these Official Rules or the rights and obligations of you, GKA and
Promotion Partners in connection with these Awards, shall be governed by, and construed
in accordance with the laws of Germany; (iiii) Any legal proceeding of any sort brought
between the parties as a result of this agreement shall be brought in the civil court of
Hamburg / Germany. In any legal proceeding in which any right or obligation arising from
this agreement is in issue, the law applicable thereto shall be the law of the Federal Republic
of Germany.