The big guns of the surf industry get together for their SIMA (Surf Industry Manufacturers Association) meeting in SIMA Surf Summit 10 in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Probably played some golf, talked business and decided which brands, companies & products deserve to win their Image award.
SIMA image awards
This year there were 12 categories in which companies and products competed in:
- Accessory Product of the Year,
- Footwear Product of the Year,
- Surfboard Model of the Year,
- Wetsuit of the Year,
- Men’s Ad Campaign of the Year,
- Men’s Apparel Brand of the Year,
- Men’s Boardshort of the Year,
- Women’s Ad Campaign of the Year,
- Women’s Apparel Brand of the Year,
- Women’s Swim Brand of the Year,
- Breakthrough Brand of the Year
- Company of the Year.
And the winners are…
Surf industry company of the year winner
BILLABONG USA – this one goes to the sharpest tool in the shed. Its not about how cool the company is but how smart their management is, how they contribute to the growth of the industry as a whole and stuff like that. Nominees were:
Breakthrough Brand of the Year Winner
VESTAL WATCH – the biggest mover and shaker, the company that you did not know last year and you sure know this year. Nominees were:
Ad Campaign of the Year (men’s) Winner
INSIGHT’S “DEAD MODERN” CAMPAIGN – the weirdest and most original commercials out there. If there are 20 plastic dolls legs sticking out of the sand and there is a beachbreak beehind, it’s got to be Insight. Nominees were:
- Billabong’s Boardshort Campaign (visit)
- Insight’s “Dead Modern” Campaign (visit)
- Nixon’s 2006 Men’s Ad Campaign (visit)
- Sanuk’s “Sidewalk Surfers” Campaign (visit)
- Volcom’s “V.Co-Logical” Campaign (visit)
Clothing of the Year (men’s) Winner
VOLCOM – if you wore a Volcom T-Shirt, girls dugg you. Nominees were:
Boardshorts of the Year (men’s) Winner
ANDY IRONS RISING SUN by Billabong – well they do look cool. Surfing in these will add 5 inches to your airs.
- Advantage Phantom by Hurley (visit)
- Andy Irons Rising Sun by Billabong (visit)
- Bruce Pro Modulator by Volcom (visit)
- Lopez Freak by O’Neill (visit)
- Superfreak II by O’Neill (visit)
Ad Campaign of the Year (girls)
BILLABONG JUNIORS were most creative and pulled the best girl’s advertising campaign in 2006. Nominees were:
Clothing of the Year (girls) Winner
VOLCOM GIRLS – Volcom does it again, it doesn’t matter if you are a girl or a guy Volcom clothes will make you the cooleds dude on the block. Nominees were:
Swim wear of the Year (girls) Winner
L*SPACE – Surfing in these will add 5 seconds to your tube time.
We’re still not finished.
Surfing Accessory Product of the Year Winner
VECTOR TECH FOILS by Future Systems – the most innovative and fresh and exciting new surf accessory were Futures fins. Nominees were:
- 9800 Gear Bag by Ogio (visit)
- iPod Travel Speaker System by Roxy (visit)
- Limited Series Sunglasses by Electric Visual (visit)
- Lodown Tide Watch by Nixon (visit)
- Vector Tech Foils by Future Systems (visit)
Shoes of the Year Winner
SLIP-ON by Vans – this is what you should put on your feet to run faster, jump higher and be stronger. Well not really, they just look good. Nominees were:
- Dram Sandal by Reef (visit)
- Photographer Series shoe by DVS (visit)
- Rabbit Kekai Sandal by Olukai (visit)
- Sidewalk Surfer by Sanuk (visit)
- Slip-On by Vans (visit)
Barefoot adventure anyone?
Surfboard of the Year Winner
FIREWIRE FLEXFIRE – in the turbulence of changes in surfboard construction this is the stcik that floated on top of all the others. Nominees were:
- Channel Island Flyer 2 (visit)
- Firewire Flexfire (visit)
- Merrick K-Small Quad Fin (visit)
- Rusty EPS Range (visit)
- Surftech Tuflite Stretch Fletcher Four (visit)
Wetsuit of the Year Winner
INFINITI SERIES by Xcel – these wetsuits are so warm you could boil an egg in them, so stretchy they are used for bungee jumping and so cool people are wearing them to the opera. Nominees were:
- F-Bomb by Rip Curl (visit)
- Infinity Series by Xcel (visit)
- Mutant by O’Neill (visit)
- Psycho II by O’Neill (visit)
- Vapor by Body Glove (visit)
Now what? Pull out your wallets and go buy some sick slick surfing products :).
so who won the golf game :D
I’m sure all these links were a pain in the ass to collect LOL
I like Freak boardshorts btw…