Foiling Awards IX voting opens with 104 nominees through February 20

Public voting for the ninth Foiling Awards is under way, giving foiling fans and industry figures a say in recognising the sport’s standouts from 2025. A total of 104 nominees have been shortlisted for Edition IX, selected by the Organising Committee with input from the international Foiling Community. Voting is open on the awards’ official site and runs through February 20.

The shortlist spans 13 categories that cover competitive sailing, boards and water sports, innovation, sustainability, projects, events, education and foiling pathways, and production boats, among others. The organisers emphasise a community-driven ethos: "Help us select the best foiling athletes, events, products and projects of 2025" and state plainly that the awards are "WHERE THE COMMUNITY MARKS ITS EXCELLENCES" and reflect "STATE OF THE ART IN FOILING." The submissions were reviewed by the Organising Committee and, once validated, included in the official shortlist that can be voted from February 1st to 20th.

Notable individual nominees named in the shortlist illustrate the range of disciplines represented. Enzo Balanger of France is listed as Moth World Champion, Benjamin Castenskiold of Denmark as GWA Surf-Freestyle World Champion, Hugo Wigglesworth of New Zealand as GKA ranking winner in Big Air Hydrofoil, Justin Chait of the United States as SFT E-Foil World Champion and E-Foil Racing League ranking winner, Edan Fiander of Switzerland as SFT Pump Foil World Champion, and Mattia Cesana of Italy as winner of the Switch Global Championship. National development initiatives are also on the shortlist: "The Australian Sailing Para Wing Foil Camp has been nominated for the 9th edition of the Foiling Awards in the Foiling Pathway category, putting an Australian initiative on the global stage alongside some of the world’s leading foiling programs." Australian Sailing urges local supporters to "Support the camp by voting before 20 February:"

Organisers say the awards reward impact as much as results, noting that the program is "Driven by the international Foiling Community, the Awards celebrate impact over results, giving visibility and recognition to those who truly move the sport forward." A small discrepancy surfaced on social media, where an Instagram post listed "1hundred one nominees" for the event; the official awards site and multiple press reports list 104 nominees as the definitive count.

Winners will be revealed at an invitational gala dinner show in Genoa on March 17. Following a curated selection and public voting process, the winners will be announced on March 17th in Genoa during an exclusive Prizegiving Show reserved for invited guests. The ceremony will be held alongside the third edition of the World Foiling Congress and is expected to gather award recipients, members of The Foiling Organization, industry leaders and accredited international media. Presenting partners named for the awards include AMAALA YACHT CLUB, ROPNER, GOTTIFREDI MAFFIOLI, PINDAR, VAKAROS, WORLD SAILING, PERSICO MARINE, CARIBONI and GARMIN.

For readers wanting to influence who gets the nod, vote before February 20 and watch for the Prizegiving Show in Genoa on March 17, when the sport’s 2025 innovators, athletes and programs will get their due recognition.