Date: Jan. 8, 2026
Where: 39 Club at the Rosen Plaza
What: This event celebrates our surf shop and brand partners in the form of Sonny trophies (made from the same guys who make the Moon Man trophies for the MTV VMAs). For Sun Bum, it’s a way to humbly thank our specialty shops for preserving surf culture in their communities.
Sun Bum’s beginning was at the 2010 Surf Expo in January so it made this year’s event (in conjunction with Expo’s 50-year anniversary) especially meaningful. We would not be where we are today without the relationships we’ve built over the years one surf shop at a time.
Who: Friends of the brand, Retailers, ambassadors Tosh Tudor and Kobe Hughes as special guests
Criteria: There’s not a super strict criteria for these awards, they’re based on feedback and polling from our reps, ambassadors, internal team and friends of the brand. They cover everything from Surf Retailer of the Year to Brand Fan of the Year.
This Year’s Winners:
Specialty Retailer of the Year:
Seacoast Sports and Outfitters
Kiawah Island, South Carolina
Surf Retailer of the Year:
Brave New World Surf and Snow
Point Pleasant, New Jersey
Canadian Retailer of the Year:
The Circle Kids
Whistler, BC
Sales Associate of the Year:
Jarrett Esman
SoHa Surf Shop
South Haven, Michigan
Camp of the Year:
City Surf Project
San Francisco, California
Brand Fan of the Year:
Oscar McMillian
San Francisco, California
Bum of the Year:
Lance “Lance O” O’Brien