It was only a matter of time before someone created a compelling format to harness the power of surf parks. Enter the Wave Pool Surf Tour (WPST). Announced this week, their new endeavor, Ride The Future, is an international online competition inviting surfers from anywhere in the world to submit their best artificial-wave performances for a shot at cash and prizes. And with an entry fee of just $10, it’s accessible to everyone.
Running November 13 through December 13, 2026, Ride The Future is open to pro surfers and civilians alike. The event features men’s and women’s divisions across Groms (U14), Juniors (U18), Open and Masters (40+), with 72 prizes up for grabs, including $3,000 in cash and more than $17,000 in Wave Pool Surf Tour memberships, 2027 event entry packages, and sponsor merchandise.
Unlike traditional surf competitions, there’s no need to travel to a designated venue. Surfers can enter from any wave pool worldwide, submitting footage captured during 2026. That includes recordings from automated systems such as Surf Eye and Flowstate, as well as high-quality video from other cameras.
Competitors can enter three specialty categories: Best Air, Best Turn, and Best Barrel. Each celebrates a different element of wave pool surfing, from progressive aerial maneuvers to powerful rail surfing and tube riding. There are a few ground rules. All footage must be original, unedited, and available for verification. Videos must be submitted in landscape format, with a maximum file size of 2GB. Surfers can upload up to three entries, with additional submission packs available. Waves previously entered in another competition are ineligible.
“Ride The Future is all about having fun, celebrating great surfing and giving everyone a chance to get involved,” said Clyde Martin, WPST chief operating officer. “Whether you’re a professional surfer or someone who’s just scored the wave of your life at your local wave pool, we want to see it.”
The competition is a standalone event and won’t affect official WPST world rankings or qualification for the 2027 World Finals. Instead, it offers surfers an opportunity to test the platform ahead of the tour’s international season. With wave pools continuing to proliferate worldwide, Ride The Future could be an early indication of how competitive freshwater surfing evolves: accessible, global, and increasingly independent of geography.
Registration is now open at Wavepool Surf Tour.
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