SurfGirl Art Competition 2026

Your art.
Our back
cover.

Your artwork could land on the back cover of the next SurfGirl.

Enter the competition Free to enter · Any medium
Entries close
Wed 9 Sept, midnight
Entry fee
None
Open to
Everyone
this bit is yours
Back cover

Your art here210 × 275mm

Next print issue
Winner announced after judging

The call

Artists of every style, we want to see it

We are calling artists of all styles and backgrounds to enter the SurfGirl Art Competition 2026, with one very special prize up for grabs. Your artwork could be the final thing readers see when they pick up our next print issue.

Paint, pencil, photography, resin, collage, digital art, illustration, pop art, or something completely your own. Whatever you work in, we want to see it.

One requirement, and that is all.

You and your work need a connection to the surf. It could be a favourite wave, life by the sea, marine life, coastal landscapes, surf culture, or the feeling you get when you are in the ocean.

An artist sketching in a notebook in the passenger seat of a van parked above a blue ocean.
Photo: Fabio Sasso / Unsplash
A bright pop-art wall installation of layered wave shapes and lettering reading Go With The Waves.
Photo: Karly Santiago / Unsplash

Pop art counts. So does a pencil sketch on the back of a tide table.

A reader sitting on the beach with a copy of SurfGirl Magazine open in her hands.
Photo: Fyn Caudery

What you win

Print, an interview, and a room full of people

  • The back cover

    Your artwork runs full size on the back cover of a forthcoming SurfGirl print issue.

  • An artist feature

    We interview you for the magazine, so you can talk about your work, your creative journey and what inspires you.

  • The wider audience

    Your artwork and your name go out across SurfGirl's social channels, in front of our global community of surfers, ocean lovers and creatives.

How to enter

Three steps, one email

01

Create

Choose an existing piece or make something new, inspired by surfing, the ocean or the beach.

02

Submit

Email a low-resolution image of your artwork to before midnight on 9 September 2026.

03

Get involved

We select a shortlist and share the work across the SurfGirl Instagram, so the community gets to find the artists behind it.

Put this in your email

  • Your full name
  • Your contact details
  • A low-resolution image of your artwork
  • A short description of what inspired the piece

Last time out

Over 200 entries came in. Five made the wall.

Pick a name to drop that piece into the cover slot.

Back cover
Painting by Erika Bradberry of two friends sitting on their boards waiting for a wave, the water painted in loose abstract strokes.
Illustration by Taisila Kordiukova of surfers and wild tropical nature, inspired by the Mentawai Islands.
Hand-drawn ink map of Cabo del Este in Baja California, Mexico, by Jula Osten.
Mixed analogue and digital collage by Maria Delgado of a woman frothing at the sight of good waves.
Colourful artwork by Taylor Trbo celebrating the ocean, the earth and the people around her.
SurfGirl Art Competition
Class of 2024
Winner

Erika Bradberry

Based in Laguna Hills, California. Two friends waiting for a wave together, the water left abstract so the figures carry the moment.

Shortlist

Taisila Kordiukova

Based in Bali. Drawn from a trip to the Mentawai Islands with no electricity and no phones, only surfing and wild nature.

Shortlist

Jula Osten

Born in northern Germany, living in an old RV. She walks a place, talks to the people who live there, then draws it in pencil and ink.

Shortlist

Maria Delgado

From Nicaragua, living in Playa Maderas. She cuts and scans vintage magazines to build collages about life in her surf community.

Shortlist

Taylor Trbo

A colourful collection of the beauty around her, from the ocean to the earth to the people she loves.

Artwork © the artists, shown with thanks. See the full 2024 shortlist and interviews.

Black and white photograph of an artist inking a fish illustration on her lap at a market stall, her prints displayed behind her.
Photo: Reka Roman / Unsplash

Who can enter

Established, studying, or painting at the kitchen table

We are looking for artists with a passion for the ocean and for creativity. If you have a piece you are proud of, we want to see it.

There are no rules about medium or style. We care about the story, the creativity and the connection behind your work.

Entries close at midnight

Wed 9 Sept

Send a low-resolution image, your name, your contact details and a line about what inspired the piece.

Email your entry Questions? Message @surfgirlmag
Competition terms & conditions
  1. The artwork submitted is your own original work and you have the right to enter it into the competition.
  2. Your artwork must be inspired by or connected to surfing.
  3. You must submit a low-resolution image of your artwork to [email protected] before midnight on 9 September 2026.
  4. Your submission must include your full name, contact details and a short description of what inspired your artwork.
  5. By entering, you give SurfGirl permission to share your submitted artwork and your name across SurfGirl's website, social media and editorial channels, for the purposes of promoting the competition and featuring the artists.
  6. The winning artist agrees to provide a suitable high-resolution file of their artwork if selected for the magazine's back cover.
  7. The winning artist will be contacted directly by SurfGirl.
  8. The winner will receive the opportunity to have their artwork featured on the back cover of a forthcoming SurfGirl print issue, as well as an artist feature and interview in the magazine.
  9. The judging decision is final.
  10. For any questions about entering, email [email protected] or contact @surfgirlmag on Instagram.

Your art. Your story.
Our back cover.

We cannot wait to see what you have made. SurfGirl Team x

Photography: Fabio Sasso, Reka Roman, Jennie Razumnaya and Karly Santiago via Unsplash. Artwork by Erika Bradberry, Taisila Kordiukova, Jula Osten, Maria Delgado and Taylor Trbo, first published in the SurfGirl Art Competition 2024.