Joel Parkinson To Be Inducted In Hall of Fame at 2022 Australian Surfing Awards

CASUARINA/NSW(Thursday, April 7th/2022): Following on from good mate Mick Fanning’s induction in 2021, 2012 World Surf League (WSL) World Champion Joel Parkinson will become the 44th Inductee in the Australian Surfing Hall of Fame as part of the 2022 Australian Surfing Awards at QT Gold Coast on Saturday May 7th. 

Australian Surfing Awards Curator Nick Carroll said: “Joel has been one of the most influential Australian surfers of the past quarter century. His world professional surfing championship in 2012, along with four world runners-up placings and numerous event wins, is enough testimony to that. Maybe even more compelling is Joel’s classical surfing style, which blended all the elements of power and precision so evident in prior generations of great Australian surfers, along with a very modern flair. It made him one of those rare surfers who is instantly recognisable on a wave.

Joel was born in 1981 in Nambour, Queensland, and spent his early grommet years on the Sunshine Coast, before moving to the Gold Coast at 13. He quickly formed a bond with other young surfers in the area, including Mick Fanning and Dean Morrison. By the end of the 1990s these three surfers had become the nucleus of “Coolie Kids’ Seven”, a group who would go on to re-establish Australia as the major force in men’s world professional surfing. Joel has been best known for his performances at the great right-breaking waves of the world like Sunset Beach in Hawaii, Jeffreys Bay in South Africa, and Bells Beach in Victoria, but he also won the majors at the hollow left-breaking spots of Teahupoo and Pipeline during his pro career.

Joel retired from pro competition three years ago and now lives on Queensland’s southern Gold Coast with wife Monica and three children.

Surfing Australia CEO, Chris Mater said: “ Parko’s impact on Australian Surfing is immense. He’s paved the way for more than one generation of Aussie surfers, inspired us all with his beautiful style and proved himself as an ultimate competitor coming second in the world title race four times, he finally bagged the World Title in 2012. There’s no one more deserving than Joel when it comes to Hall of Fame Induction. Congrats mate and we look forward to honouring you at the Australian Surfing Awards come May seventh!”

Joel Parkinson Career Highlights 

1999 WSL World Junior Champion

2000 WSL World Junior Champion

1999    Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay WINNER 

2002    Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast WINNER

2002    Rip Curl Cup Sunset Beach WINNER

2002 WORLD NUMBER 2

2004    Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach WINNER

2004    Boost Mobile Pro Trestles WINNER

2004 WORLD NUMBER 2

2006    Quiksilver Pro France  WINNER 

2008    Vans Triple Crown of Surfing WINNER 

2008     Perfect Heat (20 out of 20 points) Billabong Pipeline Masters 

2009    Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast WINNER

2009    Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach WINNER

2009    Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay  WINNER

2009 WORLD NUMBER 2

 2011    Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach WINNER

2011 WORLD NUMBER 2

2012    Billabong Pipeline Masters   WINNER

2012 WORLD CHAMPION 

2013    Oakley Pro Bali  WINNER

2020   RIVALS Season One WINNER

The 2022 Australian Surfing Awards is proudly supported by the Queensland Government, through Tourism and Events Queensland, and features on the It’s Live! in Queensland events calendar.

The Australian Surfing Awards incorporating the Hall of Fame is proudly supported by Tourism and Events Queensland, QT Gold Coast,  Griffith University, Reeftip, Zambrero, Acciona, Andrew Peace Wines and OnStone.