Key Facts:
The Surf Reflections Junior Series will be held at Hungry Head Beach on the New South Wales Mid North Coast for the first time this weekend, with former World Surf League pro surfer Trent Munro and Newcastle pro surfer Jacko Baker dropping in to mentor the next generation of surfing talent.
Eighty-two competitors, including eight sets of siblings, from NSW, Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia, will compete over three days in Under 14s and 16s age categories for boys and girls. The competition is a 5500-rated event on Surfing Australia's National Series calendar.
The 2026 Surf Reflections Junior Series is a partnership between Reflections Holidays, the largest holiday park group in NSW, and iconic surfing festival Surfest. The 2026 Series opened in February at Bonny Hills and, after this weekend's competition, will conclude with a three-day event at Tuncurry/Forster in November.
Surfest director Warren Smith said it the Series had grown exponentially since its launch with a single event in 2024, with competitors from a record four States.
"We're set for a super fun weekend at Hungry Head, with chest high waves and light winds expected," Mr Smith said.
"Conditions like this present the perfect playing field for our athletes as they look to claim the coveted top prize."
Mr Smith said the Surf Reflections Junior Series was critical in nurturing surfing talent in Australia, giving young surfers a chance to compete at their home breaks and have access to mentoring from former pro surfers Callum Robson, Matt Banting, Jarvis Earl, Trent Munro and Jacko Baker, with the latter two hosting a Q&A on Saturday night and on hand to mentor the young competitors.
"Our partnership with Reflections and the support from local councils has ensured the growth of this Series and we can't wait to keep building on its success," Mr Smith said.
Reflections data shows the local economic impact of the first event in 2024 was around $90,000 and that sum is estimated to rise to $270,000 in 2026 across the three events.
Minister for Lands and Property, Sports and Jobs and Tourism Steve Kamper said hosting events like the Surf Reflections Junior Series at Crown land holiday parks was a powerful way to support young athletes while driving regional visitor economies.
"Our Crown land holiday parks sit on some of the best surf breaks in the country so they are a natural home for events like this that encourages sports participation, mentor the next generation of surf champions and bring families and visitors into regional communities to benefit local businesses," Mr Kamper said.
Reflections CEO Nick Baker said the Series was supporting the rising careers of young surfers and also providing communities the chance to engage with the fun activities of the Series, including the Eats and Beats zone, with family-friendly fun.
"The Series is obviously for the surfing community with some great competition taking place but we also really encourage our guests and visitors to the area to drop in to the Eats and Beats zone and enjoy watching all the beach action," he said.
Munro, who heads the Scotts Head Boardriders and is a lifeguard for the City of Coffs Harbour, said he was looking forward to sharing knowledge with the young entrants
"It's fantastic to have this event locally for our kids to compete in and learn as much as they can and I'll be sharing knowledge with the kids and their parents this weekend," he said.
The competitions kicks off on Friday with heats, and the finals will be held on Sunday. Each category winner will receive a $2500 accommodation voucher from Reflections, with $4000 in cash prizes on offer across the three-day competition.
