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"\"&lt;p&gt;NEWPORT BEACH, CA (April 15, 2003) &amp;#8212; With only days remaining until thewinners are announced at the Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards, nomineesfor surfing&amp;#8217;s biggest prize have already begun arriving in SouthernCalifornia from as far away as France, Australia and Hawaii.\\n&lt;p&gt;Five surfers have been named finalists in the annual competition whichacknowledges the biggest waves challenged anywhere in the world over the lastyear.  The breaker determined by a panel of experts to have the biggest facewill earn the surfer who rode it a prize of $60,000 &amp;#8212; plus an extra $1000for every foot of height over 60 feet.\\n&lt;p&gt;The 5 nominees for the 2003 Billabong XXL Award are:&lt;br \\/&gt;     \\u2022  Fred Basse (France) at Belharra Reef, France on March 10, 2003.&lt;br \\/&gt;     \\u2022  Cheyne Horan (Australia) at Jaws, Maui, Hawaii on November 26, 2002.&lt;br \\/&gt;     \\u2022  Noah Johnson (USA) at Jaws, Maui, Hawaii on November 26, 2002.&lt;br \\/&gt;     \\u2022  Sebastian St. Jean (France) at Belharra Reef, France on March 10,2003.&lt;br \\/&gt;     \\u2022  Makua Rothman (USA) at Jaws, Maui, Hawaii on November 26, 2002.\\n&lt;p&gt;Photos of all finalist rides may be viewed at www.BillabongXXL.com, alongwith a brand-new streaming video clip showing each ride from multiple angles.\\n&lt;p&gt;With demand for tickets to the invitation-only ceremony greatly exceeding the1500-person capacity of the Grove of Anaheim Theater, a live webcast of theentire evening&amp;#8217;s festivities has been arranged.  From the red-carpet arrivalsto the video recap of the year&amp;#8217;s best rides to the victory speeches to thepost-ceremony press conference, it will all be transmitted to the world in onwww.BillabongXXL.com.  The feed begins at 7:30 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time onApril 18.\\n&lt;p&gt;According to Graham Stapelberg, Vice President of Marketing for BillabongUSA, the worldwide interest in the Big Wave Awards has been remarkable. &amp;#8220;This year we decided to expand the XXL event to a GLOBAL format, and it hasbecome truly that,&amp;#8221; said Stapelberg.  &amp;#8220;We&amp;#8217;ve seen huge waves in Hawaii,California, France and Mexico, ridden by surfers from the USA, Australia,Europe and Brazil.  It&amp;#8217;s given every key area of the surfing world somethingto cheer about.&amp;#8221;\\n&lt;p&gt;In addition to the five surfers up for Billabong XXL Award for the biggestwave caught by any means, the three finalists for the Biggest Paddle-In Wavehave been announced.  They are:&lt;br \\/&gt;     \\u2022 Eraldo Gueiros (Brazil) at Jaws, Maui on January 27, 2003&lt;br \\/&gt;     \\u2022 Gary Linden (Oceanside, CA)  at Todos Santos, Mexico on December 16.2002&lt;br \\/&gt;     \\u2022 Toby Cunningham (Coronado, CA) at Todos Santos, Mexico on December 16.2002\\n&lt;p&gt;The winner of the Biggest Paddle-In Wave will be awarded $5000, and thephotographer will receive a custom SPL camera waterhousing.\\n&lt;p&gt;Additional categories to be awarded include the Best Photo award ($5000) forthe photographer who captures the definitive image of the XXL winning wave,and the Jay Moriarity Best Overall Performance Award ($5000) to the big wavesurfer with the most outstanding rides at the biggest variety of venues overthe course of the year.\\n&lt;p&gt;The Billabong XXL Big Wave Awards are presented by Surfline, the world&amp;#8217;spremier surf report and forecasting service.&lt;\\/p&gt;\\n\""^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.grindtv.com/surf/billabong-xxl-awards-live-webcast-friday/>