British surf magazine, Carve, celebrated its joint 25th anniversary with Sharp’s Brewery at The Slope Beach Bar and Kitchen, in Newquay.

The two Cornish companies have collaborated on many projects, most recently the Carve x Offshore surf photography competition. 

Sharp’s Offshore pilsner, launched in 2018, is inspired by Cornwall’s passion for surfing and those rare moments when the wind turns offshore, creating perfectly clean waves. With this in mind, Offshore was the perfect pilsner to combine with Carve on this competition. 

The competition was open to British and Irish photographers, both amateurs and professionals, based all across the world. The photograph had to be previously unpublished and taken within the last year. 

Carve and Sharp’s friends got together at The Slope to enjoy refreshing Offshore pilsner and tasty Slope burgers, set to a colourful sunset and perfect surf. Adorning the walls of The Slope were 15 of the very best shots from British surf photographers based all across the globe. The location was the perfect spot as Great Western Beach has been considered to be the original centre of British surf culture since the 1960s. 

To coincide with the celebrations, the winner of the surf photography contest was announced. Although the competition was steep, the winning shot was picked by Sharp’s ambassadors and the Carve team, and was taken by Phill Boyd from North Wales. He had made the seven-hour journey together with his two young daughters to take part in the evening. 

Big bundle of prizes

As part of the prize, Phill will be featured in Carve issue 198 with his photo and an interview of how he captured the perfect moment. In addition, Phill received an Offshore ‘ultimate beach bag’ — a branded backpack with cool section for keeping cans of Pilsner at their refreshingly best, a Dick Pearce belly board, a signed copy of Carve’s book, Incredible Waves, a 12-month Carve or SurfGirl magazine subscription, and additional branded Offshore items such as a cap, jacket and beach towel.

Steve England, director at Orca Publications, said: “We had a great evening celebrating our 25th anniversary together with Sharp’s Brewery, and it was absolutely fantastic to have it together with the announcement of the winner of the Carve x Offshore photography competition.

“We love celebrating British talent, and that is what being in publishing is all about, giving a unique voice to the people who have proven they deserve it. Thanks to all the photographers who submitted their pictures, and particularly to Phill who drove down here to celebrate with us. And, of course, big thanks to Sharp’s for all the great collaborations — here’s to the next 25 years!” 

James Nicholls, marketing controller at Sharp’s Brewery, added: “Our long-standing relationship with Carve is one that we’re absolutely thrilled about, and we couldn’t ask for a better link-up for Offshore, which takes its name from the perfect surfing conditions.

“When our team sat down to select our favourite shots from the competition, we found that it certainly wasn’t an easy task. Well done to all the finalists on capturing some fantastic surf shots, and especially to the winner, Phill!”