Skipping Schoolies has paid off for Sunshine Coast surfer Stella Green, 17, who has been crowned champion at the 2025 Australian Junior Surfing Titles.
Green joins a prestigious list of past champions including Stephanie Gilmore, Molly Picklum, Mick Fanning and Owen Wright.
She overcame tricky conditions in the U18 Women’s final, showcasing powerful, near-perfect rail surfing to claim the national title.
With the victory, Ms Green has secured her spot on the Australian team and will represent her country at the 2026 ISA World Junior Surfing Championships.
“Qualifying for the Australian team has been a goal of mine for the past three years. I’m so stoked to join the Irukandjis. I really can’t believe it,” Green said.
She dropped one of the highest scores of the day, an 8.25, to finish with a 14.15 heat total, narrowly defeating Ava Arghyros from Kingscliff, NSW.
“Still buzzing in my eyes,” she said after the win, reflecting on the sacrifices she has made for her surfing career.
“I just graduated and my whole friend group went to Bali for Schoolies. It’s always good to have fun with your friends, but nothing’s better than trying to get world champ,” she said.
The young surfer from Point Cartwright first started surfing at five and quickly moved into competitions.
“We’re really proud of her,” her mother Lisa Green said.
“She’s given up a lot. She trains every single day. I always just say ‘go out and enjoy it’. Whatever it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be.”
Green admitted she was nervous before her winning ride.
“I have never been so nervous in my life as I was before the final heat. I couldn’t get my heart rate down and I called my dad, who told me to just go for a swim and relax,” she said.
Surfing Australia contest director Glen Elliott praised all participants and organisers for an exciting finish to the 2025 Australian Junior Surfing Titles.
“We’ve had four different locations and I couldn’t ask for a better way to wrap up the 2025 titles,” he said.
“The semi-finalists and finalists met every performance measure the judges were looking for, with plenty of high scores and outstanding surfing all day.”
Green thanked her coaches and sponsors, and is now focused on preparing for the 2026 world junior championships.
