Athlete of the Year is an award given by various sports organizations for the athlete whom they have determined to be deserving of such recognition.

Definition of "athlete"

*In many nations, an "athlete" primarily refers to someone who participates in the various disciplines of athletics ( track and field,

racewalking Racewalking, or race walking, is a long-distance discipline within the sport of athletics. Although a foot race, it is different from running in that one foot must appear to be in contact with the ground at all times. Race judges carefully asses ...

, cross country and

road running Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road. This differs from track and field on a regular track and cross country running over natural terrain. These events are usually classified as long-distance ...

) *In other nations — including Canada and the United States — an "athlete" equals "sportsperson" (from any sport).

Similar names for the award

The awards have various titles, examples include "Player of the Year" and "Sportspersonality of the Year". In the United States, several states choose a simple "Mr." or "Miss" prefix, such as Mr. Basketball ( Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, North Dakota, Utah, and Wisconsin). Such awards — general and one-sport-only — are common at the high-school,

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering ...

( university), and professional levels in the United States.

List of athlete of the year awards

Athletics (track and field)

World's Greatest Athlete Combined events at the Summer Olympics have been contested in several formats at the multi-sport event. There are two combined track and field events in the current Olympic athletics programme: a men's decathlon (100 metres, long jump, shot put, ...

(decathlon) *

IAAF World Athlete of the Year The World Athlete of the Year award is a prize that can be won by athletes participating in events within the sport of athletics organised by World Athletics (formerly named IAAF), including track and field, cross country running, road running, an ...

(International Athletic Foundation of the International Association of Athletics Federations) * European Athlete of the Year (European Athletic Association) * ''Track & Field News'' Athlete of the Year * The Bowerman (collegiate track & field's athlete of the year)

All sports

;Worldwide Awards with deliberate global scope, consistently nominating an international mix of athletes *

Laureus World Sports Award for Sportsman of the Year The Laureus World Sports Award for Sportsman of the Year is an annual award honouring the achievements of individual men from the world of sports. It was first awarded in 2000 as one of the seven constituent awards presented during the Laureus W ...

(Laureus World Sports Academy) * Laureus World Sports Award for Sportswoman of the Year *

L'Équipe Champion of Champions L'Équipe Champion of Champions (french: Champion des champions de L'Équipe) refers to four awards presented by the daily sports newspaper ''L'Équipe'', to female and male international sports athletes and female and male French sports athletes. ...

—excludes French nationals *

BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year The BBC World Sport Star of the Year (formerly known as the BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year) is an award presented at the annual BBC Sports Personality of the Year award ceremony. The award is presented to a non-British sportsperson c ...

—excludes British nationals *

United Press International Athlete of the Year Award The United Press International Athlete of the Year Award was conferred annually between 1974 and 1995, one each to the individuals adjudged, without restriction to nationality or sport contested, to be the male and female '' athlete of the year'' by ...

United States Sports Academy Athlete of the Year
;Nationwide Awards that focus (either predominantly or exclusively) on sportspersons from the host country *

Olimpia Award The Olimpia Awards ( es, Premios Olimpia) are Argentine sports awards given annually by the ' (Association of Sports Journalists) since 1954. An ' (Silver Olimpia) is awarded to the outstanding performer in 41 sports. Among the ' winners an ' ...

* AIS Athlete of the Year *

Austrian Sportspersonality of the year The Austrian Sports Personality of the Year is chosen annually since 1949. Recordholders are Annemarie Moser-Pröll (seven awards) and Marcel Hirscher (six awards). In 1978 and 1979 the Austria national football team was named Austrian Sports Team ...

Belgian Sportsman of the year The Belgian Sportsman of the Year is elected at the end of each year by professional sportjournalists and former winners, annually since 1967. A Belgian Sportswoman of the Year title has been given out since 1975. Top winners include Ingrid Berghma ...

Bosnia and Herzegovina Sportsperson of the Year Bosnia and Herzegovina Sportsperson of the Year are annual sporting awards given to best athletes of Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often kno ...

* Prêmio Brasil Olímpico *

Bulgarian Sportsperson of the Year Bulgarian Sportsperson of the Year ( bg, Спортист на годината на България, ''Sportist na godinata na Balgariya'') is an annual award given to the best Bulgarian sportsperson of the year. The winner is selected by author ...

* Lou Marsh Trophy (athlete of the year, of either sex) *

Lionel Conacher Award The Lionel Conacher Award is an annual award given to Canada's male athlete of the year. The sports writers of the Canadian Press (CP) first conducted a poll to determine the nation's top athlete, of either gender, in 1932. Separate polls for the ...

(male athlete of the year) *

Bobbie Rosenfeld Award The Bobbie Rosenfeld Award is an annual award given to Canada's female athlete of the year. The sports writers of the Canadian Press (CP) first conducted a poll to determine the nation's top female in 1932, naming track star Hilda Strike the winne ...

(female athlete of the year) *

Velma Springstead Trophy The Velma Springstead Trophy is an award presented annually to Canada's outstanding female athlete. It is named in honour of track athlete Velma Springstead whose career ended prematurely when she died from pneumonia in 1927 when only 20 years old ...

(female athlete of the year) *

Tom Longboat Awards The Tom Longboat Awards were established in 1951 to recognize Aboriginal athletes "for their outstanding contributions to sport in Canada" and continues "to honour Indigenous athletes across Canada" annually. As a program of the Aboriginal Sport ...

(indigenous athletes) *

Sportske novosti awards ''Sportske novosti'' awards ( hr, Nagrade Sportskih novosti) refer to annual sports awards given by '' Sportske novosti'', a Zagreb-based Croatian daily sports newspaper. The awards originated in the 1950s and went on to become one of the most pre ...

* Sportsperson of the Year * Danish Sports Name of the Year * Estonian Sportspersonality of the year *

Finnish Sports Personality of the Year The Finnish Sportspersonality of the Year is chosen annually since 1947 by the national sports journalists. In addition, the best female athlete was nominated each year until 2009. Winners Men Women See also * Finnish Footballer of the ...

German Sportspersonality of the Year The German Sportspersonality of the Year has been chosen annually since 1947, with separate awards made for men and women. The record holder is tennis player Steffi Graf, who won five awards. Swimmer Michael Groß, tennis player Boris Becker, and ...

PSAT Sports Awards The PSAT Sports Awards (Greek: Αθλητικά Βραβεία ΠΣΑΤ) are the annual sports awards that are issued by the Panhellenic Sports Press Association (PSAT). The awards are given to the year's top performing individual athletes, in the ...

Hungarian Sportspeople of the Year Hungarian Sportspeople of the Year awards are granted each year since 1958, with categories for sportsmen, sportswomen, teams, coaches (since 1985) and presidents (since 1995). List of winners Statistics Individual winners of three or mor ...

* Icelandic Sportsperson of the Year * Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna * Iran Sportsperson of the year *

RTÉ Sports Person of the Year The RTÉ Sports Person of the Year Award is the titular award of the RTÉ Sports Awards ceremony, which takes place each December. The winner is the Irish sportsperson (from the island of Ireland) judged to have achieved the m ...

* Jamaica Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year *

Japan Professional Sports Grand Prize is given to one sportsperson or sports team every year since 1968 by the Japan Professional Sports Association. The award is one of the most prestigious all-sport awards in Japanese sport. The recordholders are the baseball players Ichiro Suzuk ...

Kenyan Sports Personality of the Year Kenyan Sport Personality of the Year Awards, also known as SOYA Awards, are annual national awards given for sports personalities and organisations in Kenya. The awards were initiated in 2004 by Paul Tergat. The awards for each year are held at th ...

* Latvian Sportspersonality of the year * Lithuanian Sportsman of the Year * Luxembourgish Sportspeople of the Year * Anugerah Sukan Negara for Sportsman of the Year * Anugerah Sukan Negara for Sportswoman of the Year *

Dutch Sportsman of the year The Dutch Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year are chosen annually by Dutch athletes from a shortlist compiled by sports journalists. The elections are organized by the Dutch Olympic Committee. All the winners receive a Jaap Eden Award to reme ...

* Norwegian Sportsperson of the Year * Halberg Awards * PSA Sportsman of the Year *

Polish Sportspersonality of the Year The Polish Sports Personality of the Year (Polish: ''Plebiscyt Przeglądu Sportowego na najlepszego polskiego sportowca roku'') is chosen annually since 1926 by the readers of the newspaper ''Przegląd Sportowy'', which makes it the second oldest ...

* CDP Awards * Golden badge Sport—athlete of the year * Sportsperson of the Year *

Slovenian Sportsman of the year The Slovenian Sportsperson of the Year is an annual award presented by the Association of Slovenian Sports Journalists for the best sportsman and sportswoman of the previous year. The first awards ceremony was held in 1968. Winners Multipl ...

* South African Sportsperson of the Year * Premios Nacionales del Deporte *

Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal The Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal ( sv, Svenska Dagbladets guldmedalj, but usually simply called ''Bragdguldet'', "The Feat Gold") is an annual award "for the most significant Swedish sports achievement of the year". It has been awarded by a jury l ...

Radiosportens Jerringpris The Jerring Award ( sv, Jerringpriset or "Radiosportens Jerringpris") is a prize established by Radiosporten, the sport section of Sveriges Radio, voted by its radio audience who choose the Swedish athlete or team that has made the best sport perf ...

Svenska idrottsgalan The Swedish Sports Awards ''( sv, Svenska idrottsgalan) ''is a show to honor the past year's Swedish sports and athletes' achievements. It is hosted annually at Ericsson Globe in Stockholm in mid or late January. The event was first held in the yea ...

* Swiss Sports Personality of the Year * Heroes of Sports Year *

BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award The BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award is the main award of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year ceremony, which takes place each December. The winner is the sportsperson, judged by a public vote, to have achieved the most that year. The ...

* BBC Scotland Sports Personality of the Year *

BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year The BBC Cymru Wales Sports Personality of the Year is a televised sporting competition, broadcast on BBC Two every year; and the most prestigious annual sport award in Wales. It was first awarded in 1954, and is currently organised by BBC Cymru W ...

The presence of "Sportsman" in the name doesn't imply that the award is open solely to men; women have frequently won these awards. *

Associated Press Athlete of the Year The first Athlete of the Year award in the United States was initiated by the Associated Press (AP) in 1931. At a time when women in sports were not given the same recognition as men, the AP offered a male and a female athlete of the year award to ...

(AP) *

Best Female Athlete ESPY Award The Best Female Athlete ESPY Award, known alternatively as the Outstanding Female Athlete ESPY Award, has been presented annually at the ESPY Awards (Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Award) since 1993 to the female voted to be, irrespective ...

Best Male Athlete ESPY Award The Best Male Athlete ESPY Award, known alternatively as the Outstanding Male Athlete ESPY Award, is an annual award honoring the achievements of individual men from the world of sports. It has been presented annually at the ESPY Awards (Excellen ...

* ''Sporting News'' Sportsman/Pro Athlete of the Year * ''Sports Illustrated'' Sportsperson of the Year *

Sportswoman of the Year Award The Sportswoman of the Year Award is given by the Women's Sports Foundation every year. This foundation recognizes both an individual and a team Sportswoman on their performance over a 12-month period. This award is given based on their new records ...

(Women's Sports Foundation) *

(UPI) (''defunct'') *

NCAA Woman of the Year Award The NCAA Woman of the Year Award was created to honor senior female student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate career in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, service and leadership. Each year, ...

( student-athlete) *

Best Female College Athlete ESPY Award The ESPY Award for Best College Athlete, Women's Sports, known before 2021 as the Best Female College Athlete ESPY Award, is an annual award honoring the achievements of a female individual from the world of collegiate sports. It was first presen ...

The Best Female and Best Male College Basketball and

Best College Football Player ESPY Award The Best College Football Player ESPY Award was presented annually between 1993 and 2001 to the collegiate American football player adjudged to be the best in the United States in a given calendar year. The award was subsumed in 2002 by the Best ...

s — awarded from

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a multi-national coalition in an invasion of Afghanist ...

— were absorbed in

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

by the Best Female and

Best Male College Athlete ESPY Award The ESPY Award for Best College Athlete, Men's Sports, known before 2021 as the Best Male College Athlete ESPY Award, is an annual award honoring the achievements of a male individual from the world of collegiate sports. It was first presented as ...

s. *

* Atlantic Coast Conference Athlete of the Year (ACC) * Vanuatu Sports Awards

One sport (other than track and field)

* International Baseball Federation Senior Athlete of the Year *

U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year The U.S. Soccer Player of the Year is given by the United States Soccer Federation to the American soccer players judged best in the calendar year. It is considered the highest accolade for American soccer players. The U.S. Soccer Male Player o ...

(U.S. Soccer Federation) ( association football) *Golden Year Award at association football, Neymar last winner *

Leigh Matthews Trophy The Leigh Matthews Trophy is an annual award given by the AFL Players Association to the Most Valuable Player in the Australian Football League. It is named in honour of Leigh Matthews, who won the first MVP award in 1982, when the league was sti ...

(Australian Football League) (

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

) * Canadian Football League Most Outstanding Player Award (

Canadian football Canadian football () is a sport played in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposing team's scoring area (e ...

) * GAA All Stars Awards ( Gaelic games) **

All Stars Footballer of the Year The Gaelic Athletic Association & Gaelic Player's Association All Stars Footballer of the Year — known for sponsorship reasons as the Vodafone Footballer of the Year — is a Gaelic football award. It is presented annually to the footballer who ...

( Gaelic football) **

All Stars Hurler of the Year The GAA–GPA All-Star Hurler of the Year is a hurling award presented to the player voted as best in the country by all the players from around Ireland. It began in 1995 and honours the achievements of a hurler of outstanding excellence. ...

( hurling) **

Ladies' Gaelic football All Stars Awards The Ladies' Gaelic Football All Stars Awards have been hosted annually by the Ladies' Gaelic Football Association since 1980. The All Stars are sponsored by TG4. O'Neills have also helped sponsor the awards. All Stars are awarded to the best Lad ...

(

Ladies' Gaelic football Ladies' Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach na mBan) is a women's team sport. It is the women's equivalent of Gaelic football. Ladies' football is organised by the Ladies' Gaelic Football Association. Two teams of 15 players kick or hand-pass a ...

) **

Camogie All Stars Awards The Camogie All Star Awards are awarded each November to 15 players who have made outstanding contributions to the Irish stick and ball team sport of camogie in the 15 traditional positions on the field: goalkeeper, three full backs, three half-bac ...

(

camogie Camogie ( ; ga, camógaíocht ) is an Irish stick-and-ball team sport played by women. Camogie is played by 100,000 women in Ireland and worldwide, largely among Irish communities. A variant of the game of hurling (which is played by men only ...

) ** Rounders All Stars Awards (

rounders Rounders is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams. Rounders is a striking and fielding team game that involves hitting a small, hard, leather-cased ball with a rounded end wooden, plastic, or metal bat. The players score by running aroun ...

) * National Football League Most Valuable Player Award (U.S.) (

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

) *

Nippon Professional Baseball Most Valuable Player Award The is an annual Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) award given to two outstanding players, one each for the Central League (CL) and Pacific League (PL). Each league's award is voted on by national baseball writers. Each voter selects three pla ...

(Japan) * MLB Most Valuable Player Award (Major League Baseball) (U.S. & Canada) * ''Players Choice Awards'' Player of the Year (Major League Baseball) (U.S. & Canada) * ''Sporting News'' Player of the Year (Major League Baseball) (U.S. & Canada) * ''Sporting News'' MLB Athlete of the Decade (Major League Baseball) (U.S. & Canada) * ACC Men's Basketball Player of the Year (Atlantic Coast Conference) (college/university) (U.S.) * ''Baseball America'' High School Player of the Year Award (U.S.)

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Athlete Of The Year * Sports competitors Sports trophies and awards