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 Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competi ...

(

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

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 asse ...

, 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 Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, ...

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 Mr. Basketball is an unofficial award given to the person chosen as the best high school boys basketball player in many U.S. states, regions, or metropolitan areas. Conversely, the title Miss Basketball or Ms. Basketball is used for the best high ...

(

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minnesota to the east, So ...

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

, and

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

). 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 offerin ...

(

university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

), 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, and ...

(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 The Bowerman is an annual track and field award that is the highest accolade given to the year's best student-athlete in American collegiate track and field. It is named after Oregon track and field and cross country coach Bill Bowerman and is ...

(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 ...

(Laureus World Sports Academy) *

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

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 Tea ...

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 Berghm ...

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 by Banja Luka Banja Luka ( sr-Cyrl, Бања Лука, ) or Banjaluka ( sr-Cyrl, Бањалука, ) is the second larg ...

* 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 The Northern Star Award, formerly known as the Lou Marsh Trophy, the Lou Marsh Memorial Trophy and Lou Marsh Award, is a trophy that is awarded annually to Canada's top athlete, professional or amateur. It is awarded by a panel of journalists, wi ...

(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 winn ...

(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 (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 pres ...

Sportsperson of the Year 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 participat ...

Danish Sports Name of the Year The Sports Name of the Year ( da, Årets Sportsnavn) is an annual award presented to the Danish sportsperson or team judged to have delivered the best performance of the year. The award was inaugurated in 1991 and is awarded jointly by the Nation ...

Estonian Sportspersonality of the year The Estonian Athlete of the Year ( et, Eesti Aasta Sportlane) is an annual award presented by the Estonian Olympic Committee (''Eesti Olümpiakomitee'', EOK) to one male and one female sportsperson judged to have delivered the best performance o ...

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 *

Hungarian Sportspeople of the Year Hungarian Sportspeople of the Year awards are granted each year since 1958, with categories for sportsmen, sportswomen, teams, coaches Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * C ...

Icelandic Sportsperson of the Year The Icelandic Sportsperson of the Year ( is, Íþróttamaður ársins) is an annual award given to the best Icelandic sportsperson of the year. The winner is selected by the Icelandic Association of Sports Journalists. It was first given in 1956 to ...

Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna The Khel Ratna Award (), officially known as the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award ( Major Dhyan Chand Sport Jewel Award), is the highest sporting honour of India. It is awarded annually by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Governm ...

* 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 Sport, RTÉ Sports Awards ceremony, which takes place each December. The winner is the Irish sportsperson (from the island of Ireland) judged to have ach ...

* 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 *

Latvian Sportspersonality of the year The Latvian Sportspersonality of the Year is chosen annually since 2005, for both men and women. Sportspersonality of the year Titles by sport References External links Latvian Olympic Committee National sportsperson-of-the-year tr ...

* Lithuanian Sportsman of the Year *

Luxembourgish Sportspeople of the Year The Sportsperson of the Year awards are a group of awards awarded to the most popular Luxembourgish sportsperson of the preceding year. There are two main categories: one for men (french: Trophée du Meilleur Sportif), and one for women (''Trophée ...

Anugerah Sukan Negara for Sportsman of the Year List of winners and nominees of the Anugerah Sukan Negara: Sportsman of the Year. List of winners and nominees References See also

*Anugerah Sukan Negara for Sportswoman of the Year *Athlete of the Year {{Anugerah Sukan Negara for Sportsm ...

* 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 Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe *Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway *Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including the ...

Halberg Awards The Halberg Awards are a set of awards, given annually since 1949, recognising New Zealand's top sporting achievements. They are named for New Zealand former middle-distance runner and Olympic gold medalist Sir Murray Halberg. The initial award ...

PSA Sportsman of the Year The PSA Athlete of the Year is given by the Philippine Sportswriters Association to the best Filipino athletes annually. It is part of the PSA's Annual Awards Night, one of the most prestigious sport-related awards in the Philippines. Notable ...

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 oldes ...

CDP Awards The CDP Awards are a series of annual sporting awards given by the Confederação do Desporto de Portugal, Sports Confederation of Portugal (''Confederação do Desporto de Portugal'', CDP) to highlight sporting achievements over the preceding year ...

* Golden badge Sport—athlete 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 *

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 *

Swiss Sports Personality of the Year The Swiss Athlete of the Year, Sports Personality of the Year was originally chosen annually from 1950 by the Switzerland, Swiss newspaper ''Sport''. As the newspaper was discontinued in the 1990s, the winners are now chosen by Swiss sports jour ...

* 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 The BBC Scotland Sports Personality of the Year (also known as Sportscene Personality of the Year until 1998) was an annual sport award in Scotland. It was organised by BBC Scotland. History Between 1984 and 1996 it had its own show similar to ...

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 in Wales, sport award in Wales. It was first awarded in 1954, and is currently organise ...

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 t ...

(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 * ''Sporting News'' Sportsman/Pro Athlete of the Year * ''Sports Illustrated'' Sportsperson of the Year * Sportswoman of the Year Award (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 prese ...

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 B ...

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 peacefu ...

to 2001 — were absorbed in 2002 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 a ...

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 (U.S. Soccer Federation) (

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

) *Golden Year Award at

Neymar Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior (born 5 February 1992), known as Neymar, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and the Brazil national team. A prolific goalscorer and renowned ...

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 st ...

(Australian Football League) ( Australian rules football) * 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 ( ...

) *

GAA All Stars Awards The Gaelic Athletic Association-Gaelic Players' Association All Stars Awards (often known simply as the All Stars) are awarded annually to the best player in each of the 15 playing positions in Gaelic football and hurling. Additionally, one playe ...

( 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 wh ...

( 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 (

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) ** 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 arou ...

) *

National Football League Most Valuable Player Award The National Football League Most Valuable Player Award (NFL MVP) is an award given by various entities to the American football player who is considered the most valuable in the National Football League (NFL) during the regular season. Organizati ...

(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 wi ...

) *

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 play ...

(Japan) *

MLB Most Valuable Player Award The Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual Major League Baseball (MLB) award given to one outstanding player in the American League and one in the National League. Since 1931, it has been awarded by the Baseball Writers ...

(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