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Nominations open for The Sunday Times Sportswomen of the Year Awards 2016 in association with Vitality
The Sunday Times Sportswomen of the Year Awards 2016 in association with Vitality launched this weekend, with a call for public nominations.
The awards, now in their 29th year, have led the way in recognising and celebrating the outstanding contribution to sport made by elite athletes, coaches, administrators, community volunteers and inspirational women.
For the next three weeks, the U.K. public are invited to submit nominations for the eight categories at swoty2016.co.uk.
Previous winners of the main award, the coveted Sportswoman of the Year accolade, include Jessica Ennis-Hill, who won in 2015, and Charlotte Dujardin, Sally Gunnell, Dame Kelly Holmes, Denise Lewis, Christine Ohuruogu, Victoria Pendleton and Zara Phillips.
The Sunday Times Sportswomen of the Year Awards 2016 in association with Vitality are among the most prestigious and influential in the British sporting calendar and this year new categories have been added to celebrate the success of our Olympians and Paralympians at the Rio Olympic Games.
Eleanor Mills, Editorial Director, The Sunday Times said:
“We’re delighted to honour the outstanding sportswomen of the UK and Ireland in our annual sportswomen awards. It’s a fantastic opportunity to celebrate our female athletes, especially after the hugely successful Rio Olympics, and the public vote gives the awards added significance.”
Neville Koopowitz, CEO of Vitality, said: We believe female athletes are powerful role models who help inspire women of all ages to actively engage in sport and live a healthy life, which is why we partner with leading sports figures, teams and events to help us share the Vitality message. We are delighted to be partnering with The Sunday Times on this fantastic event for a second year and we’re really looking forward to celebrating the achievements of so many amazing sportswomen and other inspirational female figures.”
The eight award categories are:
- The Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year 2016
The ultimate accolade for your favourite Sportswoman of 2016
- Olympian of the Year
The outstanding performance from the Rio Olympic Games
- Paralympian of the Year
The outstanding performance from the Rio Paralympic Games
- Vitality Team of the Year
Celebrating the achievements of Britain’s successful collective efforts
- Young Sportswoman of the Year
Nominees must have been 21 or younger on January 1, 2016
- Community Award
For individuals who have actively engaged with different groups of women within their community through sport
- The Helen Rollason Award for Inspiration
Recognising inspirational endeavour in honour of the late sports presenter Helen Rollason
- Lifetime Achievement Award
Recognising a lifetime of sporting success
The online nomination process will close at midday on Monday 31 October. A panel of experts will then select the winners to be revealed at a star-studded awards ceremony at The News Building on the evening of Thursday 8 December.
Discover the latest news and get involved by following #SWOTY in the lead up to the Awards.
