Which sportswoman achieved at the highest level, which youth sportsman won national honours, which sports club best promotes their sport on and off the field, and who is that hardworking stalwart who puts out the corner flags each Saturday or keeps the clubrooms clean?
Four new awards and modifications to other categories are the features of the 2022-23 Wairarapa Times-Age Sports Awards, for which nominations open on Saturday.
The major changes come in the senior and youth sportsperson categories. The awards will now recognise sportsmen and sportswomen with separate trophies for senior and youth levels.
The inclusion of the new categories has resulted in the scrapping of the Secondary School and Primary School of the Year awards.
The other change comes with the replacement of Junior Official with Junior Contribution to Sport, which gives a wider scope for under-18s who have made a significant contribution to sport, including officiating, coaching, or volunteering. The Disabled Sports category has been rebranded as Para Sports Personality.
The awards cover sporting achievements from April 1 2022, to March 31 2023.
They also recognise the contributions made by sports administrators and the hundreds of volunteers who give their time for free to make their chosen sport happen and have done so for countless years.
The awarded categories are Senior Sportsman, Senior Sportswoman, Youth Sportsman, Youth Sportswoman, Junior Sports Personality, Para Sports Personality, Administrator, Volunteer, Official, Junior Contribution to Sport, Coach, Junior Team, Youth Team, Senior Team, and Club of the Year.
Nominations can be made by anyone, including the nominee, whether it be an individual, club, team, or school. A form will be published in the Times-Age over the next three weeks, with nominations closing on Friday, April 6.
The winners of all categories will automatically become finalists for the Supreme Champion award.
There will also be a Lifetime Achievement award and a People’s Choice Award.
The winners of the Wairarapa Times-Age Sports Awards will be announced at a gala awards evening on Thursday, June 8, at the Carterton Events Centre.
