ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards - Nominations now open

by ISAF on 24 Jul 2014 Nominations are invited for the 2014 ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards, the most prestigious award of recognition in the sport of sailing.

Since the first Awards presentation in 1994, the nominees and winners have always included the highest achievers from all disciplines of the sport.

Inspiring individuals and dynamic combinations are nominated each year – from windsurfers, kiteboarders and dinghy sailors to offshore specialists, a nominee's achievements may be an exceptional series of regatta wins, a record breaking passage or a triumph against the odds.

Nominations can be made by anyone and the only criterion for sailors is 'outstanding achievement in the sport of sailing' during the qualifying period of 1 September 2013 to 21 September 2014.

Nominations should be sent to ISAF by 19:00 UTC on 21 September 2014 using the Official Nomination Form, available here.

A shortlist of nominations will be drawn up by ISAF from all those received by the deadline and those making the cut will go on to become the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year 2014 Nominees.

The 140 ISAF Member National Authorities will then have the responsibility to vote for one male and one female sailor who they believe should win the Award.

The winners will be announced at the Awards dinner on Tuesday 4 November in Palma, Mallorca, Spain, the host city for the ISAF Annual Conference. They will be presented with the unique marble and silver trophy depicting the globe, crowned with five silver spinnakers representing the continents, together with a Rolex timepiece.

Who will join the list of winners?

2013 Mat Belcher (AUS), Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie (NZL)
2012 Ben Ainslie (GBR), Lijia Xu (CHN)
2011 Iker Martinez and Xabier Fernandez (ESP), Anna Tunnicliffe (USA)
2010 Tom Slingsby (AUS), Blanca Manchon (ESP)
2009 Torben Grael (BRA), Anna Tunnicliffe (USA)
2008 Ben Ainslie (GBR), Alessandra Sensini (ITA)
2007 Ed Baird (USA), Claire Leroy (FRA)
2006 Mike Sanderson (NZL), Paige Railey (USA)
2005 Fernando Echavarri and Anton Paz (ESP), Ellen MacArthur (GBR)
2004 Robert Scheidt (BRA), Sofia Bekatorou and Emilia Tsoulfa (GRE)
2003 Russell Coutts (SUI), Siren Sundby (NOR)
2002 Ben Ainslie (GBR), Sofia Bekatorou and Emilia Tsoulfa (GRE)
2001 Robert Scheidt (BRA), Ellen MacArthur (GBR)
2000 Mark Reynolds and Magnus Liljedahl (USA), Shirley Robertson (GBR)
1999 Mateusz Kusznierewicz (POL), Margriet Matthijse (NED)
1998 Ben Ainslie (GBR), Carolijn Brouwer (NED)
1997 Pete Goss (GBR), Ruslana Taran and Elena Pakholchik (UKR)
1996 Jochen Schümann (GER), Lai Shan Lee (HKG)
1995 Russell Coutts (NZL), Isabelle Autissier (FRA)
1994 Peter Blake (NZL) and Robin Knox-Johnston (GBR), Theresa Zabell (ESP)

www.sailing.org/worldsailor