Nominate for World Sailing Awards

Any achievement award system that relies on public nominations is flawed as the likelihood of forgotten accomplishments is high. In this update from World Sailing, we hope there is also an employee that reads Scuttlebutt to capture glory as it occurs:

Nominations for individuals for the Rolex World Sailor of the Year, for teams in the Team of the Year, and the most innovative design in Boat of the Year are now open for the 2023 World Sailing Awards.

Alongside these three awards are the World Sailing 11th Hour Racing Sustainability Award, Beppe Croce Trophy, and President Development Award, all of which will be presented to the winners at a live gala award ceremony on November 14 during the 2023 World Sailing Annual Conference in Málaga, Spain.

Rolex World Sailor of the Year
World Sailing and Rolex are inviting the global sailing community, whether a Member National Authority, class association, event organizer, coach, instructor, competitor, or sailing fan to nominate high achieving male and female sailors from any country, region, class, team, or event.

To submit a nomination, click here.

Nominations for the men’s and women’s categories in the 2023 Rolex World Sailor of the Year must be received by World Sailing no later than 19.00 UTC on October 5, 2023.

This has been an all-action year for sailing with the World Cup Series, Allianz Sailing World Championships, and a full schedule of World Sailing Special Events including the America’s Cup, The Ocean Race, SailGP, the World Match Racing Tour, PAW World Windsurfing Tour, GKA Kite World Tour, GWA World Wingfoil Tour, IWSA WingFoil Racing World Tour, Star Sailors League, and Foiling Week.

With so many exceptional athletes at the peak of their performance and inspirational tales to tell, there are a lot of potential winners of this year’s Rolex World Sailor of the Year awards.

The Rolex World Sailor of the Year is the most prestigious award of recognition in the dynamic sport of sailing. This year’s award recognizes outstanding achievement in the sport of sailing between October 1, 2022 to October 5, 2023.

An expert judging panel comprising of influential figures from the sailing world will draw up a shortlist to decide which of the inspirational sailors proceed to a public vote to decide this year’s Rolex World Sailor of the Year.

Launched in 1994, the Rolex World Sailor of the Year is recognized as the highest award a sailor can receive in recognition of their outstanding achievements by the world of sailing. Past winners of the award include some of the most famous names the sport has ever seen. From the inaugural winners Sir Peter Blake and Sir Robin Knox-Johnston to such luminaries as Sir Ben Ainslie and Dame Ellen Macarthur, as well as Olympic gold medalists and America’s Cup winners, the roll of honor reads like a who’s who of sailing.

Team of the Year
Nominations are also invited for Team of the Year to honor crews of two or more sailors from any category of sailing. The award celebrates teams who personify the sporting values of integrity, ambition, resilience and resourcefulness. Past winners include three-time SailGP winners, Team Australia, multi-time offshore champions Wizard, and the Dongfeng Racing Team, winners of The Ocean Race in 2017-18.

To submit a nomination, click here.

Boat of the Year
The World Sailing Boat of the Year Award recognizes outstanding boat design, innovative concepts, and groundbreaking technological advancements that have advanced the sport of sailing, inspired a more sustainable approach to boat building and the lifespan of materials, or introduced a radical new design that will pioneer change across the world.

In 2022, the Vortex Pod Racer won the award for its aerodynamic design and carbon fiber construction which successfully combined high performance with safety to make the sport more accessible to a larger audience. The F50 Catamaran won the award in 2019 as it increased performance by 15% and was launched for SailGP as the successor to the AC50. The inaugural winner was the Ran VII-Fast 40 in 2018 which introduced a technologically advanced electric sail drive system ad unique shape before showing its capabilities by winning the One Ton Cup with an unprecedented six firsts and two second places.

To submit a nomination, click here.