Voting has closed for The Sunday Times Sportswomen of the Year Awards.
The event, which has been running for more than 36 years, celebrates the achievements of female athletes from a variety of sports.
Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on November 2.
Ben Taylor, editor of The Sunday Times, said: “With women’s sport having gone from strength to strength in 2023, illustrated by record-breaking viewing and attendance figures for a number of sports, including football, rugby union and cricket, we look forward to celebrating those who have made their mark both at elite and grassroots level in the past 12 months.”
The public vote will decide the winners of the Grassroots Award, Changemaker Award, and Team of the Year Award.
The remaining accolades are determined by a panel of judges.
So who is in the running for these panel-decided awards?
The Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year – the contenders
1. Mary Earps, football
The Golden Glove winner at this summer’s Football World Cup, Mary Earps is a legend of the sport. She has earned 41 caps for England since making her senior debut in 2017 and was a cornerstone of the Lionesses’ Euros triumph last year and their second place finish at the Worlds this year.
2. Katarina Johnson-Thompson, athletics
A two-time Commonwealth Champion, two-time World Champion, World Indoor Champion and two-time European Indoor Champion, KJT is a star of heptathlon. This summer, she claimed a stunning gold at the World Championships in Budapest, a remarkable comeback from injury.
3. Helen Housby, netball
Named Player of the Tournament at the Netball World Cup this year, Housby is the best shooter in the world. She was also named MVP for the New South Wales Swifts in the Suncorp Super Netball Grand Final.
4. Tammy Beaumont, cricket
Named the Professional Cricketers’ Association Women’s Player of the Year, Tammy Beaumont became the first England women’s player to score a double century this June. She was then the first female centurion in The Hundred in August.
5. Hannah Cockroft, para-athletics
A seven-time Paralympic Champion and 12-time World Champion, Hannah Cockroft is one of Britain’s best para-athletes. She competes at wheelchair racing across a range of distances.
6. Chantelle Cameron, boxing
World Champion in two weight classes and the current light-welterweight champion, Chantelle Cameron is England’s first undisputed champion in the four-belt era.
7. Rosalind Canter, equestrian
This year’s winner of the Badminton Horse Trials with the biggest margin in elite eventing history, Ros Canter also took home individual and team eventing golds at the European Championships this summer.
Young Sportswoman of the Year – the contenders
1. Mia Brookes, snowboarding. Winner of the slopestyle event at the FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboarding World Championships 2023, Brookes has exploded onto the senior scene.
2. Penny Healey, archery. Double gold medal winner at the 2023 European Games, Penny Healey is also a world recorder holder in the women’s recurve.
3. Alice Capsey, cricket. Capsey is an English cricketer who made her international debut in July 2022. She was named Women’s Vitality IT20 Player of the Summer.
4. Emma Finucane, cycling. The 2023 UCI World Champion in women’s individual sprint, Emma Finucane also took home a silver in the team sprint from the event. She won silvers in the Keirin and team sprint at the European Championships.
5. Abbi Pulling, motorsport. Pulling is a British female racing driver. She became a full-time member of the Alpine Academy this year and competes in the F1 Academy. Seven podiums in British F4 between 2020 and 2021 was followed up by campaigns in W Series, where she finished the 2022 season 4th in the standings.
6. Sophie Locking, equestrian. Mounted Games star Sophie Locking became 2023 World Individual Champion in the U15 event this year.
Citi Disability Sportswoman of the Year
1. Hannah Cockroft, para-athletics. A seven-time Paralympic Champion and 12-time World Champion, Hannah Cockroft is one of Britain’s best para-athletes. She competes at wheelchair racing across a range of distances.
2. Suzanna Hext, swimming. A British para swimmer and equestrian. She won gold at this year’s para swimming World Championships in the 50m freestyle S5.
3. Sophie Unwin, cycling. This year, Unwin and her guide have built on the success of Tokyo to win an impressive three world titles and a silver and bronze medal at the UCI Cycling World Championships. She has also won a gold and three silvers across the para-cycling road world cup series.
4. Emma Wiggs, canoeing. Emma Wiggs MBE claimed an incredibly 11th world title at the ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships this summer. She is also the reigning Paralympic champion.
5. Claire Cashmore, triathlon. Claire Cashmore successfully defended her European para-triathlon title this summer, claiming gold in Madrid.
6. Phoebe Paterson Pine, archery. World number three Paterson Pine won gold as part of the compound open mixed team at the European Para Championships.
And who are the judges?
- Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill DBE. Ennis-Hill is a three-time heptathlon world champion, “golden girl” of the London 2012 Olympics, and two-time winner of the Sportswoman of the Year Award. She’s now a regular commentator on athletics.
- Rebecca Adlington OBE. Having won two gold and two bronze medals in the Olympic pool, Rebecca Adlington has now turned her hand to punditry, commentating for the BBC.
- Lauren Steadman MBE. Steadman is among the greatest para triathletes in the world. She is the current Paralympic Champion in the Women’s Individual PTS5 race, a three-time World Champion and seven-time European Champion.
- Helen Glover MBE. One of the most decorated athletes in the GB Rowing Team, Helen Glover holds two Olympic titles and is a triple World Champion. She became the first mother to compete for the GB Rowing team at an Olympic Games when she rowed at Tokyo 2020.
- Tanni Grey-Thompson DBE. A true legend of the sport, Grey-Thompson has 11 Olympic golds and four World Championship titles under her belt. She sits in the House of Lords.
- Ama Agbeze MBE. Having captained England Netball to an almighty gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, Agbeze now plays for London Pulse and was a Sky commentator for the summer’s netball World Cup.
- Kate Richardson-Walsh OBE. Richardson-Walsh is the most capped female hockey player in British history. She led her side to Olympic gold in 2016.
- Ellie Simmonds OBE. The youngest person ever to receive an MBE aged just 14, Simmons has won five Olympic gold medals in the pool.
The other three awards are determined by a public vote, which closed today. The contenders for each are:
Team of the Year
- England Football
- England Netball
- England Rugby
- England Cricket (Ashes team)
- Team GB Cycling pursuit
- British Eventing
Grassroots Sportswoman of the Year
- Aimee Rees, Cricket
- Annie Zaidi, Football
- Lisa Dickinson, Paddlesport
- June Kelly, Football
Changemaker Award
- Changemaker Award
- Tess Howard, Hockey
- Black Girls Ruck, Rugby
- Stephanie Carlin, Motorsport
- Lisa Wainwright MBE, Sport and Recreation Alliance
- Phoebe Schecter, American Football
