Your nominations please

For the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards

Nominations are now invited for the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards 2006 - the pinnacle award of recognition in the sport of sailing.

Since the inaugural presentation in 1994, an exceptional list of the world's top sailors have been nominated for this prestigious award.

The accomplishments of the sailors who are nominated are every year an inspiration. Ultimately there can only be two winners - a female and a male World Sailor of the Year - with the winners being determined by the sport as the highest achievers in sailing.

ISAF invites the world of sailing to submit nominations for the 2006 awards. Numerous success stories have already been witnessed since the start of the nomination period on 1 September 2005 and with two months remaining until the close of nominations on 1 September 2006 there will no doubt be many more achievements which merit nomination.

Anyone can nominate a sailor and all nominations must be submitted on the official nomination form which is available on the ISAF website via the following link.

Sailors nominated may represent any discipline of the sport of sailing, from dinghies to offshore, windsurfing to speed sailing and their achievements may be as diverse as round the world record breaking passages, a series of regatta wins or triumph against the odds, but must meet the criteria of 'outstanding achievement during the period 1 September 2005 through to 31 August 2006.

A shortlist will be decided from all of the nominations received by the deadline and those sailors will go on to become the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year 2006 Nominees. The winners will not be announced until the night of the awards presentation on Tuesday 7 November in Helsinki, Finland.

The winners will be presented with the unique marble and silver trophy, depicting the globe crowned with five silver spinnakers representing the continents and a Rolex timepiece.

Nominations close at 1000 UTC on Friday 1 September 2006.

The past nominees and winners of the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year include many of the highest achievers in the sport, with the winners' roll call reading:

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) - Lee-Lai SHAN (HKG)
1995 Russell COUTTS (NZL) - Isabelle AUTISSIER (FRA)
1994 Peter BLAKE (NZL) and Robin KNOX JOHNSTON (GBR) - Theresa ZABELL
(ESP)