South Africa's Malibongwe Cebekulu, Germany's Franz Gravenhorst, the United States' Matthew O'Donoghue and Great Britain's Lily van den Broecke make up the shortlist, with the winner to be decided by a panel of four judges and announced in mid-October.

The judging quartet comprises of New Zealand's Mahé Drysdale, the single sculls Olympic champion, Germany's Lenka Wech, former rowing world champion, Jean-Marc Jacot, chief executive of Parmigiani Fleurier, and Jean-Christophe Rolland, President of the International Rowing Federation.

Now in its second year, the Award recognises an individual university rower who has demonstrated the core values of rowing in his or her social, academic and sporting life, and, through these values, also enabled or inspired exceptional success in other people's lives, for example in education, business, sports or charity.

"As in the inaugural year, the achievements of the nominated rowers are exceptional," said Rolland.

"I know that the judges will have a difficult time to select the final award winner."

The winner of the Award will receive a hand-crafted Parmigiani Fleurier watch, while their respective rowing club will be presented with a new custom-made Filippi racing eight boat.

For rowers in some countries, such as the US where National Collegiate Athletic Association regulations apply, the awards will be adjusted to conform with national eligibility regulations.

Lily van den Broecke (right) celebrates after winning a gold medal at the London 2012 Paralympic Games ©Getty Images




Cebekulu studies law at Rhodes University in Grahamstown, South Africa, where he discovered rowing on his arrival in 2013.

He has already been named head of development at the Rhodes University Rowing Club.

Gravenhorst is a PhD student studying signal processing in sensor networks for healthcare and sports applications, at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, Switzerland.

His focus, determination and teamwork have inspired team mates to exceptional performances at university and other Championships around the world.

O'Donoghue is a mechanical engineering student at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, US. 

Arriving at Yale in 2010, his dedication to the team and the University was immediately recognised, it is claimed.

Van den Broecke studies politics, philosophy and economics at Durham University in Britain.

She first started coxing in 2006 and has been an active participant in her University programme as well as the GB Rowing Team.

She won a gold medal at the 2012 Paralympics as the coxswain of the legs, trunks and arms mixed coxed four.

Complete biographies of each finalist will be posted on the World Rowing website in the lead-up to the announcement of the winner.