An awards ceremony was held at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco last year, but amid the coronavirus pandemic a decision has been made to instead celebrated what has been a disrupted year for the sport remotely.

Countless athletics events have had to be postponed or cancelled in 2020.

The World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing were postponed until 2021, so too the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics, while the Diamond League calendar was reduced also.

Fans of the sport will have a say in selecting the winners of the Male and Female Athlete of the Year awards, however.

A public vote will contribute to the formation of a five-athlete shortlist for each honour.

The nominees for Male Athlete of the Year will be announced on 2 November, with the nominees for Female Athlete of the Year announced the following day.

"In a disruptive year our athletes continued to train hard and our event organisers went above and beyond to deliver four full Diamond League events and four Diamond League exhibition meetings, seven Continental Tour Gold events, a World Half Marathon Championships and a number of innovative virtual events including the Ultimate Garden Clash," World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said.

"Whilst this was not the year any of us had planned for, I am proud of our athletes, our meeting organisers and the World Athletics team for their tenacity and determination.

"This is what we will celebrate at this year's Annual Awards."

Other accolades that will be awarded at the virtual event include the President's Award, which recognises exceptional service to athletics, the Coaching Achievement Award and the Covid Inspiration Award, given to "an individual or group of individuals whose efforts, despite the challenges of 2020, have resulted in the delivery of a particularly inspiring athletics event or experience".

The Member Federations Award will recognise an the hosting of an inspirational event, while winners of the Athletes Community Award and Athletics Photograph of the Year honour will also be announced.