The awards, which have been given out every two years since 2005, are presented in the five categories of best male athlete, best female athlete, best team performance, best Paralympic Games debut and exemplary Paralympic Games official.

This year's winners will follow in the footsteps of the likes of Australian swimmer Matthew Cowdrey, Canadian wheelchair racer Chantal Petitclerc, New Zealand's swimmer Sophie Pascoe (pictured top) and China's Beijing 2008 Chef de Mission Wang Xinxian, who were all winners at the 2009 ceremony - the last for summer sports.

Germany's alpine skier Gerd Schönfelder and Nordic skier Verena Bentele, Japan's ice sledge hockey team and Ukrainian Nordic skier Oleksandra Kononova all claimed titles at the last awards ceremony in 2011, but Canada remains the nation to have taken home the most honours, winning five different honours.


Paralympic Family members, including National Paralympic Committees, Regional Paralympic Committees, Internationals Federations and International Organisations of Sports for the Disabled (IOSDs), are eligible to put forward athletes, with each organisation entitled to submit one nomination per category.

All nominations must be related to the London 2012 Paralympic Games period and must be submitted to the IPC headquarters before 12:00 (CET) on June 10.

To request a nomination form contact [email protected].

An Awards Committee will select the winners before notifying them in August, with the prizes to be handed out at a ceremony in Athens on November 23.

The awards ceremony will be held in partnership with IPC International Partner Allianz and coincides with the IPC General Assembly and Conference.

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