News

Posted: 14th August 2024

The Scottish Rowing Awards aim to celebrate our rowing community at all levels from volunteers to performance athletes. This year’s awards will highlight the accomplishments achieved during the 2023-24 rowing season.

Nominations are done anonymously, and we encourage everyone to nominate those who they think deserve some recognition for their hard work and dedication to our beloved sport. We have a total on nine categories this year covering all sections of our community.

To be eligible for recognition within the 2023-24 Scottish Rowing Awards the individual or club must have an active Scottish Rowing membership unless in exceptional circumstances.

Nominations will open on Monday the 19th of August and close two weeks later at midnight on Sunday the 1st of September.

Categories

The following awards will be awarded by Scottish Rowing and are open to public nomination. Evidence provided should be within the timeframe of 1st September 2022 to 31st August 2023. Representatives from Scottish Rowing, the Scottish Rowing board and sportscotland will select the winners of each award. The award categories are:

1. Club of the Year

2. Volunteer of the Year

3. Young Volunteer of the Year

4. Club Coach of the Year

5. Performance Coach of the Year

6. Initiative of the Year

7. Junior of the Year

8. Senior of the Year

9. Crew of the Year

10. Lifetime Achievement Award

To nominate a candidate, please complete the Nomination form linked below – please do one nomination per form.

Criteria

1. Club of the Year

This award will recognise the achievements of a club over the last year. Clubs are the heart and soul of rowing in Scotland, and this award will recognise a club which provides a friendly, welcoming, and collaborative environment for its members and supporters. The award will be given to a club which has shown an outstanding commitment to the development of rowing opportunities in their local area, made a significant impact on the participation levels of people taking part and staying in rowing, attracted funding to enhance activities for their local communities and shown a commitment to good governance and club management. 

Evidence:

· Details of increased rowing opportunities for people in their community.

· Details of the club’s wider contribution to their local community.

· Dedication of a team of club volunteers to ensure the sustainability and development of the club.

· The club must be affiliated to Scottish Rowing during the 2023-24 season.

2. Volunteer of the Year

The winner of this award can be a senior member or team of volunteers that has made an outstanding contribution to their club or the sport.  This award will recognise a person(s)’s passion and commitment for providing opportunities within their club or within the sport more widely. Nominations could include club committee members, parent helpers, event organisers or others.

Evidence:

· Volunteered in any aspect of their club or the sport – without them their club or the sport would not be the same.

· An inspiration and positive role model(s) for participants and peers.

· Evidence of achieving wider outcomes rather than just sporting achievements (e.g., social, and psychological benefits to local people, providing opportunities, enhancing reputation).

· Evidence of the impact that their volunteering has brought to the club or the sport (e.g., innovative ideas or enhanced club culture, more engagement with younger members, improved club’s social media presence etc.).

3. Young Volunteer of the Year

The winner of this award will be a young person (24 or under on 1st Sep 2023) that has made an outstanding contribution to their club or the sport. This award will recognise a person’s passion and commitment for providing opportunities within their club or within the sport more widely. Nominations could include club committee members, helpers, event organisers or others.

Evidence:

· Volunteered in any aspect of their club or the sport – without them their club or the sport would not be the same.

· An inspiration and positive role model(s) for participants and peers.

· Evidence of achieving wider outcomes rather than just sporting achievements (e.g., social, and psychological benefits to local people, providing opportunities, enhancing reputation).

· Evidence of the impact that their volunteering has brought to the club or the sport (e.g., innovative ideas or enhanced club culture, more engagement with younger members, improved club’s social media presence etc.).

4. Club Coach of the Year

This award will be made to a coach actively coaching in a Scottish Rowing club who has provided a positive environment for their athletes to develop, have fun and stay safe. This coach can operate voluntarily or in a paid capacity.

Evidence:

· Adopts an athlete-centred approach to coaching.

· Testimonials from athletes, parents, other coaches and/or club members.

· Delivered high quality coaching sessions to a group or to individual athletes.

· Responsible for providing opportunities for participants to progress and enjoy rowing.

· An inspiration and positive role model for participants and peers.

· Qualifications or continuous personal development achieved in the last year.

5. Performance Coach of the Year

This award will be made to a coach actively coaching in a Scottish Rowing club who has provided a positive environment for their athletes to develop and thrive, specifically when racing at a competitive standard e.g., National Schools, Scot Champs, Henley Women’s, Henley Royal, BUCS, GB Trials etc.

Evidence:

· Adopts an athlete-centred approach to coaching.

· Testimonials from athletes, parents, other coaches and/or club members.

· Delivered high quality coaching sessions to a group or to individual athletes.

· Responsible for developing talent to a performance level.

· An inspiration and positive role model for participants and peers.

· Qualifications, CPD, or engagement with SR coach development programs.

· Must be a Scottish Rowing member during the 2023-24 competition season.

6. Initiative of the Year

This award will recognise an initiative which has positively impacted an individual, group, club, a community (rowing or non-rowing) and/or the sport over the last year.  The initiative could involve collaboration with external groups or other Scottish Rowing clubs and rewards clubs going over and above.

Evidence for the Initiative of the Year should focus on the impact of the initiative within your club and environment.

Examples of initiatives could include (but aren’t limited to):

· Sustainability

· Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

· Outreach

· Community Building

· Fundraising

7. Junior of the Year

This award will recognise a high performing junior rower or cox competing in either beach sprints or classic rowing for a Scottish Rowing member club and who was under 18 years of age on the 1st of September 2023. The award looks for evidence from the 2023-24 season to demonstrate success.

Evidence:

· A member of Scottish Rowing during the 2023-24 competition season.

· Information on performances, accomplishments, or competitive results denoting achievement in domestic competition or beyond.

· Scottish or GB Rowing Team selection.

· Dedication to training as well as competition schedule.

· An inspiration and positive role model for participants and peers.

· Must be a Scottish Rowing member during the 2023-24 competition season.

8. Senior of the Year

This award will recognise a high performing Scottish rower or cox who has achieved significant success in beach sprints or classic rowing at a national and/or international level.  The athlete must be a current or former member of a Scottish Rowing member club and be a positive role model for others in the sport.  The award looks for ongoing evidence of achievement with a focus on the 2023-24 season.

Evidence:

· A member of Scottish Rowing during the 2023-24 competition season.

· GB representation at senior and/or under 23 level.

· Significant performances at World Rowing events.

· Other achievements in national level competition.

· Positive advocate for Scottish Rowing and inspiration to others within the rowing community.

9. Crew of the Year

This award will recognise the crew that has achieved the notable performance(s) over the past 12 months.  The whole crew should be from Scottish Rowing member clubs or have represented Scotland competitively.  This award looks for evidence from the 2023-24 season to demonstrate success.

· Evidence should include information on performances, accomplishments and/or competitive results of the crew during the year under review.

10. Lifetime Achievement Award

This award recognises members of our Scottish Rowing community who have contributed significantly to their club or the Scottish rowing community over a significant period of time.

There are so many people who have demonstrated enduring dedication and their significant contribution to the sport, this award offers the perfect opportunity to acknowledge their lifetime of outstanding work.

Evidence:

· A history of going over and above in their club environment

· Impact on their club that has affected multiple generations of club members

· This person should be an inspiration and role model for their peers

Nominations will close at midnight on Sunday the 1st of September, make sure you get your nominations in well before then to ensure we are able to properly celebrate the many exceptional individuals, clubs, and communities within our sport. If you require any assistance, please contact ronan.welch@scottish-rowing.org.uk