Honouring Excellence: 2026 World Rowing Awards Nominations Now Open

With the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals just taking place on Golden Beach in Qingdao, China, we’ve wrapped up World Rowing’s on-water competitions for 2026.

Now is the perfect time for World Rowing to hear from our global community as we prepare to celebrate the season’s greatest achievements at the 2026 World Rowing Awards. Every year, these awards celebrate the best in international rowing and honour the athletes, coaches, programs, and contributors who drive our sport forward.

2026 World Rowing Awards: Categories and Nomination Timeline

The 2026 World Rowing Awards recognise excellence in eight distinct categories. To provide the global rowing community with ample time to prepare and submit nominations, the process closes in two phases.

Phase 1: Nominations Now Open (Deadline: 15 November 2026)

• Men’s Crew of the Year | ✍️To nominate, click here
• Women’s Crew of the Year |✍️To nominate, click here
• Para Crew of the Year |✍️To nominate, click here
• Coach of the Year |✍️To nominate, click here
• Distinguished Service to International Rowing Award |✍️To nominate, click here
• Thomas Keller Medal Award |✍️To nominate, click here

Phase 2: Nominations Now Open (Deadline: 1 December 2026)

• Rowing Programme of the Year:  Recognises an outstanding Rowing Programme, across clubs, schools and universities, that demonstrate excellence both on and off the water. The Award celebrates Programmes that elevate the sport, strengthen rowing communities and create opportunities for people to engage with rowing at all levels.
🔗For more information click here | ✍️To nominate, click here

• Artistic Contribution of the Year: Celebrates the blend of athleticism and creativity, honouring works in visual arts, music, literature, photos, videos, or any other art form that shows the spirit and beauty of rowing.
  🔗For more information click here | ✍️To nominate, click here
  Please submit your artwork directly to: awards@worldrowing.com

If you have any questions regarding the nomination process or eligibility, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us at: awards@worldrowing.com.

Revisiting the 2025 World Rowing Award Winners

While we look ahead to celebrating the 2026 winners, we also want to recognise the outstanding individuals and teams who set the standard at the 2025 World Rowing Awards:
• Men’s Crew of the Year: Giacomo Gentili, Luca Chiumento, Luca Rambaldi, Andrea Panizza, Men’s Quadruple Sculls (Italy) making history as the first-ever Italian crew to win this prestigious award.

• Women’s Crew of the Year: Women’s Eight (The Netherlands)

• Coach of the Year: Diederik Simon (Netherlands) was recognised following the Netherlands’ remarkable success at the 2025 World Rowing Championships in Shanghai.

• Para Crew of the Year: Ben Pritchard (Great Britain).

• Thomas Keller Medal: Ondřej Synek (Czechia), honouring his legendary career and enduring contributions to the sport.

• Distinguished Service to International Rowing Award: Ryszard Stadniuk (Poland). A former Olympian, Stadniuk served as Polish Rowing Federation President for 26 years. As founding Chairman of the FISA European Rowing Management Board, he resurrected the European Championships and launched Junior, Indoor, and U23 events before retiring in 2021.

• Rowing Programme of the Year: Army Rowing Node in Pune, India. Established by the College of Military Engineering (CME), the ARN Rowing Club is India’s top rowing development centre, combining military precision with modern sports science. It features a two-kilometre, international standard rowing channel, a fully equipped boathouse, and advanced sports science and recovery facilities. Around 300 athletes train here every day. The program mixes Army discipline with the latest training methods to build physical strength, spiritual growth, and mental resilience.

• Artistic Contribution of the Year: Rima Karalienė (Lithuania). Rima was recognised for her outstanding literary and cultural work in rowing, including her internationally known book Rowing Through the Barbed Wire Fence and other efforts to preserve Lithuanian and international rowing history. Her passion, motivation, and personal connection to the sport, she is the mother-in-law of Rio 2016 Olympic Bronze Medalist Donata Karaliene, have helped keep rowing culture alive for future generations.