Monday, 06 July 2026
KZNA 2nd Annual Awards 2026
KwaZulu-Natal Athletics (KZNA) is proud to announce the 2nd Annual KZNA Awards Ceremony, which will be held on Saturday, 15 August 2026. This prestigious event will bring together the athletics community of KwaZulu-Natal to recognise, honour and celebrate the outstanding achievements and contributions of athletes, coaches, technical officials, administrators and affiliated clubs who have demonstrated excellence and made a meaningful impact on the growth and success of athletics within the province.
The KZNA Awards have been established to acknowledge individuals and organisations that consistently perform at the highest level while exemplifying the values of dedication, integrity, sportsmanship and excellence. Through this recognition, KZNA aims to inspire and motivate all members of the athletics fraternity to continually strive for greater achievement, foster a culture of excellence, and encourage the pursuit of continuous improvement both on and off the field of play.
This circular provides detailed information on the award categories and the criteria that will be applied during the adjudication process. To ensure that deserving individuals and clubs receive appropriate recognition, all KZNA affiliated clubs are requested to submit nominations for their top performing athletes, coaches, technical officials and other eligible candidates for consideration. The active participation of affiliates in the nomination process is essential in showcasing and celebrating excellence across all sectors of athletics in KwaZulu-Natal.
1. Categories:
a. Female Track & Field Athlete of the Year
b. Male Track & Field Athlete of the Year
c. Female Cross Country Athlete of the Year
d. Male Cross Country Athlete of the Year
e. Female Road Running Athlete of the Year
f. Male Road Running Athlete of the Year
g. Best Newcomer of the Year
h. Technical Official of the Year
i. Coach of the Year
j. Club of the Year
k. Female Athlete of the Year
l. Male Athlete of the Year
j. Rising Star Award
n. Breaking the Ceiling Award.
2. Nomination Criteria:
- All nominees must be affiliates of any KZNA Club in good standing with KwaZulu-Natal Athletics during the Awards selection period.
- Selection period for the Awards Is 01 July 2025 to and including 30 June 2026
a) Track & Field Athlete of the Year (Male & Female):
- Must’ve produced outstanding Track & Field performances at a Provincial, National, Continental, or International level.
- He/she has also continuously set exceptionally high- performance standards
- Has displayed a high level of ethical and moral conduct, pre competitions, during competitions and post competitions. (Ethics and other awards received are also taken into consideration).
b) Cross Country Athlete of the Year (Male & Female):
- Must’ve produced outstanding Cross Country performances at a Provincial, National, Continental, or International level.
- He/she has also continuously set exceptionally high- performance standards
- Has displayed a high level of ethical and moral conduct, pre competitions, during competitions and post competitions. (Ethics and other awards received are also taken into consideration).
c) Road Running Athlete of the Year (Male & Female):
- Must’ve produced outstanding Road Running performances at a Provincial, National, Continental, or International level.
- He/she has also continuously set exceptionally high- performance standards
- Has displayed a high level of ethical and moral conduct, pre competitions, during competitions and post competitions. (Ethics and other awards received are also taken into consideration).
d) Best Newcomer of the Year:
- Must’ve broken into the Provincial, National, Continental or International athletics stage for the first time during the qualification period;
- Produced performances of the highest standard;
- Demonstrated high levels of sportsmanship, outstanding ethics on and off the playing field; and
- Demonstrated the potential of continually producing world class performances.
e) Technical Official of the Year:
- Must’ve officiated at a Provincial, National, Continental or International regularly at the follow.
- Shown ongoing commitment to affiliating and development.
- Shown leadership including mentoring / education of other officials
- Has invested time and energy in their own development as an official, undertaking continuous professional development opportunities
- Has demonstrated outstanding officiating commitment towards Track & Field and/or Road Running and/or Cross Country.
f) Coach of the Year:
- Must’ve plied his/her trade in KwaZulu-Natal, either with a team or an individual athlete.
- Produced exceptionally high standards locally, Nationally or Internationally.
- The team or individual/s coached by him/her must have demonstrated high levels of discipline ethical and moral conduct.
g) Club of the Year:
- A club that has produced outstanding achievements at a Provincial level.
- Demonstrated high levels of sportsmanship, outstanding team ethics and teamwork.
- Hosted an official event(s)
- Assisted other clubs hosting official events
- Shown ongoing commitment to affiliating, compliance and positive contributions to the organization.
h) Female Athlete of the Year:
- She produced world-class performances at a Provincial, National, Continental, or international level.
- She has also continuously set exceptionally high- performance standards; and
- Has displayed a high level of ethical and moral conduct, pre competitions, during competitions and post competitions. (Ethics and other awards received are also considered).
i) Male Athlete of the Year:
- He produced world-class performances at a Provincial, National, Continental, or international level.
- He has also continuously set exceptionally high- performance standards; and
- Has displayed a high level of ethical and moral conduct, pre competitions, during competitions and post competitions. (Ethics and other awards received are also considered).
j) Rising Star Award:
- He/she is not newcomer but has shown potential through performances at a Provincial, National, Continental, or International level. produced world-class performances at a Provincial, National, Continental, or international level.
- He has also continuously set exceptionally high-performance standards; and
- Has displayed a high level of ethical and moral conduct, pre competitions, during competitions and post competitions. (Ethics and other awards received are also considered).
k. Breaking the Ceiling Award:
- He/she has been recognised outside of KZN for their contributions to the sport. It could be an athlete, coach, volunteer, technical official, administrator or manager.
3. INCENTIVES;
3.1 Finalists will receive a Certificate of Merit
3.2 Category Winners;
All winners will receive cash incentives as per the table below:
4. NOMINATION PROCESS;
4.1 Nominations for the awards are unlimited in number; therefore, clubs may submit as many nominations (of eligible candidates) as they wish for the respective award categories.
4.2 Nominations may be accompanied by supporting documentation with their nomination forms
4.3 No nominations will be accepted after the closing date
4.4 A Nomination Form should be completed for each athlete nominated.
4.5 Nominations for the awards should be emailed to the following address: support@kznathletics.co.za
4.6 The deadline for nominations for the various Award Categories is 27 July 2025, 16:00:00
4.7 The adjudication for the THREE finalists in each category will take place between 28 July – 30 August 2026.
NOMINATIONS ARE OPEN!
- Click the Nomination Form to submit your nomination
- Nominations are open until Monday, 27 July 2026
- Return completed form to: support@kznathletics.co.za by 16:00 on Monday, 27 July 2026.
Yours in Athletics
Jessica Khomo
General Manager
KwaZulu-Natal Athletics