Eligible amateur athletes are residents of Ottawa; athletes from other communities competing for an Ottawa club, high school, university, or college; Ottawa athletes currently attending universities, colleges or training camps outside Ottawa. Athletic achievements must be in the current calendar year.
Nominees should have competitive success at the provincial level or higher, in a Senior or Junior event. The athlete must have a demonstrated, active and competitive connection with an Ottawa club. Nominations for athletes in the competitive age groups aged 13 and younger, or in age groups commonly referred to as Masters, are normally not considered.
One athlete per sport is normally recognized without regard for gender or age (except as noted above). To assist in the nomination process for each sport, the OSA Board would note for example that a provincial junior champion in a competitive field may be selected over a senior athlete who did not win a provincial championship. That is to say, athletes who had the highest level of competitive success in the most competitive field of that year may be nominated for that sport.
Athletes selected for the OSA awards will be offered one free ticket and invited to attend the Awards banquet at which time they will be recognized by a crowd including the Mayor of Ottawa. Please note that the Board of the Ottawa Sports Awards will select and announce the winning athletes from the nominations.
Eligible teams are those from an Ottawa club, high school, university, or college. Teams that won Provincial Championships or had success at higher levels in the current calendar year may be nominated for recognition. Nominations for teams in the competitive age groups aged 13-and-under, or in age groups commonly referred to as Masters, may be considered.
In the case of teams accepted by the OSA for recognition, one free ticket is offered.
Sports must be affiliated with their respective Ontario or National Sport Governing Associations. However, the OSA reserves the responsibility to recognize only one athlete for sports which have separate Provincial Associations for various disciplines of essentially the same sport.
In addition to the individual sport nominations, there are major awards for which the Ottawa Sports Awards are seeking nominations.
i) Mayor’s Cup: This award is for an outstanding individual who has a longstanding association with the City of Ottawa and has contributed many years of direct support and dedication to amateur sport in a variety of contexts.
ii) Lifetime categories: Coach, Official, and Volunteer or Administrator. These individuals will have performed their role on behalf of amateur sport for at least 20 years and thus have made a significant impact on their sport, often becoming the ‘face’ of their sport in Ottawa. There are a surprising number of such individuals who have dedicated a tremendous number of years for their sport in the community. The deadline to nominate individuals for lifetime awards is Nov. 15 each year.
iii) OSA Awards: Male and Female Coach of the Year; Male and Female Athlete of the Year; Male and Female Team of the Year. The individuals and teams selected for recognition will be deemed to be the best of their category for the year, having had the best performance at the highest level of competition in the year in question.
For each of the Major Awards, the recipient shall receive one free ticket.