The PLx Awards 2024 is a celebration of the outstanding achievements of those who contribute to making extraordinary sporting moments happen.
The awards are on 3 December and will feature eight categories showcasing the best and brightest in our high-performance community.
UK Sport is teaming up with Goal Click again to capture, create, and share the stories of the high-performance individuals nominated for the PLx 2024 Awards through the eyes of those that have nominated them. Please find more details below.
This content will be featured at the PLx 2024 awards night, showcasing the remarkable achievements and contributions of those nominated for awards.
Award categories
Athlete award: biggest performance turnaround or breakthrough
Our greatest learnings come from our biggest challenges, but these aren’t our goals or ambitious targets – they are the stark reality of the situations we face, compelling us to commit and innovate to reach new levels of performance.
This award recognises the athlete who has had the biggest performance turnaround or breakthrough in the last year.
Coach award: the coach who has had a special impact on the high-performance sport community
Coaches play a critical role in our high-performance community, developing and delivering performance, built on years of continuous refining, in an ever-shifting landscape.
This award recognises a current coach who has challenged themselves to achieve exceptional and inspiring performances in the last year.
Pathway Coach Award: the coach who has developed and delivered a successful pathway programme, for athletes or coaches. 'New for 2024'
Pathway Coaches are crucial in sustaining and nurturing our high-performance system. They identify, nurture and grow our most talented athletes and coaches in the context of high-performance development. Expert in their field, they inspire and guide the next generations; the stars of tomorrow. They may aspire to become a podium level coach one day, or they may wish to continue developing the future of our system.
This award recognises a pathway coach who has developed and delivered a strategy in their sport and driven the wider system forward. Particularly skilled at motivating young people on the path to their long-term goals and ambitions. Athletes and/or coaches that have come through the programme will have subsequently performed at the highest level.
Support staff award: support staff or practitioner, from any specialism, who has had a special impact on the high-performance community
Sustaining high-performance success is only possible if we work together as one community – using all the skills and expertise that exist in every member of the team, whatever their role.
This award recognises the member of staff, from any specialism or role, who has challenged themselves to achieve exceptional and inspiring performances in the last year.
Innovation award: an innovation that has made a significant improvement or had an impact on our high-performance community*
Sustaining high-performance success relies on our ability to innovate and learn. It’s those innovations that solve problems or lead to extraordinary performances beyond expectations.
This award recognises and celebrates an original innovation that has had a significant impact on a high-performance sport in the last year.
Collaboration and teamwork award: best practice from a sport demonstrating impact in improving elite sport performance**
The greatest achievements in history are all stories of extraordinary collaboration and teamwork. A high-performing team working well together is a genuine game changer in any high-performance sport, but it isn’t easy.
This award recognises a team that has collaborated or worked together to deliver a significant impact, improving high-performance in their field.
Social impact and/or sustainability award: sport, staff or athlete that has had a positive impact on their community**
Success on the world stage gives us a unique platform from which to inspire positive, meaningful, and lasting change i.e., to have a social impact. Whether it’s using our voice or unique assets of our sport to promote equality, diversity and inclusion or reducing our carbon footprint – we all have a role to play.
This award recognises a sport, member of staff or athlete who has harnessed the power of their platform to contribute towards societal change
The spirit of high-performance award**
In 2019 UK Sport Chair Dame Katherine Grainger said;
“It takes physical courage to push yourself to a great performance, but this is not as important as the other type of courage – and that’s moral courage. That’s also harder to define; moral courage gets tested at its most in times of challenge and controversy. None of us know right now what trials and challenges we’ll be tested with, but I’m sure we’ll be tested… and how we respond to that will be a true test of our own courage.”
This is the spirit of high-performance.
This award recognises a sport, member of staff, athlete or team that has risen to a challenge and done so in a way that embodies, what you interpret to be ‘the spirit of high-performance.’
Key
*Sport, system or team award
**Individual, system or team award
Nominate now
Make sure to celebrate your colleagues by nominating them for their outstanding achievements and making extraordinary sporting moments happen.
The deadline for nominations has been extended until 11.59pm, Wednesday 16 October 2024.
Make a nomination
Important Information
UK Sport x Goal Click
Goal Click are experts in original sports storytelling content, curated through a global community of storytellers who share perspectives about their sporting lives and communities through analogue and digital photography, video, and their own words.
Following an innovative collaboration at PLx 2023, Goal Click and UK Sport will continue to challenge the traditional norms of nominee introductions at award ceremonies. The content will be created collaboratively, with your photos and videos showcasing the unique, personal, and emotional stories of leaders within the high-performance community.
Upon the successful shortlisting of the individual that you have nominated, we will introduce you to Goal Click to provide guidance and support every step of the way. All you will need is your smartphone to capture video and the Goal Click Cameras you will be provided with. Access to the individual you have nominated during the month of November is preferred.
PLx Awards Terms and Conditions
- Please nominate a maximum of one candidate for each award, any additional nominations will not be considered.
- Self-nominations will not be considered.
- All nominations must be supported by the sports Performance Director or equivalent or CEOs for partner organisations.
- Videos and links cannot be provided to support nominations and word count criteria will be set in the nomination form.
- Nominations must be received by 11.59pm on 16 October, any received after this date will not be considered.
- An independent panel will confirm the shortlisted nominees and decide on the winner for each award category. The shortlist will be confirmed on the week commencing 21 October.
- Winners are selected at the panel’s sole discretion.
- Nominators of the shortlisted nominees will be asked to work with the UK Sport to contribute to the creation of the awards videos.