Awards Record

Sport

Laureus World Sports Awards: winners and how it is awarded

The Laureus World Sports Awards are presented each year by Laureus. This record lists the World Sportsman and World Sportswoman of the Year awards. The 2026 ceremony was held on 20 April 2026 at Cibeles Palace in Madrid.3,2,4

Awarded byLaureus Sport for Good Foundation
Established1999
FrequencyAnnual
Prize valueStatuette. No cash prize stated in fetched sources (as of 27 October 2026)

How the winner is chosen

Shortlists in each category are based on votes from more than 1,000 sports media in over 70 countries. Members of the Laureus World Sports Academy then vote for the winners.

Winners

  1. 2026Carlos Alcaraz1,2Laureus World Sportsman of the Year
  2. 2026Aryna Sabalenka1,2Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year
  3. 2025Armand Duplantis (listed by Laureus as Mondo Duplantis)1Laureus World Sportsman of the Year
  4. 2025Simone Biles1Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year
  5. 2024Novak Djokovic1Laureus World Sportsman of the Year
  6. 2024Aitana Bonmatí1Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year
  7. 2023Lionel Messi1Laureus World Sportsman of the Year
  8. 2023Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce1Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year
  9. 2022Max Verstappen1Laureus World Sportsman of the Year
  10. 2022Elaine Thompson-Herah1Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year
  11. 2021Rafael Nadal1Laureus World Sportsman of the Year
  12. 2021Naomi Osaka1Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year
  13. 2020Lewis Hamilton and Lionel Messi (joint)1Laureus World Sportsman of the Year
  14. 2020Simone Biles1Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year
  15. 2019Novak Djokovic1Laureus World Sportsman of the Year
  16. 2019Simone Biles1Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year
  17. 2018Roger Federer1Laureus World Sportsman of the Year
  18. 2018Serena Williams1Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year
  19. 2017Usain Bolt1Laureus World Sportsman of the Year
  20. 2017Simone Biles1Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year
  21. 2016Novak Djokovic1Laureus World Sportsman of the Year
  22. 2016Serena Williams1Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year

Notable facts

The 2020 Sportsman of the Year award was shared by Lewis Hamilton and Lionel Messi.1

Simone Biles was named Sportswoman of the Year four times between 2017 and 2025.1

Sources

  1. Laureus, Laureus World Sports Awards past winners (27 October 2026)
  2. Laureus, Laureus World Sports Awards 2026 (20 April 2026)
  3. Laureus, Laureus World Sports Awards, how the awards work (27 October 2026)
  4. Wikipedia, Laureus World Sports Awards (27 October 2026)