Otago Rowing Association Annual Awards


Otago Rower of the Year, Otago Club Rower of the Year, Administrator / Official of the Year, Crew of the Year, Coach of the Year, Male School Rower of the Year, Female School Rower of the Year, Coxswain of the Year, Novice Crew of the Year and Masters Rower of the Year

Each year Rowing Clubs throughout the Otago Province are asked to make nominations for the above awards. In order to make the process of making nominations easier, the ORA have produced nomination forms, one for Administrator/Official of the Year and one for all other categories.

The ORA have bylaws outlining each of the categories and the procedures and these are copied for your information.

  1. QUALIFICATION PERIOD

Annual awards will apply to achievements during the season 1st April to 30th March in the 12-month period.

These will culminate in the NZ Championships for Clubs and South Island and NZ Secondary Schools Championships for Schools.  University Champs results are to be added in from the previous year.

Any overseas or special achievements must relate to the same period.


  1. CONVENER OF AWARDS:

The current members of the ORA will appoint a Convener of awards, each year. He or she will be a respected rowing “elder” and will choose and announce a final date for nominations to close.


  1. NOMINATIONS:

Each Club or school is entitled to make one nomination for each award category.

Nominations will close with the Secretary immediately following the NZ Secondary Schools Championship Regatta or on the date selected by the ORA.

These nominations must be completed on the provided Nomination forms.

The information should be concise and detailed. Late Nominations not accepted. A responsible Club Official must sign all Nominations.


  1. CATEGORIES OF AWARDS:


  1. ROWER OF THE YEAR:  The person male or female who’s rowing achievements during the season have been outstanding. Rowing achievements can include exceptional improvement, regatta medals and trophies, a single outstanding performance, representative selection, trialist selection and general consistency of performance. This category is only open to active rowers who have achieved at a level above that required for the Club Rower of the Year Award.
  2. CLUB ROWER OF THE YEAR: The person male or female whose rowing achievements during the season have been outstanding (but they must not be above senior rowing level, so no RPC Athletes or NZ Elite/U23/U21 representatives are eligible for this category).   Rowing achievements can include exceptional improvement, club regatta medals and trophies, a single outstanding performance, representative/trialist selection (again not including RPC or NZ Elite/U23/U21 teams) and general consistency of performance. This category is only open to active rowers no higher than senior level.
  3. ADMINISTRATOR / OFFICIAL: The person whose achievements as an administrator / official during the season have been outstanding. These can include Club, School, Regional and National Committee work, regatta work, coaching, fundraising and other administrative work for the good of rowing. Active rowers and coxswains are not excluded from this category.
  4. CREW OF THE YEAR:  This award may be granted to any crew with an outstanding record at local and Championship regattas. Placing’s gained at South Island and NZ Secondary Schools’ regattas are eligible but not from local Schools’ Regattas racing. Single scullers are not eligible for this award.
  5. COACH OF THE YEAR: This award will be made to the coach making the most significant contribution to the standard of Rowing. This award will mostly consider the performance of the coach’s rowers, but can also consider the impact of the coach on the club, the number of rowers they coached, and any other teams/squads they coached. 
  6. MALE SCHOOL ROWER OF THE YEAR: This award may be made to the male school pupil whose performance at South Island Secondary Schools and New Zealand Secondary Schools regattas has been outstanding.Performances at Championship regattas, local School regattas or any exceptional contribution to the good of rowing within Schools may also be considered. Single scullers or crew members are eligible for this category.   
  7. FEMALE SCHOOL ROWER OF THE YEAR: This award may be made to the female school pupil whose performance at South Island Secondary Schools and New Zealand Secondary Schools regattas has been outstanding.Performances at Championship regattas, local School regattas or any exceptional contribution to the good of rowing within Schools may also be considered. Single scullers or crew members are eligible for this category
  8. COXSWAIN OF THE YEAR: This award may be made to the School or Club coxswain, whose performance at regattas has been outstanding.Performances at all Club or School Championship regattas will be considered and any exceptional contribution for the good of rowing within their School or Club may also be considered. Both Male and Female coxswains are eligible for this category
  9. NOVICE CREW OF THE YEAR: This award may be made to any crew with an outstanding record at local and Championship regattas. Placing’s gained at Otago, Canterbury, South Island, South Island Secondary Schools, NZ and NZ Secondary Schools’ Championship regattas are eligible, but placing’s gained from local school regattas are not eligible. Single scullers are not considered crews and are therefore not eligible for this award.
  10. MASTERS ROWER OF THE YEAR: This award may be made to the Masters Rower, Male or Female, whose performance in Masters races at regattas has been outstanding. Performances at Local and Championships regattas will be considered as will performances at South Island, National and International Masters regattas held within the qualification period. Single scullers or a member of a crew, are eligible for this category.


All Clubs and Schools are encouraged to enter candidates for all of the above categories.

With a small amount of time the forms can be completed. With each Clubs continued support, a successful Awards Night function can be assured.​​​​​​​