Nearly 60 Southland athletes, coaches and teams will compete for recognition at the 2026 ILT Southland Sports Awards on June 12 at ILT Stadium Southland.
The nominees span 22 sporting codes, from swimming sensation Londyn Dillinger to All Black prop Ethan de Groot. Five athletes with disabilities will compete in a category that debuted last year with just one nominee.
Active Southland communications manager Nathan Burdon said the strength of this year's senior category surprised organisers. "Considering 2025 wasn't an Olympic or Commonwealth Games year, the ILT Senior Sportsperson category is incredibly strong, with representatives performing at a high level in New Zealand sports teams, at national and world championships, and at the highest reaches of their chosen sports."
The awards deliberately cast a wider net than previous years. "An important change the Awards made in 2025 was to create a platform for all sporting codes to celebrate the achievements which were meaningful for them," Burdon said. "Not all sports have an annual international event to compete at, for instance."
That approach shows. The junior category includes disc golf star Alison Tweedie alongside traditional powerhouse sports like athletics and rugby. The masters category recognises Neil Familton's cycling achievements and Dwight Grieve's mountain running.
Southland's cycling depth dominates the senior nominations with six riders, including world championship medallist Corbin Strong and Nicholas Kergozou de la Boessiere. Lawn bowls contributes five nominees led by Craig Merrilees and Kerry Heffer.
The Southland Sharks basketball team headlines the team category after another strong NBL campaign. They face competition from the Hokonui Under 13 marching team and Southland's women's lawn bowls intercentre squad.
"Codes do a great job of celebrating their own, and we love reading about achievements when they happen, but it's truly inspiring to look back on the past 12 months and look at the full gamut of how much Southlanders have done on the national and international stage," Burdon said.
The community impact award recognises Southland Football's Football for All programme, the Tour of Southland's weather event response, and The Bunker's youth services.
Tickets are available through activesouthland.co.nz or ILT Stadium Southland, individually or in tables of 10. The awards represent New Zealand's longest-running regional sports recognition programme.