A NEW award has been added to list of accolades for the 2018 Active York Sports Awards, which are officially launched today.

Nominations are now open for the fifth instalment of the popular celebration of sport in the Minster city, which will culminate in a ceremony at the Roger Kirk Centre, at the University of York, on Thursday, March 22.

The awards are organised by Active York, the city’s sport and active leisure partnership, which is working to encourage people to be more active more often. The initiative is backed by The Press.

There are 16 categories in this year’s awards, with nominations opening today and running until February 9.

The new award for 2018 is a Junior Team/Club Award, to add to the already established Team/Club Award.

The other categories are: Active Primary School, Active Secondary School, Active in York, Coach of the Year, Disabled Sportsperson of the Year, Student Sportsperson of the Year, Sportsman of the Year, Sportswoman of the Year, Volunteer of the Year, Young Disabled Sportsperson of the Year, Young Female Sportswoman of the Year, Young Male Sportsman of the Year, Youth Group Provider of the Year, and Outstanding Contribution to Sport.

The shortlisted nominees will be announced in the run-up to the awards ceremony and the leading nominees in each category will be invited to attend the Active York Sports Awards ceremony at the Roger Kirk Centre.

Paula Stainton, of Active York, said: “We are delighted to launch the Active York Sports Awards 2018. Back for another year, the awards have become an annual fixture in York’s sporting calendar. They are a great opportunity to celebrate the sporting talents, facilities and community our city has to offer.”

To be eligible for nomination for any Active York Sport Award you must live, attend school or train or play sport within City of York Council’s boundaries. There is a period of qualification, a minimum of a nine-month period running between February 2017 to February 2018.

The awards will be judged by members of the Active York board, which includes sporting partners from across the city.

The Active York Sports Awards dinner will be used to celebrate and raise the profile of the Fund for the Gifted programme, which provides grants for young sportspeople to put towards equipment and training.

Nomination forms and awards criteria are now available at www.activeyork.co.uk