If you are a fan of sports, you will have undoubtedly heard about the BBC Sports Personality of The Year.

Dating back to the 1950s in the UK, this event commemorates a publicly voted-for sports star who is a favorite among the public and is well-recognized to have added to their sport.

The award show was created by Paul Fox, who came up with the idea when he was editing a magazine show, Sportsview. The first ceremony took place in 1954 and was presented by Peter Dimmock. The initial votes were sent in by postcard, and the voting rules were printed in the Radio Times. These rules stipulated that all votes had to be for athletes featured in Sportsview since April.

In 2025, those rules have changed a bit and so has the voting system. To learn more about this, read on.

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What is the BBC Sports Personality of the Year?

The BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award is pretty much what it sounds like.

It is the main celebration and acknowledgment of sportspeople, who are selected to be recognized by public vote. The recipient either has to be British or has to currently reside and play a lot of their sport in the UK.

In 2024, the winner of the award was 800m runner Keely Hodgkinson.

A Favorite to Win the 2025 Award

At the start of 2025, there was a buzz around Luke Littler being the main contender to win the BBC Sports Personality of the Year. He is an English professional darts player and has been the reigning PDC World Champion since winning in 2025.

However, he is not alone, and according to betting sites, other favorites in the running include

• Rory McIlroy
• Lando Norris
• Lewis Hamilton
• Ellie Kildunne
• Tom Aspinall
• Jack Draper

The Selection Process

An expert panel is convened in November 2025 to decide on the shortlist for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award.

Then, they will review their achievements and information to ensure the criteria are met. At this stage, the panel is allowed to consider other candidates based on merit.

Speaking of criteria, here is what the panel bases their judgments on:

• The candidates have to reflect UK sporting achievements on the national and/or international stage.
• They have to represent the breadth and depth of UK sports.
• The panel has to look at the ‘impact’ of the person’s sporting achievement beyond the sport in question. Are they well known, and does the public like them?

To be eligible to receive the award, the sportsperson in question has to meet the following criteria:

• They must have played a significant amount of their sport in the UK.
• Their core achievements for that year must have been achieved in the UK and not with a non-UK-based team.
• They must have been residents of the UK at the time of their sporting career.

How to Vote on BBC Sports Personality of The Year

The public can vote on the BBC Sports Personality of the Year via the website bbc.co.uk/spoty or via phone after November 2025, when the shortlist has been announced. The announcement of the winner will occur in December 2025 at the awards ceremony that celebrates all things sport in the past year.

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