Ahead of its year-end awards ceremony in Monaco next month, World Athletics has created a new prize centered on top moments of 2026 that will be decided by fans of the sport.
The global governing body announced on Monday that 18 nominees were picked to appear on a long list of the most dynamic track and field and road racing instances that shaped a season of records, championship wins and the breakout of new stars.
“The Moment of the Year award has been introduced to celebrate the most memorable occasion of the season – one that may transcend a single performance and generate emotion and inspiration among fans and spectators around the world,” World Athletics said about its newest annual prize.
Meanwhile, the 18 nominees are formed from a range of achievements that will ultimately make it tough to decide a single blip in a strong season that included high points like Sabastian Sawe’s run at marathon immortality in London in April or Masai Russell shattering the women’s 100m hurdles mark in Zurich in August.
Voting for the long list of nominees will conclude on October 29 and a panel of judges will pick from the smaller batch in time for the World Athletics Awards in Monaco on November 29.
2026 Moment of the Year nominees
• Keely Hodgkinson stunned with the women’s 800m world short track record of 1:54.87 in Liévin in February.
• Simon Ehammer surged to the world heptathlon record of 6,670 points for world indoor gold in Torun in March.
• Sabastian Sawe shattered the two-hour marathon barrier in 1:59:30 at the London Marathon in April.
• Tigst Assefa took the women-only world marathon record of 2:15:41 at the London Marathon in April.
• Botswana’s men’s 4x400m squad struck gold on home soil at the World Athletics Relays in Gaborone in May.
• Yan Ziyi tossed a U20 javelin record of 71.74m in May at Xiamen – the second-farthest throw ever.
• Ja’Kobe Tharp catapulted himself to the world 110m hurdles record of 12.75 in Eugene in June.
• Josh Kerr electrified London in July as he set the world mile record in 3:42.66.
• Alison dos Santos bolted to the world 400m hurdles record in 45.80 in Zurich at the Diamond League final in August.
• Audrey Werro clocked a 1:53.70 in the women’s 800m in Zurich in August for the third-fastest time in history.
• Masai Russell powered her way to the world 100m hurdles mark of 12.09 in Zurich in August.
• Mondo Duplantis (6.25m) and Emmanouil Karalis (6.20m) staged an epic battle in the men’s pole vault in Zurich in August.
• Yomif Kejelcha rocketed to the world half marathon record of 56:51 in Buenos Aires in August.
• Jakob Ingebrigtsen returned from injury to win the European 5000m title in August.
• Melissa Jefferson-Wooden pulled off the Ultimate Championship sprint double in Budapest in September.
• Agnes Ngetich grabbed the women-only world record of 1:05:15 for the world half marathon title in Copenhagen in September.
• Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage tossed a final-round 91.09m to win the Ultimate javelin title in Budapest in September.
• Gianmarco Tamberi cleared a world high jump lead of 2.37m to win the Ultimate title in Budapest in September.
