It has been another exceptional year for Scottish sport.
New heroes have emerged on the world stage, established champions have continued to progress and an army of equally committed people have worked tirelessly in their communities to promote participation in sport.
On 7 December in Glasgow, a small selection of this vast group of champions will be recognised at the 2017 Sunday Mail sportscotland Scottish Sports Awards. These are the finalists who are in the running for the top awards this year.
Scottish Sports Personality
Laura Muir (athletics)
It was a record-breaking year for the 24-year-old veterinary student who won double gold in the 1500m and 3000m events at the European
Championships.
Jamie Murray (tennis)
The doubles specialist from Dunblane took his personal haul to five Grand Slams with Wimbledon and US Open glory in the mixed doubles with Martina Hingis.
Katie Archibald (cycling)
The 23-year-old from Milngavie won gold at both world and European level as she confirmed her status as Scotland’s leading cyclist.
Elise Christie (short track speed skating)
It was a year of redemption for the 27-year-old from Livingston, who won three golds at the World Short Track Championships in Rotterdam as the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics loom.
Duncan Scott (swimming)
The 20-year-old Stirling University swimmer won relay gold and silver at the World Championships and was the first British swimmer to go under 48 seconds in winning 100m gold at the British Championships.
Callum Hawkins (athletics)
The 25-year-old distance runner from Renfrewshire shot to prominence, beating Mo Farah in Edinburgh before finishing fourth in the World Championships marathon in London.
Josh Taylor (boxing)
The Tartan Tornado is fast becoming Scotland’s new boxing superstar with a thrilling 2017 that saw him twice retain the Commonwealth light-welterweight title and add the WBC silver belt.
Sammi Kinghorn (athletics)
The 21-year-old wheelchair racer from the Borders excelled at the World Championships in London with two golds and a bronze in the sprints, breaking her own 200m world record.
Stuart Hogg (rugby union)
The Scotland and Glasgow Warriors full-back was named Player of the Six Nations Championship for the second year in a row and was one of only two Scots selected for the Lions tour to New Zealand.
Young Sports Personality
Scott McLay (swimming)
The sprint specialist became Scotland’s most decorated athlete in the history of the Commonwealth Youth Games, winning three golds, one silver and one bronze at the 2017 event in the Bahamas.
Jemma Reekie (athletics)
The teenager became the first Scot to win a 1500m and 3000m double at the British Junior Championships, then clinched 3000m gold at the European Junior Championships.
Ieuan James (canoeing)
The 18-year-old won K1 200m gold at the European Junior and World Junior Championships during a phenomenal 2017.
Team of the Year
Celtic (football)
In the year they celebrated the 50th anniversary of winning the European Cup, Brendan Rodgers' team won an invincible treble and made the group stage of the Champions League.
Scotland men’s hockey
The Blue Sticks won the Men’s EuroHockey Championship II, qualified for the top tier of European hockey for the first time since 2005 and battled their way to the World League semi-final.
Scotland rugby sevens
Calum MacRae’s team defended their London Sevens title against the best in the world, pulling off a remarkable come-from-behind win over New Zealand en route.
School Sport Award
Park School (Kilmarnock)
The first ASN (additional support needs) school to achieve a sportscotland Gold School Sport Award in 2017, using sport to socialise and integrate disengaged kids with great results.
St Anthony’s Primary (Saltcoats)
Another Ayrshire school, St Anthony's generated an incredible heart-warming tale of a school’s sports ethos, raising funds for a Primary 2 pupil suffering cerebral palsy to have life-changing surgery in the United States.
Castlehead High School (Paisley)
For a school that has 40 per cent of its roll from areas of deprivation, Castlehead have done a remarkable job of engaging all of their pupils by putting sport at the heart of activities.
Coach/Manager of the Year
Brendan Rodgers (football)
The Northern Irishman became just the third Celtic manager to win a treble, uniquely doing it undefeated, while qualifying for the Champions League group stage.
Ian Mirfin (athletics)
A committed coach to disabled athletes for more than 25 years, Ian’s work with Sammi Kinghorn has earned him most plaudits in 2017.
Derek Forsyth (hockey)
Fighting a challenging funding climate and limited time with his players, Derek defied odds and distance to coach his side to European success.
Sporting Event of the Year
Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open Golf (Dundonald Links)
A ground-breaking event, the first co-sanctioned by the American LPGA, boasted the biggest prize fund outside of the Tour’s two Majors at $1.5million, attracting a truly world-class field on the same course as the men’s event.
World Badminton Championships (Glasgow)
The most prestigious event in the sport came to the Emirates Arena in August and showed Glasgow’s sporting hospitality at its finest while creating a great legacy.
European Rugby Cup Final Weekend (Murrayfield)
Bringing a £35m economic boost to Edinburgh, Scottish Rugby did their European governing body proud with a massive crowds for their showpiece double-header.
Inspirational Performance
Leigh Griffiths (double v England in World Cup qualifier)
For two minutes and 50 seconds in June at Hampden, the nation went into orbit as the Celtic striker scored two incredible free kicks - his first two Scotland goals.
Scotland 24 New Zealand 21 (London Sevens rugby)
The first time any Scottish rugby side have beaten the All Blacks in 112 years – and they did it the hard way from 21-0 down in one of the most thrilling Sevens fightbacks.
Sammi Kinghorn (T53 200m world record at Para Worlds)
Sammi’s very presence on the track is an inspiration after everything the 21-year-old has been through but her record-breaking heroics in the 200m brought the watching nation to a standstill.
Local Hero Award
Tom Jack
Tom is the driving force behind the girls’ section of the award-winning Gartcairn Academy in Airdrie. Tom comes off nightshift to coach his kids and has run trips to Malawi to deliver female-only football sessions.
Calum Graham
A 25-year commitment to community and school sport in Annandale and Eskdale, Calum goes above and beyond to help young people participate in sport.
Adrienne Hunter
The founder of Glasgow Fever basketball started with 10 girls in 2010 and has turned the club into a 300-member institution, working exhaustively in the community to engage kids in the game.
James O’Neill
James is a student graduating from Ayrshire College who volunteers an incredible 40 hours a week to provide opportunities for disadvantaged groups.
Disability Sports Award
Sammi Kinghorn (athletics)
The 21-year-old wheelchair racer from the Borders excelled at the World Championships in London with two golds and a bronze in the sprints, breaking her own 200m world record. She will race the marathon at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
Martin Perry (table tennis)
The Paisley man is an incredible ambassador for his sport and a talent now making his way up the world rankings, winning at British, European and world level in 2017 with the GB Para Table Tennis group.
Danii Joyce (swimming)
The Deaflympics is the oldest multi-sport event outside the Olympic Games itself and Danii’s incredible haul of two golds and two bronze medals in the pool in Turkey was a GB best.
Local Club of the Year
Grove Menzieshill Hockey Club
Running 22 teams from kids to seniors, the Dundee club engages everyone in the community in their efforts, winning the EHF European Club of the Year 2016 for small clubs.
Kingdom Off-Road Motorcycle Club
This forward-thinking Fife club was set up to provide a safe environment for motorbike riders to go off-road and curb illegal and anti-social riding.
Haddington Table Tennis Club
A finalist in 2016, Haddington had an even more impressive 2017, creating huge growth in the sport across East Lothian.
Find out more
Visit the Scottish Sports Awards website for all you need to know about the ceremony on 7 December.
