Invitation for Nominations

For the ILDSA 13th Annual Awards – 2021 Open Water Season, which will be held on 27th November 2021 at the Galway Bay Hotel, Salthill, Galway, Ireland.

Closing date for receipt of ILDSA Nominees strictly: 1.10.2021

ILDSA Awards nominations are focused on the traditional sport of open water swimming which does not include wetsuits so in general the selection of Award winners is skewed to togs only swimmers.

Email all nominations to ildsaawards1@gmail.com with the following specifics:

Name of nominee:
Province represented:
Award category:
Achievements:
Short synopsis about the nominee:
Nominee contact number / email address:
Image of nominee during their swim:

Categories for nomination:

A: Best Newcomer to a category

1. ILDSA Senior Best Newcomer Male (Age 18 + in the year of the swim) swimmer new to a category of swims: 25km 10miles 10km 5km

2. ILDSA Senior Best Newcomer Female (Age 18 + in the year of the swim) swimmer new to a category of swims: 25km 10miles 10km 5km

B: Male Female Junior and Senior

3. ILDSA Junior Male Swimmer of the Year (Under 18 in the year of the swims)

4. ILDSA Junior Female Swimmer of the Year (Under 18 in the year of the swims)

5. ILDSA Female Senior Swimmer of the Year (Age 18 + in the year of the swim)

6. ILDSA Male Senior Swimmer of the Year (Age 18 + in the year of the swim)

C: Specific Awards

7. ILDSA Sheena Paterson Spirit of Open Water Swimming Award

This ILDSA award is bestowed to the person who brings the most joy to the sport and/or brings out the best in others. This might go for sportsmanship, corralling swimmers for a new event, raising money for charity, crewing for 12 hours in the rain, laughing and thanking all when a plan fails miserably due to adverse weather or a human mistake.

8. ILDSA Best Organised Open Water Swim
This ILDSA Award takes into account many factors. The key ones are safety and enjoyment of the swimmers and volunteers. Extra credit given to swims with natural courses (as opposed to around 3 buoys), innovation, food and hot drinks, fun prizes and lots of medals.

9. ILDSA Margaret Smith Award
This ILDSA Award is given to the person or persons who have increased the profile of open water swimming in Ireland in the that year. This goes to the administrator, organiser, volunteer, pilot, crew, etc. who did the most to advance or just keep their event committee going.

10. ILDSA Shane Moraghan Award for Best Overseas performance by an Irish Open Water/Marathon Swimmer
The award goes to the most impressive swim outside of Ireland by an Irish Swimmer with extra credit given for longest distance, difficulty, a first ever swim, step up from the swimmer’s previous best.

11. ILDSA Jack McClelland Award for a Pioneering Swim
In the water of Ireland or by a swimmer from Ireland anywhere in the world with extra credit given for longest distance, difficulty, a first ever swim, step up from the swimmer’s previous best.

12. ILDSA Open Water Swim Performance of the Year
The most impressive swim with extra credit given for longest distance, difficulty, step up from the swimmer’s previous best.

D: Provincial Awards

13. ILDSA Ted Keenan Ulster Swimmer of the Year 2021

14. ILDSA Páraic Casey Munster Swimmer of the Year 2021

15. ILDSA Connaught Swimmer of the Year 2021

16. ILDSA Leinster Swimmer of the Year 2021