The 2026 gsport Awards has entered its decisive phase. With public voting concluded and the countdown to Awards night under way, the 21st edition of South Africa’s premier celebration of women in sport now belongs to the judges, the production crew and the remarkable Finalists waiting to learn their fate in August.
The #gsport21 journey began in March, when public nominations opened across 20 categories spanning athletic excellence, coaching, media, sponsorship and community contribution. By the time nominations closed on 30 June 2026, nearly 475 submissions had been received from sport lovers across the country, each one a story of a woman, or an ally of women’s sport, shaping the South African sporting landscape.
An esteemed independent panel of judges then went to work, distilling those nominations into a powerhouse shortlist. The Finalists were revealed on 1 July 2026, with Athlete of the Year contenders Laura Wolvaardt, Lara van Niekerk and Prudence Sekgodiso leading a field packed with history-makers, while the next generation announced itself in the Emerging Athlete of the Year and School Sports Star of the Year categories.
Public voting opened in the gsport Voting Hall at gsport.co.za/voting on the same day, and the response was immediate, with more than 5,000 votes cast within the opening days as Finalists rallied their families, teammates, clubs and communities behind their campaigns.
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Then, on Monday, 6 July 2026, Cloaked Voting took effect. In a proud gsport Awards tradition designed to protect the suspense of the big reveal, all voting totals were hidden from view for the remainder of the voting window. Voting closed on Friday, 10 July 2026, and with the cloak down, no Finalist knows where she stands. Every race remains alive until the winners are announced on stage.
So what happens now?
For Finalists, the focus shifts to Awards night. Public votes are considered alongside the scoring of the gsport Awards Judges Panel in deciding each category winner, so every vote cast during the window continues to carry weight behind the scenes.
There is added intrigue in the race for the coveted Public Choice Award, which honours the Finalist who does not win her category but captures the public imagination by earning the largest public vote across all categories. With totals cloaked through the final stretch, that identity will remain one of the best-kept secrets of the night.
For the public, the invitation now is to be part of the occasion. Follow the build on gsport’s platforms, join the conversation with #gsport21, #20YearsOfgsport and #IRecogniseHer, and subscribe to the gsport Newsletter at gsport.co.za to receive every announcement as it lands.
And for the crew, the build is already under way. The four-week We Build This Experience campaign, delivered one code at a time through the gsport Newsletter, opened the application window for the volunteers who bring Awards night to life, from writers and photographers to social media creators and the front-of-house team who make every Finalist feel like the main event. Successful applicants can expect to hear from the gsport team as the production schedule locks in over the coming weeks.
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It is fitting that this update lands in the Leadership edition, because the gsport Awards is, at its heart, a leadership story. Every Finalist on the #gsport21 shortlist is leading somewhere, on the field, in the commentary box, in the boardroom or in her community, and the Awards exist to make that leadership visible.
The champions of #gsport21 will be crowned in August, capping a record-breaking year for South African women in sport. The nominations are in, the votes are counted and the cloak is on. All that remains is the reveal.
Main Photo Caption: The 2026 gsport Awards moves into its final stretch, with nearly 475 public nominations, a Finalist shortlist across 20 categories and a public vote now concluded ahead of the #gsport21 ceremony in August. All Photos: Supplied
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