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FEI Awards 2026 nominees named as public voting opens
· 2 min read
The International Equestrian Federation (FEI) named 17 nominees in four categories for the FEI Awards 2026 on 21 October and is taking public votes until 1 November. Public and judges' votes count equally, and winners will be announced in Jiangyin, China, on 5 December.
The International Equestrian Federation (FEI) announced 17 nominees, including organisations, in four categories for the FEI Awards 2026 on 21 October and opened public voting. The categories are Best Athlete, Rising Star, Best Groom and Inspire. Votes can be cast on the FEI website (fei.org/awards) until 1 November, and the final results will combine the public vote and the judges' vote at 50% each. The winners will be announced at a gala on the evening of 5 December in Jiangyin, China.
Nominees by category
- Best Athlete: Steve Guerdat (Switzerland, jumping), Alice Layher (Germany, vaulting), Nina Mallevaey (France, jumping), Kate Shoemaker (USA, para dressage)
- Rising Star: Lukas Heitmann (Germany, vaulting, 17), Prins Lejeune (Belgium, driving, 15), Teresa Leowald (Germany, eventing, 17), Greta Lepratti (Italy, jumping, 21), Jiayi "Dina" Yu (China, dressage, 22, aged 21 when nominated)
- Best Groom: Shahrouk Khan (India, dressage groom for Gabrielle Thompson), Romuald Le Goff (France, groom for the French vaulting team and individual vaulters), Alizée Olivier (France, groom for eventing and jumping athlete Gaspard Maksud), Victoria Riskalla (Brazil, freelance groom for dressage and para dressage athletes)
- Inspire: Julia Battams (Australia, Equine Pathways Australia), Fazenda Educadora (Brazil), Laura Griffith (Great Britain, Horse Rangers Association), Tegan Vincent-Cooke (Jamaica, para dressage athlete)
What the awards recognise
The FEI Awards honour not only results in the arena but also the people who work behind the scenes and the efforts that use equestrian sport to bring change to communities. Grooms handle the grooming and daily care of horses and support their health and performance, and the FEI describes this category as an award for often-unsung heroes. The Inspire category covers individuals and initiatives that support communities or create new opportunities.
The nominees came from open nominations. The FEI accepted nominations in each category until 5 October and then drew up the shortlist. The Rising Star category is open to athletes aged 21 and under. The FEI said this year's nominees include Olympic, World and European champions. None of the 17 nominees is from Korea.
Last year's winners and what comes next
Last year Justin Verboomen won Best Athlete, Tom Wachman won Rising Star and Sanne Melsen won Best Groom, while the Inspire Award went to "Beat as One – Stable Management Challenge". The 2025 gala was held in Hong Kong.
This year's voting closes on 1 November, and the FEI has published the names and biographies of the judging panel separately. The final winners will be announced at the gala in Jiangyin on 5 December.