Nominations Announced for the 2026 LTA Awards

Established in 2015 by former LTA President Cathie Sabin OBE, the awards recognise the inspirational people who give their time, expertise, and passion to help the sport thrive.

Over the past decade, the programme has expanded to reflect the evolving landscape of tennis and padel, highlighting new and emerging contributions across the community. The awards continue to motivate more people to volunteer, coach, officiate, and get involved in the sport. 

This year’s finalists were selected from more than 3,000 nominations, the highest number in the awards’ 11 year history. Spanning 14 categories, nominees first progressed through County Award, Tennis Scotland, and Tennis Wales selections before being considered by the National Panels. 

Judging panels brought together a wide range of expertise, including LTA colleagues and councillors, elite athletes, officials, previous award winners, and representatives from media, politics, charities, and commercial partners. Among the notable contributors were Lucy Shuker 2024 Paralympics GB Flagbearer in Paris, James Keothavong MBE, one of the world’s most respected chair umpires and Jenny Betteridge, Strategic Lead on Volunteering from Sport England.  

Jenna Smith, Head of Delivery Support, said: “A big thank you to our judges and partner organisations for giving their time and expertise to this year’s selection process. Their careful consideration has played a key role in shaping the shortlist.  

“It’s inspiring to see so much passion for celebrating the individuals and venues that make grassroots tennis open, friendly and accessible to people of all ages and backgrounds. Tennis and padel really are for everyone.” 

Roy Colabawalla is overseeing this year’s awards for the first time as LTA President. He said: “I’m thrilled to congratulate all our finalists and look forward to welcoming them to our National Tennis Centre in April.  

“Being named a finalist reflects their incredible commitment and passion for our sport. The judging panels had some very tough choices to make this year, which speaks to the outstanding contributions being made across British tennis. I can’t wait to meet everyone and celebrate their achievements.” 

Congratulations to all this year’s shortlisted nominees, the full list of finalists in each category is as follows: