Rayssa Leal and Filipe Toledo are among the Laureus finalists; see the list

Surfer Filipe Toledo and skater Rayssa Leal are among the finalists for the Laureus Award, the sports Oscar, in the Best Action Athlete category, after voting by the world sports media. The winners will be known from the end of March.

Filipinho, 27, won his first surfing World Cup last year, beating Ítalo Ferreira. Over the course of the WSL season, he reached five finals, winning twice.

“I was delighted to hear that I was nominated for the Laureus. Winning the World Surf League was a great achievement for me and for Brazil, and the nomination helps to emphasize the incredible talent and triumph of the Brazilian surfing generation, placing us with some of the biggest names in the sport in the world.

After silver at the Olympic Games, Rayssa confirmed her potential by winning all three rounds of the world league in Jacksonville, Seattle and Las Vegas, before ending with a win in Rio in November.

“I hope my nomination for such an important award inspires and encourages more girls and women to play sports,” said 15-year-old Rayssa.

Rayssa and Filipe compete with eight-time world surfing champion Stephanie Gilmore and giant wave specialist Justine Dupont, as well as American snowboarder Chloe Kim and Chinese Olympic skier Eileen Gu.

In the Male Sportsman category, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé, finalists of the Qatar Cup, were nominated; tennis legend, Spaniard Rafael Nadal; two-time Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen; pole vaulting star Mondo Duplantis; and NBA Finals MVP Stephen Curry.

The race for the Best Sportswoman award includes Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who became a five-time world champion in the 100m, and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who won gold in the 400m hurdles. Also nominated are tennis No. 1 Iga Swiatek, French Open and US Open winner; American swimmer Katie Ledecky, Barcelona women’s captain Alexia Putellas and Mikaela Shiffrin, who won her fourth World Cup in alpine skiing.

In the revelation award, Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz stands out.

The complete list of nominees in all categories:

LAUREUS AWARD FOR BEST MALE SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR

Steph Curry (USA) Basketball — led the Golden State Warriors to their fourth NBA championship in eight years

Mondo Duplantis (Sweden) Athletics — three world records, two world titles in a dominant 2022

Kylian Mbappé (France) Football — World Cup Golden Shoe winner, top Ligue 1 in goals and assists

Lionel Messi (Argentina) Football — captained Argentina in the World Cup; Golden Ball for best player

Rafael Nadal (Spain) Tennis — won two Grand Slams in 2022, raising a career-high 22 titles

Max Verstappen (Netherlands) Motorsport — defended the Formula 1 World Championship in 2022

LAUREUS AWARD FOR BEST FEMALE SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (Jamaica) Athletics — broke record by winning fifth 100 m title at World Championships

Katie Ledecky (USA) Swimming — four gold medals at the World Aquatics Championships, setting a new record

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA) Athletics — broke 400 m hurdles world record

Alexia Putellas (Spain) Football — second Ballon d’Or, captained Barcelona to a perfect victory in the Spanish league

Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) Alpine Skiing — regained overall title at World Cup

Iga Świątek (Poland) Tennis — won in France and the US to become world number 1

LAUREUS TEAM OF THE YEAR AWARD

Argentina men’s national football team — World Cup winners after thrilling final against France

England Women’s National Football Team — won the European Championship at home in front of a packed stadium

France men’s national rugby team — ended 12-year wait for a Six Nations title with a Grand Slam

Golden State Warriors (USA) Basketball — NBA champions for the fourth time in eight years

Oracle Red Bull Racing (Austria) — beat Mercedes after eight years to claim the constructors’ title

Real Madrid (Spain) Football — La Liga and Champions League double for the Spanish giants

LAUREUS AWARD FOR REVELATION OF THE YEAR

Carlos Alcaraz (Spain) Tennis — won his first Grand Slam title in New York and reached No. 1 in the world rankings

Tobi Amusan (Nigeria) Athletics — world champion and new world record in 100 m hurdles

Nathan Chen (USA) Figure Skating — Olympic gold with world record in the short program

Morocco men’s national football team — first African nation to reach World Cup semi-finals

Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan) Tennis — won Wimbledon while ranked 17th in the world, her first Grand Slam title

Scottie Scheffler (USA) Golf — winner in Augusta and runner-up at the US Open

LAUREUS RETURN OF THE YEAR AWARD

Francesco Bagnaia (Italy) Motorcycling — overcame a 91-point deficit to claim the MotoGP title

Christian Eriksen (Denmark) Football — returned to Premier League following cardiac arrest during Euro 2020

Jakob Ingebrigtsen (Norway) Athletics — bounced back from shock defeat in the 1500 m to win the 5000 m world title

Klay Thompson (USA) Basketball –—won the NBA championship with the Golden State Warriors after being out for 30 months due to injuries

Annemiek van Vleuten (Netherlands) Cycling — overcame an illness to win the Tour de France Femme

Tiger Woods (USA) Golf — returned to the Masters after a career-threatening car accident

LAUREUS AWARD FOR PARALYMPIC ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

Diede de Groot (Netherlands) Wheelchair Tennis — won all four Grand Slams of the year

Catherine Debrunner (Switzerland) Athletics — four world records in three days of competition

Declan Farmer (USA) Ice Hockey — third Paralympic gold with the USA and top scorer in the tournament

Cameron Leslie (New Zealand) Swimming and Wheelchair Rugby — pool gold after two years out of competition

Oksana Masters (USA) Cross-Country Skiing — double gold in biathlon at the Beijing Paralympics

Jesper Saltvik Pedersen (Norway) Alpine Skiing — four golds on the slopes in China

LAUREUS AWARD FOR ACTION ATHLETE

Justine Dupont (France) Ride Big Waves — the high-stakes quest for big waves continues into 2022

Stephanie Gilmore (Australia) Surfing — eighth world title for the Australian hall of famer

Eileen Gu (China) Book Style Skiing — double gold — in big air and halfpipe — for the teen sensation

Chloe Kim (USA) Snowboard — defended her Olympic title in the halfpipe

Rayssa Leal (Brazil) Skate — Gold in the Street event at the Summer X Games and World Championship

Filipe Toledo (Brazil) Surfing — Brazilian’s first world title

LAUREUS SPORT FOR GOOD AWARD

Programs selected by an expert selection panel; Laureus Academy selects award winner

Boxgirls (Kenya) Boxing — empowering young women and challenging stereotypes

High Five (Germany) Action sports — helping migrant and orphan children integrate into new communities

Made For More (South Africa) Multiple sports — making sport inclusive for people with disabilities

Slum Soccer (India) Soccer — supporting homeless youth through sport and education

TeamUp Movement (Global) — refugee children relieve stress through physical activity, supported by War Child, UNICEF and Save the Children