The Cincinnati Enquirer, in partnership with Beacon Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine, is set to relaunch its acclaimed high school athlete and team of the week recognition program for the 2026-2027 athletic season. This initiative aims to highlight exceptional varsity-level performances across a diverse range of sports. Each week, from Monday through Sunday, nominations will be gathered for athletes and teams who have made a significant impact in their respective games. The program will run until the conclusion of the spring season, celebrating athletic prowess and dedication.
The Enquirer's Athlete of the Week Program: Details and Guidelines
The Cincinnati Enquirer's weekly recognition program, presented in collaboration with Beacon Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine, is designed to honor the remarkable achievements of high school athletes and teams. The nomination process is open from Monday to Sunday, with submissions due by Monday mornings for consideration in the week's ballot. The final round of voting will take place during the last week of the spring season.
Nominations for individual athletes or entire teams can be submitted through various channels, including the Enquirer's Facebook group dedicated to high school sports or directly via email to the appropriate beat writers. It's crucial to note that direct votes sent via email will not be counted; emails are solely for suggesting candidates for the ballot. Additional nominations may also originate from official league websites and information provided to the Enquirer's prepsports email for the nightly cincinnati.com high school scores file.
The criteria for selection emphasize a significant impact on a game by varsity-level athletes within the specified nomination period, focusing strictly on performance rather than character or academic achievements. To support nominations, relevant statistical data should be provided. Once an athlete has been recognized during the regular season, they become ineligible for further nominations until the postseason, though those who haven't yet won can be nominated multiple times.
It's important to understand that a nomination does not guarantee a spot on the ballot. The editorial team retains discretion over the number of times athletes from a particular school can be nominated, aiming to ensure broad representation across various schools and sports throughout the season. A key enhancement to the program is the introduction of an unlimited voting system, allowing supporters to cast multiple votes by simply refreshing the page. The Enquirer has also implemented comprehensive security measures to safeguard the integrity of the voting process. While schools may encourage voting through text or email campaigns, leading to vote surges, the program prioritizes fair play. The primary goal is to celebrate the achievements of athletes and foster school spirit, with weekly honors recognizing peak individual performances, distinct from the season-end all-city team selections that highlight the very best.
For the Spirit Award, celebrating cheerleaders, dance team members, and their squads, nominations are exclusively accepted from coaches. This award recognizes individuals and teams who embody qualities such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, while actively uplifting their peers and school community. Team nominations can highlight instances of collaboration, hard work, virtuous conduct, community service, or exceptional efforts in preparing special events for the school. Coaches can submit their nominations or direct any inquiries to Melanie Laughman via email by Monday mornings. These Spirit Award ballots operate independently but close simultaneously with the athlete of the week polls at 4 p.m. on Fridays.
Regarding winners' certificates, the Enquirer has transitioned from mailing physical copies to providing digital certificates. This change was made following feedback that families were not consistently receiving mailed certificates. Digital copies, in PDF format, will be made accessible to families via a public Dropbox link by 8 a.m. the Monday following a Friday win. Families are encouraged to print these certificates and then share photos of their athletes with the certificates by emailing Alex Harrison or Melanie Laughman, or by tagging Melanie on X (@mlaughman), or through Facebook Messenger. These submitted photos will then be featured in a dedicated online photo gallery.
