Gatorade Player of the Year awards

The Gatorade Player of the Year awards are given annually to up and coming high school student-athletes in the United States. They are given for boys' baseball, boys' and girls' basketball, boys' and girls' cross country, boys' football, boys' and girls' soccer, boys' and girls' track & field, girls' softball, and girls' volleyball.

A "State Player of the Year" award is given to the best student-athlete in each of the twelve sports in the District of Columbia and each of the fifty states, where each sport is recognized as an interscholastic sport. Selection is based on three criteria: athletic achievement, academic excellence, and exemplary character (including sportsmanship, and participation in community and other activities). Twelve "National Player of the Year" awards are then given to the best student-athlete in each of the twelve sports, chosen from the state winners in the respective sport.

Finally, one male Athlete of the Year and one female Athlete of the Year are selected from the twelve National Player of the Year recipients. The two winners are voted on by a national panel with about 400 sports journalists, coaches, and others. The two athletes of the year, Cameron Boozer and Jane Hedengren, received their awards at a special ceremony prior to The ESPY Awards.

The Gatorade Company established the awards in 1986. The selection process was administered by ESPN RISE, ESPN's division for high-school sports. The selection process is currently run by the Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee.

Past national winners include Peyton Manning and Emmitt Smith for football, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant for basketball, Allyson Felix for track and field, and Kerri Walsh for volleyball.

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