Nominations announced for World Rowing Awards 2025

GB Paralympic programme recognised along with Lancaster John O’Gaunt Rowing Club’s Refugee Integration Programme

World Rowing has announced nominations for the World Rowing Awards 2025, with four nominations for Great Britain. Paralympic, World and European Champion Benjamin Pritchard is nominated for Para crew of the year alongside the Coastal Inclusion Mixed Double Sculls of Colin Wallace and Megan Hewison. Paralympic Head Coach Nicola Benavente is in the Coach of the year category. At domestic level, Lancaster John O’Gaunt Rowing Club has been nominated for Rowing Programme of the year for their Refugee Integration Programme. Winners will be announced at a glittering event at the IOC Olympic headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland on Saturday, 24 January 2026.

Benjamin Pritchard has gone from strength to strength since winning Paralympic gold at Paris 2024. He began 2025 with a best time and European title in Plovdiv and followed that up with a world best time and his first World title in Shanghai, cementing his dominance as the World’s leading PR1 single sculler. Just last weekend he also won the PR1 Open 2000m at the British Rowing Indoor Championships for the third time.

He’s on the World Rowing and British Paralympic Association’s athlete commissions and ends 2025 nominated as World Rowing Paralympic crew of the year. “It’s overwhelming,” he said, adding, “I’ve always known that if I keep the focus and keep training the results will come. I’m now Paralympic, World and European Champion and have broken records at each! Thanks to World Rowing for recognising these achievements and I’m honoured to be nominated for this award that’s been won by so many fantastic, talented athletes before me.”

This year the Inclusion Mixed double sculls (INMix2x) was recognised as a World Champion event at the World Beach Sprint Finals. 2024 defending champion Colin Wallace, and new partner Megan Hewison breezed through their races and made history taking the gold to become the first ever World Champions in this event.

Colin said: “It still feels incredible to be an official World Champion and being nominated here is the icing on the cake. It’s just amazing. I hope that this inspires more people to get involved in Para Rowing and that more Para Beach events will be introduced.”

Promoted into the Head Coach position just over 12 months ago, Nicola Benavente has shown true class in continuing to lead and develop Great Britain’s Paralympic programme. Her collaborative coaching style has helped her athletes thrive and under her leadership Great Britain’s Paralympic crews won two gold medals at the Shanghai World Championships which included the PR3 Mixed coxed four maintaining their exceptional 14 year unbeaten run.

Louise Kingsley, British Rowing Director of Performance said: “Thank you to World Rowing for recognising Nicola, Benjamin, Colin and Megan’s excellent work over the last 12 months. Great Britain is the World’s most successful para rowing programme and we are continually on the look out for passionate, talented athletes to join the programme. What better time to contact our coaches and see if you have what it takes to be part of this exceptional team!”

Nominated for Rowing programme of the year for their ‘Refugee Integration Programme’, Lancaster John O’Gaunt Rowing Club is one of the oldest clubs in the UK, run by its members who all volunteer their time to keep the club thriving. The club offers inclusive and affordable ‘Learn to Row’ courses and works with schools, universities and the city council to drive opportunities for people from all backgrounds to get involved in rowing. In 2017, Lancaster was named a City of Sanctuary. This announcement designated the Northwest city as a place of safety. Inspired by this, Lancaster John O’Gaunt RC developed a programme which uses rowing to support the integration of refugees and asylum seekers in the community. The club provides a safe, welcoming space to some of society’s most vulnerable people.

Nathaniel Reilly-O’Donnell, Director of Development at British Rowing commented: “Congratulations to everyone at Lancaster John O’Gaunt Rowing Club for this outstanding recognition from World Rowing. To be nominated in this category amongst clubs from across the world is true testament to the work they do in opening doors and providing opportunities for new people to get involved in rowing across Lancaster. Their passion and commitment to the sport is evident in all the work they do and I wish them the best of luck for the awards evening in January. Fulham Reach Boat Club won this award in 2024 so it’s fantastic to see British clubs consistently recognised for doing great work on the world stage!”