The finalists for the awards were announced at a function at the ILT Stadium Southland on Monday.
World champion wood chopper Bobby Dowling, who won the world 375mm single sawing championship at the Royal Easter Show in Sydney, was the guest speaker at the event.
Sport Southland chief executive Brendon McDermott said it was good to see some minority and less traditional sports, like woodchopping and disc golf, recognised this year.
"Across the categories, we have Southlanders who are achieving at a national and international level and there are some great stories of resilience and fortitude amongst them."
Category winners will be unveiled at the ILT Southland Sports Awards on June 8.
ILT Sports Awards Finalists
ILT Sportsperson of the year:
Eddie Dawkins (cycling) - At the 2018 Commonwealth Games Dawkins won gold in the team sprint event alongside Ethan Mitchell and Sam Webster, silver in the 1000m time trial and bronze in the Keiren.
Robert Dowling (woodchopping) - Won the world 375mm single sawing championship at the Royal Easter Show in Sydney.
Wendy Frew (netball) - Captained the Southern Steel to win the 2017 ANZ Premiership Grand Final.
Patricia Hopcroft (touch) - Member of the New Zealand women's touch team.
Kirstie James (cycling) - Member of the bronze medal-winning New Zealand team pursuit squad at the 2017 world track cycling championships.
Liam MacDonald (motorsport) - Won a back to back title in Class 2 of the BNT V8's Championship in 2018.
Vodafone Junior sportsperson of the year:
Josh Burnett (mountainbiking) - Selected to represent New Zealand at the World Mountain Bike Championships in Switzerland. In March, he won the New Zealand secondary schools' mountain bike championships at Rotorua and finished seventh and ninth in under-19s at the two-day Australian National Series at Canberra.
Ben Lockrose (cricket) – Member of the New Zealand under 19 cricket team for the World Cup hosted in New Zealand in December and February. Also made his senior debut for the Otago Volts in the T20 domestic competition last year and was a member of the Southland Hawke Cup-winning team.
Alena Saili (sevens) - Member of the national sevens team. Saili received a late call-up onto the reserves' bench for the New Zealand Commonwealth Games women's rugby sevens team.
Tom Sexton (cycling) – World Cup victories in the madison and team pursuit in Chile and team pursuit in Canada and selected for New Zealand team for Commonwealth Games.
Dyani Shepherd-Oates (athletics) - New Zealand junior (U20) hammer throw champion 2018.
Ella Smith (badminton) - New Zealand National Squad member (senior), New Zealand Under 19 Team, Badminton Oceania Development Programme Towards 2018 Youth Olympics, and is the currently ranked number 1 for Oceania U19, 126 in the World Junior ranks and number 1 New Zealand U19.
Corbin Strong (cycling) - Won three gold medals at the 2017 Oceania Track Cycling Championships. Selected for Junior Track Cycling World Championships in Switzerland in August.
Southland Kia Team of the year:
Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel (netball) - 2017 champions of the ANZ Premiership.
Southland Hawke Cup cricket team (cricket) - The Southland cricket team won the Hawke Cup back after a 26-year drought with a 10-wicket outright victory over Counties Manukau on in March.
Graham and Jan Low (indoor bowls) - Claimed the New Zealand mixed pairs indoor bowls title in Upper Hutt in September.
Emma Cumming and Natasha Hansen (cycling) - Became the first New Zealand women to earn a medal in the team sprint, winning silver at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Ricoh Southland Coach of the year:
Reinga Bloxham (netball) - Southern Steel head coach 2017 and 2018.
Sid Cumming (cycling) - Southland under 17 and 19 cycling coach.
Stephen Jackson (cricket) - Southland cricket team coach.
BDO Administrator of the year:
Jason Domigan (cricket) - General Manager of the Southland Cricket Association.
Martin Conway (disc golf) - Instrumental in driving the establishment of Invercargill's first disc golf course in Queens Park and the establishment of the Disc Golf South club.
Elaine Karsten (softball) - Chief Scorer for the Southland Softball Association.
Creation Signs Official of the year:
Peter Pasco (cricket) - Official of the Year at the Otago Cricket Community Awards and second full season on the National Umpires Reserve Panel.
Paul Tomlinson (cycling) - Commissaire for Cycling Southland and Cycling New Zealand.
Kristie Simpson (netball) - Member of the national umpires squad for the 2018 ANZ Premiership, Beko Netball League and Netball Super Club Competitions.
NZME Masters achievement:
Robyn Boniface (golf) - Won the 2017 Australian Women's Senior Amateur Championship and was selected to be in the New Zealand team for the Women's Seniors Trans-Tasman Cup in Adelaide.
Erin Criglington (cycling) - Claimed three medals at the 2017 World Track Cycling Masters Championships in Los Angles.
Lynn Dickie (hockey) - Selected for the New Zealand Women's 55+ Squad for the 2018 Masters & Grand Masters World Cup.
Gail Kirkman (athletics) - Kirkman picked up six gold medals in the women's 65 age group category at the 2017 World Masters Games in Auckland. She finished the season with five New Zealand records in the high jump, 400m, 800m and twice in the hurdles.
Article courtesy Stuff