# ISU Skating Awards

The ISU Figure Skating Awards is an annual awards ceremony organized by the International Skating Union (ISU) to recognize outstanding achievements in Figure Skating. This prestigious awards honors not only the Skaters who captivate audiences worldwide through their creativity and entertainment but also the dedicated coaches, choreographers, and costume designers who bring the sport to life behind the scenes.
The awards are presented in a variety of categories: Most Entertaining Program, Most Valuable Skater, Special Achievement, Lifetime Achievement, Best Coach, Best Choreographer, Best Costume, Best Newcomer.
A long list of candidates is selected by a Selection Commission which is submitted to a public and media vote. The public vote counts for 2/3 while the media vote counts for 1/3.
In 2025, the following categories are open for voting:
* Best Costume
* Most Entertaining Program
* Best Coach
* Best Choreographer
The following categories are not subject to voting:
* Lifetime Achievement Award: will be selected exclusively by the Selection Commission.
* Best Newcomer: this year with only three candidates, they are automatically advanced to the Nominees stage.
* A new category will be announced soon. Stay tuned!
Following the public / media vote, three nominees in each category are announced and finally the Award winners are decided by an expert international jury in six categories.

## History

First announced in 2019, the ISU Figure Skating Awards were created to celebrate and recognize outstanding achievements in Figure Skating.
The inaugural event was originally set to take place during the 2020 ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Montreal, Canada. However, due to the global pandemic, the ceremony was moved online and hosted by Tanith White (1x Olympic silver and 2 x World silver medalist) and Charlie White, (Olympic and two time world Champion) ice dancers who brought their expertise and energy to the first-ever virtual event.
In 2023 and 2024, the ceremony was held in Zürich, Switzerland, alongside an on-ice live show in partnership with Art on Ice and was streamed on the Skating ISU YouTube channel.
In 2025, changes were made to the Awards. They will be called the “ISU Figure Skating Awards” and will be a standalone event. The ceremony will take place on 30 March in Boston, Massachusetts on the final day of the ISU World Figure Skating Championships.
The hosts of the awards have included legends of Figure Skating and icons from the world of sport, such as Elma Smit (TV presenter and journalist), Kurt Browning (four-time World Champion and skating legend), and Johnny Weir (two-time Olympian, World bronze medalist and TV commentator). Each bringing their unique charisma and passion to make the event unforgettable!
The following categories have been presented throughout the years
* Most Valuable Skater
* Most Entertaining Program
* Best Newcomer
* Best Costume
* Best Coach
* Best Choreographer
* Lifetime Achievement
* Special Achievement (since 2023)

## Past Winners

The following lists detail ISU Skating Awards winners to date.

### 2020

| Award | Winner(s) | Other nominees |
| Most Valuable Skater | Yuzuru Hanyu | Nathan Chen Gabriella Papadakis / Guillaume Cizeron |
| Most Entertaining Program | Gabriella Papadakis / Guillaume Cizeron | Evgenia Medvedeva Kévin Aymoz |
| Best Newcomer | Alena Kostornaia | Alexandra Trusova Young You |
| Best Costume | Madison Chock / Evan Bates | Yuzuru Hanyu Anna Shcherbakova |
| Best Coach | Eteri Tutberidze | Rafael Arutyunyan Brian Orser |
| Best Choreographer | Shae-Lynn Bourne | Marie-France Dubreuil Lori Nichol |
| Lifetime Achievement | Kurt Browning | — |

### 2021

| Award | Winner(s) | Other nominees |
| Lifetime Achievement | Tamara Moskvina Alexei Mishin Jayne Torvill / Christopher Dean | — |

### 2022

* Awards postponed

### 2023

| Award | Winner(s) | Other nominees |
| Most Valuable Skater | Nathan Chen | Gabriella Papadakis / Guillaume Cizeron Anna Shcherbakova |
| Most Entertaining Program | Gabriella Papadakis / Guillaume Cizeron | Donovan Carrillo Yuzuru Hanyu |
| Best Newcomer | Isabeau Levito | Niina Petrõkina Rinka Watanabe |
| Best Costume | Madison Chock / Evan Bates | Yuzuru Hanyu Loena Hendrickx |
| Best Coach | Patrice Lauzon | Rafael Arutyunyan Stéphane Lambiel |
| Best Choreographer | Shae-Lynn Bourne | Benoît Richaud Marie-France Dubreuil |
| Special Achievement | Ilia Malinin | — |
| Lifetime Achievement | Katarina Witt | — |

### 2024

| Award | Winner(s) | Other nominees |
| Most Valuable Skater | Ilia Malinin | Kaori Sakamoto Shoma Uno |
| Most Entertaining Program | Adam Siao Him Fa | Kevin Aymoz Lilah Fear / Lewis Gibson |
| Best Newcomer | Hana Yoshida | Nina Pinzarrone Kimmy Repond |
| Best Costume | Loena Hendrickx | Madison Chock / Evan Bates Lee Hae-in |
| Best Coach | Mie Hamada | Stéphane Lambiel Sonoko Nakano |
| Best Choreographer | Benoît Richaud | Shae-Lynn Bourne Stéphane Lambiel |
| Special Achievement | Deanna Stellato-Dudek | — |
| Lifetime Achievement | Brian Orser | — |

### Wins per country (2020–2024)

| Country | Wins |
| United States | 6 |
| Canada | 6 |
| Russia | 4 |
| France | 4 |
| Japan | 3 |
| Germany | 1 |
| United Kingdom | 1 |
| Belgium | 1 |

## Jurors

The ISU Skating Awards jury is made up of six jurors each of whom is a former Figure Skating Champion.
| Year | Jurors |
| 2020 | Eric Radford (CAN) Lu Chen (CHN) Surya Bonaly (FRA) Miki Ando (JPN) Tatyana Navka (RUS) Todd Eldredge (USA) |
| 2021 | - |
| 2022 | - |
| 2023 | Eric Radford (CAN) Kiira Korpi (FIN) Surya Bonaly (FRA) Miki Ando (JPN) Christopher Dean (GBR) Todd Eldredge (USA) |
| 2024 | Miki Ando (JPN) Brian Boitano (USA) Surya Bonaly (FRA) Lu Chen (CHN) Laura Lepisto (FIN) Andrew Poje (CAN) |

## Special Guests

Each year the ISU Skating Awards features a special performance from a star guest.
* 2020: Aloe Blacc, singer/songwriter
* 2021: James Morrison, singer/songwriter/guitarist
* 2023: Melanie C, singer/songwriter/original member of The Spice Girls
* 2024: Dave Stewart, musician/songwriter/producer, original member of Eurythmics