Again there will be two awards, one chosen by the Mercury panel and a peoples choice award.

Previously, the award has solely highlighted the outstanding individual achievements of Illawarra sportspeople on the international, national and regional stage.

This year, the award has expanded to include the outstanding team achievements of the dominant Illawarra representative rugby league team and Wollongong Bulldogs winning the South Coast AFL flag for a fourth consecutive year.

The dynamic Australian duo Caitlin Foord and Michelle Heyman are also included.

Surfer Sally Fitzgibbons (2013) and swimmer Emma McKeon (2014) have earned the top honours, while footballers Michelle Carney (2013) and Brendon Santalab (2014) have claimed the peoples choice awards.

This year, golfer Jordan Zunic, lawn bowler Aaron Teys, NRL star Joel Thompson, Wollongong-based triathlete Aaron Royle, racing trainer Gwenda Markwell and hockey player Blake Govers are on the shortlist.

Check out the achievements of our nominees and vote for your favourite. Voting closes December 21 at 11.59pm

Blake Govers  Hockey

World Cup winner and London Olympic bronze medalist Kieran Govers presented younger brother Blake his debut jersey this year.

Blake has always been a highly regarded junior with an amazing goalscoring ability.

It didn't take him long to translate the talent to the international stage, scoring a goal for the Kookaburras in his first game, against Pakistan in May.

"It was very emotional actually," Blake said.

"It was unreal, especially to have my parents come down to watch and my older brother was already here.

"That's when it started to hit home more than anything."

The year may have ended in disappointing fashion for both Blake and Kieran, with both suffering injuries to end the World League final campaign in India in November and December.

Joining Flynn Ogilvie and Tristan White as Illawarra Kookaburras representatives, Blake suffered a leg fracture in a warmup international against India and will now focus on recovering in time for next year's Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Caitlin Foord and Michelle Heyman  Football

The Matildas went further than any Australian football team in World Cup history this year, making it to the quarterfinals in Canada.

Lake Illawarra's Caitlin Foord, who won the young player of the tournament prize at the previous World Cup, played a vital role, starting in each game.

Shellharbour's Michelle Heyman started in the 20 group win over Nigeria and also came off the bench during the campaign, which ended with the 10 quarterfinal loss to Japan.

Along the way, Australian made the knockout stages with an impressive firsthalf performance against eventual champions the USA, before losing 31, before securing the draw with Sweden they needed.

The Matildas then overpowered football heavyweights Brazil 10 to make the final eight.

Before the Brazil showdown, Australia's captain Lisa De Vanna sent an ominous warning to Brazil's star player Marta about duelling with Foord.

"I'm not worried about Marta.

“If I was Marta, I'd be worried about Caitlin Foord," De Vanna said.

Illawarra  rugby league

The dominant force for the past decade, Illawarra had nine players selected for the Fiji tour after the Country Rugby League championships.

Illawarra demolished Canberra 4212 in the grand final at Mudgee, marching to a 306 firsthalf lead and securing their third consecutive Country crown and seventh in the past nine years.

The entire left edge of Jarrod Boyle, Chris Lewis, Nathan Smith and Mitch Porter all earned Country firsts selection after producing four of the five firsthalf tries.

Peni Botiki and Jokatama Dokonivalu were also named to make the Fiji tour in October alongside hooker Joel Johnson and fullback Wayne Bremner while Jarrod Thompson was named as skipper. In addition, Azan Turoa, Blake Wallace, Matt Handcock and Josh Vaartjes earned Country Seconds jumpers to play at Darwin.

"For a sixweek tournament that it is and the time they take off work, they don't get paid for it," coach Wade Forrester said. "It's that icing on the cake and I'm really proud of them. They did their individual clubs and the division proud."

Gwenda Markwell  Racing

The Queen of the Kembla Grange track, Gwenda Markwell doubted her hopes of a 13th straight training premiership this year.

"At the beginning of the year I thought I had no hope because I didn't have many horses and then I sort of won it easily which surprised me," she said just days after wrapping up another title.

Her uncertainty was proven to be unfounded.

With 27 winners (earning $332,605) for the 201415 campaign, Markwell easily notched up the champion trainer.

She finished 12 winners clear of Kerry Parker, who had an impressive season by notching up 15 winners ($183,750), with Bede Murray next best on nine winners ($155,550).

Markwell's tally was three more than her 201314 total but a shade below her careerbest of 37 winners more than a decade ago.

She reached the mark with a hattrick of winners on the final day of the season when Refaeli, Figtree and Captain Manering all saluted.

"There is no secret to it," Markwell said. "It has just been another season of grinding away and going good. No winners really stand out above the rest. A win, is a win for anyone. It is always nice."

Aaron Royle  Triathlon

A top 10 finish in the Rio de Janeiro Olympic test triathlon was enough to ensure Wollongong- based Aaron Royle will return for the main event next year.

‘‘To be honest it hasn’t sunk in yet,’’ Royle said after the race.

Royle finished sixth behind Spaniard Javier Gomez Noya, after being part of the leading pack during the swim and bike legs.

‘‘It’s a really tough bike course, but the group we had worked really well together and kept it smooth which made it a lot easier. The heat made a difference as well.’’

The former under 23 world champion is part of a group of young Wollongongbased talent, which also includes Ryan Bailie, 14th in the Rio test event and Jacob Birtwhistle.

Royle later missed defending his Noosa Triathlon crown after suffering a calf tear after winning the Nepean Triathlon.

Aaron Teys  Lawn bowls

Warilla's Aaron Teys claimed the biggest win of his career when he beat Canadian star Ryan Bester in the final of the Australian Open singles in June.

Teys also skipped a Warilla rink to victory in the Illawarra Grade 1 pennants grand final this year, before beating 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games singles silver medallist Bester 2117.

"It's an amazing day, one I will never forget," he said after winning. "I played great all week and capped it off in the final."

Teys had to fight back from a sixshot deficit after only four ends against Australian Jackaroos' Commonwealth Games gold medallist Mark Casey in their semifinal, before winning 2118 over 22 ends.

Capping off a remarkable year, Teys was chosen as part of the elite Australian Jackaroos squad, won the Illawarra Zone 16 singles title in July and recently the NSW Champion of Club Champion singles.

Joel Thompson  Rugby league

Dragons secondrower Joel Thompson earned his second Country Origin jersey this year and was in the conversation regarding NSW duties.

At 27, he has become a leader at St George Illawarra since joining the club from Canberra in 2014.

Though Thompson may not always receive the praise of his more eyecatching teammates like

Benji Marshall or Josh Dugan, his offfield achievements have played a significant part in a Mercury sportsperson of the year nominee.

"I knew what it was like to go to bed hungry, I knew what it was like to struggle and I knew what it was like not to have the nicest clothes so that makes me thankful for what I have got now," Thompson says.

"I come from pretty humble beginnings, I moved around a fair bit and I saw a lot of things that kids probably shouldn't see growing up  a lot of violence, a lot of drugs, a lot of issues to do with alcohol and domestic violence ... some things that scar me even today.

"I am very lucky that I was able to turn things around and that is why I want to help others."

Thompson has turned his own life experience into a positive for the next generation, volunteering for community work such as feeding the homeless or running programs through the Australian Indigenous Leadership Centre while playing for the Raiders and continued to do so after joining the Dragons.

Wollongong Bulldogs  Australian football

Coach Lee Murray described as the greatest victory in the club's history.

The Bulldogs won a fourth consecutive AFL South Coast by beating the Wollongong Lions 11.9 (75) to 7.5. (47) at North Dalton Park.

‘‘This is the greatest display this club has had,’’ an emotional Murray said after the siren.

‘‘There hasn’t been an opponent with the quality of the Lions in my time here and yet they didn’t come close to us today.

'‘We won every quarter and played at an incredible level.’’

The Lions had returned from playing in the AFL Sydney grades and lost just one game during the season, to the Bulldogs at Keira Oval.

However, the Lions had delivered a thumping win over the Dogs in the qualifying final.

In the club's eightyear existence, the Bulldogs beat Kiama in grand finals twice (2012, 2013), then Northern Districts last season.

Jordan Zunic  Golf

Less than two years after a lifethreatening car accident, Jordan Zunic claimed a career-changing first professional career title, winning the NZ Open.

Standing about 150 metres from the 18th hole and tied for the lead, Zunic held his nerve in spectacular fashion, his ball rattling the pin and stopping a metre from the hole.

He sunk the birdie putt to be 21under for the tournament, $180,000 richer and about 1000 rankings places higher.

"They were tears of joy," Zunic said after the tournament.

"When I was lying in that hospital bed, I didn't know if I'd ever get back to where I was, and to come back and be better than I was is hard to believe. I've put a lot of hard work in, and it's nice to have some reward for the hard work."

The win also booked his place to the Australian Masters and Australian Open, where fellow

Illawarra golfer Lincoln Tighe almost secured a place at next year's British Open, when he finished tied for fifth.