SafekipediaISU Figure Skating Awards
Adapted from Wikipedia · Discoverer experience
The ISU Figure Skating Awards, formerly called the ISU Skating Awards, are held every year by the International Skating Union (ISU) to honor great achievements in figure skating. These awards celebrate many different parts of the sport, such as the most fun program, the best new skaters, and the best coaches.
People and media around the world help choose the winners. First, a group of experts makes a long list of candidates. Then, everyone can vote, and their votes count for two-thirds of the decision, while media votes count for one-third.
In 2026, some awards let people vote for them. These included the best costume, the most entertaining program, the best coach, and the best choreographer. Other awards, like best newcomer and skater(s) of the year, were chosen by experts without a public vote.
After the voting, three final choices are named for each award. An expert group from many countries then decides who wins the awards in six different groups.
History
The ISU Figure Skating Awards started in 2019 to honor great achievements in figure skating. The first event was planned for 2020 in Montreal, Canada, but because of a global health issue, it was held online instead. Two famous ice dancers, Tanith White and Charlie White, hosted the first virtual event.
In 2023 and 2024, the awards were given in Zürich, Switzerland, with live shows and streaming on the Skating ISU YouTube channel. In 2025, the ceremony became its own special event and took place on March 30 in Boston, Massachusetts during the ISU World Figure Skating Championships.
Over the years, awards have been given for categories such as Most Valuable Skater, Most Entertaining Program, Best Newcomer, Best Costume, Best Coach, Best Choreographer, Lifetime Achievement, and Special Achievement (starting in 2023).
Past Winners
The following lists show the winners of the ISU Skating Awards up to now.
2020
2021
2022
- Awards postponed
2023
2024
2025
2026
| 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 | —N/a |
| Award | Winner(s) | Other nominees |
|---|---|---|
| Lifetime Achievement | Tamara Moskvina Alexei Mishin Jayne Torvill / Christopher Dean | —N/a |
| 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 | —N/a |
| Lifetime Achievement |  Katarina Witt | —N/a |
| 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 | —N/a |
| Lifetime Achievement | Brian Orser | —N/a |
| Award | Winner(s) | Other nominees |
|---|---|---|
| Skater(s) of the Year | Ilia Malinin Madison Chock / Evan Bates | —N/a |
| Most Entertaining Program | Ilia Malinin | Cha Jun-hwan Olivia Smart / Tim Dieck |
| Best Newcomer |  Ekaterina Geynish / Dmitrii Chigirev | Sarah Everhardt Anna Pezzetta |
| Best Costume | Olivia Smart / Tim Dieck | Cha Jun-hwan Ilia Malinin |
| Best Coach | Tatiana Malinina / Roman Skorniakov | Mie Hamada Michael Huth |
| Best Choreographer | Shae-Lynn Bourne | Stéphane Lambiel Benoît Richaud |
| Lifetime Achievement | Scott Hamilton | —N/a |
| Award | Winner(s) | Other nominees |
|---|---|---|
| Skater(s) of the Year | Laurence Fournier Beaudry / Guillaume Cizeron | —N/a |
| Most Entertaining Program | Yuma Kagiyama | Amber Glenn Ilia Malinin |
| Best Newcomer | Ami Nakai | —N/a |
| Best Costume | Ilia Malinin | Piper Gilles / Paul Poirier Amber Glenn |
| Best Coach | Phillip DiGuglielmo | Damon Allen Masakazu Kagiyama |
| Best Choreographer | Benoît Richaud | Shae-Lynn Bourne Massimo Scali |
Wins per country (2020–2026)
| Country | Wins |
|---|---|
 United States | 12 |
| Canada | 7 |
| France | 6 |
| Japan | 5 |
| Russia | 4 |
| Uzbekistan | 2 |
| Belgium | 1 |
| Germany | 1 |
| Spain | 1 |
 United Kingdom | 1 |
Jurors
The ISU Skating Awards have a special group of jurors. Each juror is a former Figure Skating Champion, making sure the awards are fair and exciting.
| 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 includes a special performance by a famous guest artist.
- 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
Related articles
This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on ISU Figure Skating Awards, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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