BBC reveal twist to Sports Personality of the Year voting

Voting for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year will look a lot different in 2025.

Lionesses duo Hannah Hampton and Chloe Kelly are joined by Red Roses superstar Ellie Kildunne on the shortlist, with Masters champion Rory McIlroy, darts sensation Luke Littler and newly-crowned Formula One world champion Lando Norris also nominated.

But, in a first for the Sports Personality of the Year award, there will be two stages to deciding the winner.

First, after voters have seen all six contenders, the ballot will open for a short period. The three athletes with the most votes will then progress into a second vote, with the top-three revealed in no particular order.

Then, the ballot will open for a second time, but the public can only vote from one of the contenders from the top-three. After that, the votes from both stages will be combined and the overall winner will be crowned.

It’s the second change to the BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards this year, with the public also deciding ‘Team of the Year’ for the first time.

This is going to be as competitive as the main award in a year where the Lionesses defended their European crown at Euro 2025, the Red Roses won the Rugby World Cup on home soil and Europe’s golfers won the Ryder Cup away from home.