Georgia High School Sports Awards to recognize state's top student athletes throughout year

© USA TODAY NETWORKGeorgia High School Sports Awards

Ga. -- November 19, 2020 - The Georgia High School Sports Awards is a nine-month student athlete recognition program that culminates in a star-studded, on-demand broadcast show, featuring the biggest names in professional sports and the top student athletes. Honorees for 25 state sanctioned sports will be announced throughout the year on the event website at sportsawards.usatoday.com/georgia.  

During the on-demand broadcast, top professional athletes and sportscasters will present these honorees, along with the top three finalists and the athlete of the year for each sport.  

The awards showcase will also feature other premier awards for both on and off-field accomplishments of student athletes, coaches and teams, including awards for a scholar athlete of the year, top band, the coach of the year, team of the year, and the male and female athlete of the year.

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The awards show will be free to watch on any smartphone or computer thanks to sponsors. It is scheduled to premiere at 7 p.m. EDT  July 15, 2021. Honorees should register on the show website to reserve their complimentary athlete gift box, which is scheduled to arrive approximately one week prior to the show. Registrations are also used to send out awards for winners following the show. 

Visit sportsawards.usatoday.com/georgia to sign up for updates to keep up with show updates, honoree selections, presenter announcements and more. 

Regional award programs within the state include the Athens Area High School Sports Awards, Atlanta High School Sports Awards, Augusta Area High School Sports Awards, and Coastal Empire High School Sports Awards. Honorees selected for each of these shows will be among the pool of potential honorees for the Georgia statewide show.

These programs are part of the USA TODAY High School Sports Awards, the largest high school sports recognition program in the country. Event organizers had hoped to plan for an in person event for 2021, but concern for the continued safety and health of students and their families with the ongoing spread of COVID-19, led to a decision to produce a streaming awards show.

"Due to the various county, state and regional variations in protection against the spread of the virus, as well as our own commitment to safety, we couldn't confidently plan for live events across the country in 2021," said Crystal Costa, Gannett's event director for the high school sports award series. "We do hope and plan to be returning to our ESPY-style high school awards shows in person in 2022."

Honorees who are selected as the top Athlete of the Year in their sport at the statewide level will advance to a national recognition platform. 

The most elite high school athletes, coaches and teams from across the U.S will be featured in the inaugural USA TODAY National High School Sports awards show. The Georgia athlete of the year winners will be national honorees in cross country, tennis, golf, soccer, volleyball, football, hockey, swimming and diving, lacrosse, wrestling, basketball, softball, track and field, baseball and gymnastics.

The USA TODAY High School Sports Awards show,  which will be televised and available for streaming in early August, will showcase those honorees from each state, announce the top three in the country and then name the athlete of the year in each sport. Viewers will also see awards for the freshman athlete of the year, the play of the year, the nation's top male and female athlete, and many other premier awards for high school student athletes.  

Visit the website to sign up for updates to keep up with updates and honoree selections throughout the year. Stories about the selections and more program information can also be found at https://usatoday.com/sports/high-school-sports-awards/.

Please use the hashtag #GEORGIAHSSA and #USATODAYHSSA for a chance to be featured on the social media feeds on the event websites and be a part of the online conversation. 

Gannett owns and operates the largest high school athlete recognition program in the U.S. Viewers can find various locations, including the Georgia High School Sports Awards show, at sportsawards.usatoday.com. 

For more information, email sportsawards@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Georgia High School Sports Awards to recognize state's top student athletes throughout year