Blues Awards Criteria and Nominations/Applications

Nominations for the 2020 awards are now closed. Nominations closed on 31st August.

Information on the 2020 award categories and the awards functions is available below. Please note that there are some changes to this year’s awards due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. More information on this is available in the relevant sections below.  

Massey University Blues Award

Massey University Blues Awards are presented to students in recognition of their outstanding achievements in both sport and academic studies. 

Sport Criteria for a Massey University Blue

• The qualifying period for sporting achievements is the season from September 2019 - August 2020.
• Excellence of play and sportsmanship.
• Exceptional merit or honour in the particular sport concerned, as displayed in open competition at regional, national or international events during the qualifying period. This standard is set by the relevant NSO for each sport. 

Academic Criteria for a Massey University Blue

• The academic qualifying period for a 2020 Blue is from 1 July 2019 - 30 June 2020.
• All applicants must be enrolled and pursuing a qualification at Massey University or completing a degree or diploma during the academic qualifying period.
• All applicants must have gained a successful pass in a minimum of 45 credits over the period of the qualifying academic year, or be completing their qualification.

We are aware that many athletes have not been able to achieve their sporting goals this year due to the pandemic and associated cancellation of national and international sporting events, and therefore may not be eligible for a Blue this year. We recognise that this has been a deeply unsettling time for many of you and share your disappointment. However we wish to still acknowledge those that have competed either prior to, or following, the lockdown in NZ and have met the Blues criteria.  

In order to maintain consistency with previous and future Blues Awards there will be no changes to the academic or sporting eligibility standard required for a Blue this year. 

Massey University Sport Achievement Award

This award was introduced in 2018 to recognise those who have performed exceptionally, however are not eligible for a University Blue as an individual athlete. Eligible applicants include coaches, officials and teams who meet the same criteria as for a Blue, when applied to their circumstances (for example an official who has represented New Zealand umpiring internationally). Teams must be Massey University representative teams, or be comprised of at least 75% Massey University members. Where a team meets performance criteria, academic eligibility will be disregarded. The Sport Recognition Award nomination process is the same as for a Blue (in the case of a team nomination only one member is required to nominate on behalf of the team, however you may need to provide further details of all members after your nomination has been received).

Please be aware that this Award replaces the previous Massey Sports Team of the Year, in order to allow recognition across a broader range of categories, while retaining the prestige and level of performance that characterises University Blues.

Contribution to Sport

This category recognises those who have volunteered and contributed significantly to sport at Massey.

Sportsman & Sportswoman of the Year Awards

Massey University presents a Campus Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year Award at both the Manawatu (including Wellington) and Auckland campuses. These awards go to the Blues recipients who, in the opinion of the panel, have performed most outstandingly at their sport and met the academic criteria requirements during the year in question.

Distance Sportsman & Sportswoman of the Year Award

Massey University presents a Distance Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year Award at either the Manawatu or Auckland campus event (depending on the locality of the winner). This award goes to the Blues recipient who, in the opinion of the panel, has demonstrated excellent sporting achievements during the year in question and has achieved excellent academic grades. Students studying via distance through Massey University are eligible for consideration of this award.

Awards Functions 

There will be no awards functions held in 2020 due to the Covid-19 global pandemic. All applicants for 2020 will be informed of the outcome of their application following the closing date, however they will not be presented with their award. A combined 2020/2021 Blues Awards function will be held in late 2021 where award recipients for 2020 and 2021 will be presented with their awards. Any recipient unable to attend the function will receive their award via post, following the function.

Enquiries

If you have any queries about the Blues award process, please email the High Performance Coordinators or phone 0800 MASSEY.

Page authorised by Chairperson, Sports Forum
Last updated on Tuesday 01 September 2020