Best Female Athlete with a Disability ESPY Award

The Best Female Athlete with a Disability ESPY Award is an annual award honoring the achievements of a female individual from the community of disabled sports. Established with the aid of disability advocate and former United States Paralympic soccer player Eli Wolff, the accolade's trophy, designed by sculptor Lawrence Nowlan, is presented to the disabled sportswomen adjudged to be the best at the annual ESPY Awards ceremony in Los Angeles. The Best Female Athlete with a Disability ESPY Award was first bestowed as part of the ESPY Awards in 2005 after the non-gender specific Best Athlete with a Disability ESPY Award was presented the previous three years (all won by sportsmen). Balloting for the award is undertaken by fans over the Internet from between three and five choices selected by the ESPN Select Nominating Committee, which is composed of a panel of experts. It is conferred in July to reflect performance and achievement over the preceding twelve months.

The inaugural winner of the Best Female Athlete with a Disability ESPY Award at the 2005 ceremony was an American swimmer named Erin Popovich, who is affected by achondroplasia. She won seven gold medals at the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens. She is one of three people to have won the Best Female Athlete with a Disability ESPY Award more than once, winning again at the 2009 awards. Fellow swimmer Jessica Long has the most victories of any other sportswoman, collecting the award four times at the 2007, 2012, 2013 and 2022 ESPY Awards, with one further nomination at the 2009 ESPY Awards, while cross-country skier Oksana Masters has been nominated the most times (eight) without winning. Swimmers have been successful at the awards with nine victories and 13 nominations, followed by paratriathles with three wins and nine nominations. It was not awarded in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The incumbent holder is American paralympic swimmer Jessica Long after being announced as the winner at the 2022 ESPY Awards.

Winners and nominees + Key * Indicates individual whose nomination was withdrawn

+ Best Female Athlete with a Disability ESPY Award winners and nomineesYear Image Athlete Nationality Sport Nominees 2005 – Swimming Cheri Blauwet () – Wheelchair racingKatie Compton () – CyclingKarissa Whitsell () – Cycling 2006 Triathlon Rachael Scdoris () – Sled dog racingLaurie Stephens () – Alpine skiing 2007 Swimming Amy Palmiero-Winters () – TriathlonEsther Vergeer () – Wheelchair tennisStephani Victor () – Alpine skiing 2008 – Softball Patty Cisneros () – Wheelchair basketballJessica Galli () – Wheelchair racingSusan Beth Scott () – Swimming 2009 – Swimming Jessica Long () – SwimmingMaureen McKinnon-Tucker () – YachtingAsya Miller () – Goalball 2010 – Triathlon Linnea Dohring () – GymnasticsAlana Nichols () – Wheelchair basketballStephani Victor () – Alpine skiing 2011 Swimming Allison Jones () – CyclingTatyana McFadden () – Wheelchair racingAlana Nichols () – Alpine skiingMelissa Stockwell () – Triathlon 2012 Swimming Chelsea McClammer () – Track and fieldTatyana McFadden ) – Wheelchair racingAlana Nichols () – Alpine skiingMelissa Stockwell () – Triathlon 2013 Swimming Victoria Arlen () – SwimmingMarianna Davis () – CyclingTatyana McFadden () – Wheelchair racingShirley Reilly () – Wheelchair racing 2014 – Cycling Minda Dentler () – TriathlonOksana Masters () – Cross-country skiingTatyana McFadden () – Wheelchair racingLaurie Stephens () – Alpine skiing 2015 – Swimming Kendall Gretsch () – TriathlonOksana Masters () – Cross-country skiingTatyana McFadden () – Wheelchair racingGreta Neimanas () – Cycling 2016 Wheelchair racing Heather Erickson () – VolleyballBethany Hamilton* () – SurfingOksana Masters () – Cross-country skiingShawn Morelli () – Cycling 2017 – Swimming Oksana Masters () – Cross-country skiingTatyana McFadden () – Wheelchair racingShawn Morelli () – CyclingGrace Norman () – Triathlon 2018 – Snowboarding Kendall Gretsch () – Cross-country skiingOksana Masters () – Cross-country skiingTatyana McFadden () – Wheelchair racing 2019 Triathlon Oksana Masters () – Cross-country skiingTatyana McFadden () – Wheelchair racingShawn Morelli () – Cycling 2020Not awarded due to the COVID-19 pandemic 2021 – Wheelchair basketball Sam Bosco () – CyclingOksana Masters () – CyclingLeanne Smith () – Swimming 2022 Swimming Oksana Masters () – Biathlon/cyclingBrenna Huckaby () – SnowboardingKate Ward () – Soccer

Statistics

+ Multiple winners and nominees Name Wins Nominations 4 5 2 2 2 2 1 9 1 2 0 8 0 3 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 2

+ Winners and nominees by sport Sport Winners Nominations Swimming 9 13 Triathlon 3 9 Wheelchair racing 1 12 Cycling 1 13 Wheelchair basketball 1 2 Snowboarding 1 2 Softball 1 0 Alpine skiing 0 6 Cross-country skiing 0 7 Biathlon 0 1 Goalball 0 1 Gymnastics 0 1 Sled dog racing 0 1 Soccer 0 1 Track and field 0 1 Volleyball 0 1 Yachting 0 1

Best Female Athlete with a Disability ESPY Award

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