Across the day the six contenders for this year's Sports Personality of the Year were announced exclusively by six different BBC outlets starting on the BBC Radio 1 Greg James Breakfast show and ending this evening on The One Show earlier this week.

The contenders are (in alphabetical order):

Dina Asher-Smith (Athletics)
Lewis Hamilton (Formula 1)
Katarina Johnson-Thompson (Athletics)
Raheem Sterling (Football)
Ben Stokes (Cricket)
Alun Wyn Jones (Rugby)

The six sportsmen and women will compete for the public vote on the night of the live show on Sunday 15 December in Aberdeen at the P&J Live arena. Last year Tour de France champion Geraint Thomas took home the trophy, ahead of Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton and Tottenham Hotspur and England football player Harry Kane.

In addition to the main award, the other awards up for grabs on the night are World Sport Star of the Year, Greatest Sporting Moment of the Year, Team of the Year, Coach of the Year, Lifetime Achievement Award, Helen Rollason Award, Get Inspired Unsung Hero Award and Young Sports Personality of the Year.

The judging panel for this year’s BBC Sports Personality of the Year was an all-star line-up and included former Wales rugby captain Gareth Thomas, Cricket World Cup winner Ebony Rainford-Brent, tennis coach Judy Murray and Olympians Denise Lewis and James Cracknell.

They sat alongside Penny Briscoe (Director of Sport BPA) as well as Women’s Sport Editor Anna Kessel (Daily Telegraph), Sports Editor Michael Potts (Radio Times) and Editor-in-chief Alex Kay-Jelski (The Athletic).

Representing the BBC were Director of Sport Barbara Slater, Head of TV Sport Philip Bernie and Sports Personality Executive Editor Carl Doran.

Find out more about voting criteria on all the awards, further information and updates.

The shortlist

Dina Asher-Smith (Athletics)
2019 achievements: World Championships (Doha) - 1 Gold (200m), 2 silver (100m and 4x100m).

At this year’s World Championships, Asher-Smith became the first British woman in history to win a global gold medal in a sprint event. Her blistering time of 21.88 was also a national record. At the championships she also won a silver medal in the women’s 100m with a time of 10.83 (another British record) and the women’s 4x100m. In addition this season, she won the overall title for the 100m in the Diamond League for the first time.

Lewis Hamilton (Formula 1)
2019 achievements: Sixth F1 World Championship

Hamilton moved into outright second place in the most successful Formula 1 driver of all-time charts, just one behind the great Michael Schumacher, after he claimed his sixth World Championship title. The Mercedes driver enjoyed another imperious season, in which he won the title with two races to spare. At the time of going to print he had won 10 of 20 races and his overall tally of 83 is now just eight behind Schumacher. A sixth title moved him clear of the legendary Argentine Juan Manuel Fangio.

Katarina Johnson-Thompson (Athletics)
2019 achievements: European Indoor Championships (Glasgow) - 1 Gold (Pentathlon). World Championships (Doha) - 1 Gold (Heptathlon).

Johnson-Thompson finally got the global outdoor gold she craved winning by winning the heptathlon at the World Championships. She set four personal bests and finished an incredible 304 points clear of her great rival, the defending champion Nafi Thiam. Her overall points tally saw her break Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill’s British record. Earlier in the year she won European Indoor Championships gold by a margin of 252 points.

Raheem Sterling (Football)
2019 achievements: Domestic treble win with Manchester City.

Sterling was an integral part of Manchester City’s treble winning campaign in which they lifted the Premier League, the FA Cup and the League Cup. His performances led him to be named as the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year and the Professional Footballers’ Association Young Player of the Year. The England star was also praised for his public stance against racism, which has already won him other awards. He is on the 30-man shortlist for the 2019 Ballon d’Or.

Ben Stokes (Cricket)
2019 achievements: Stokes enjoyed an incredible summer in both one-day and Test cricket.

Stokes scored 84 not out as the World Cup final was tied against New Zealand, only to then come back out and help England secure victory in the super over in the most extraordinary World Cup final of all time. A month later he then produced one of the greatest innings in Test cricket history when he scored an astonishing 135 not out to help England win the third Test against Australia. Chasing an improbable 359 to win, they still required 73 when Stokes was joined by last man Jack Leach, but in a phenomenal display of hitting Stokes powered England to victory.

Alun Wyn Jones (Rugby Union)
2019 achievements: Captain of Wales’ Six Nations-winning team and 2019 IRB World Rugby Player of the Year nominee.

The legendary second rower captained Wales to another Grand Slam victory and was subsequently named Player of the Championship. At the World Cup he became the most capped player for Wales, overtaking the record of 129 previously held by Gethin Jenkins, and the second most capped player in the history of the game (if his Lions caps are added) behind New Zealand’s Richie McCaw as they finished fourth in Japan. He was nominated for the 2019 IRB World Rugby Player of the Year award.