Nominations are being sought from National Olympic Committees across Europe and the closing date is September 8.

The accolade recognises the best performing European athletes under the age of 19 on December 31, 2014.

Candidates must be European nationals and have an impressive sports record while also demonstrate fair play and a clear understanding of Olympic culture and values.

The EOC launched the award in 2011 in memory of former Polish Olympic Committee (POC) President Piotr Nurowski who was killed in a place crash in Russia in April 2010.

Former tennis player Nurowski, who also served as President of the Polish Athletics Federation from 1973 to 1980, was travelling in a plane that also had Poland President Lech Kaczynski on board when it crashed in thick fog while attempting to land at Smolensk Airport in Russia.

All 96 passengers were killed.

Nurowski, who became POC President in 2005, had been travelling to a ceremony in nearby Katyn to commemorate the memory of some 20,000 Polish officers killed by Soviet secret police during World War Two.

Ruta Meilutyte was awarded the Piotr Nurowski Prize in 2012 and 2013 ©Getty Images




Polish cyclist Tobiasz Lis was the first recipient of the award in 2011 at the EOC General Assembly in Sochi.

He was chosen from an initial list of 19 young athletes that included British diver Tom Daley and Italian golfer Matteo Manassero.

Olympic women's 100 metres breaststroke champion Ruta Meilutyte of Lithuania was chosen as the 2012 recipient after the then 15-year-old won an Olympic gold medal at London. 

Meilutyte, who moved to Plymouth in Great Britain in 2010, picked up the award again last year for a second consecutive time after she won the 100m breaststroke title at the World Championships in Barcelona setting a world record of 1min 04.30sec in the process.

The winner of this year's award will be announced at the EOC General Assembly due to place in Baku, Azerbaijan, in November.

As well as receiving the Piotr Norowski trophy, the winner will also be awarded a €12,000 (£9,500/€16,000) training scholarship.

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