Vote Now for The 120/Life Dink Awards

Thedink Pickleball 1 day ago 21 views

Awards season is back. And once again, pickleball fans are in charge.

Voting is now open for The 2026 120/Life Dink Awards, the sport’s first and only people’s choice awards, where players, creators, and moments are decided by the fans who actually live the game.

You nominated. We counted. Then counted again. And now, it’s time to vote.

From breakout pros and fan-favorite creators to the best facilities, podcasts, and paddles in the game, this year’s ballot reflects just how big (and loud) pickleball has become.

👉 Voting is live now at DinkAwards.com
👉 Voting closes Jan 21 — don’t overthink it
🏆 Every voter is entered to win a paddle of their choice!

Below is the full list of nominees for The 2026 The Dink Awards.

Player Awards

Men's Player of The Year

Ben Johns
Gabe Tardio
Christian Alshon
Andrei Daescu
Federico Staksrud

Women's Player of The Year

Anna Leigh Waters
Anna Bright
Catherine Parenteau
Hurricane Tyra Black
Rachel Rohrabacher

Senior Men's Player of The Year

Altaf Merchant
Jose Deresi
Steve Deakin

Senior Women's Player of The Year

Lee Whitwell
Julie Johnson
Sheri Counter

Men's Breakout Player of The Year - powered by Selkirk

Chris Haworth
Eric Oncins
Noe Kliff
Roscoe Bellamy
John Lucian Goins

Women's Breakout Player of The Year - powered by Selkirk

Kate Fahey
Kat Stewart
Alix Truong
Sofia Sewing
Genie Bouchard

Upset of the Year - powered by DUPR

Jade Kawamoto/Jackie Kawamoto def. Anna Leigh Waters/Anna Bright
Anna Bright/Dekel Bar def. Anna Leigh Waters/Ben Johns
Eric Oncins/Alix Truong def. Catherine Parenteau/Christian Alshon
Tom Evans def. Federico Staksrud
Columbus Sliders playoff run (def. Dallas Flash, St. Louis Shock, New Jersey 5s)

Fan Favorite Player of the Year

Anna Bright
Anna Leigh Waters
Ben Johns
Jorja Johnson
Hayden Patriquin

Best On-Court Personality

Anna Bright
Jaume Martinez Vich
Tyson McGuffin
Hayden Patriquin
Jack Sock

College Team of the Year - powered by DUPR

Texas
Utah Tech
FAU
Arizona State
Indiana
Utah Valley
Wisconsin
Ohio State
Washington
UNC
GCU
UF
UVA
Miami (FL)
JMU
Alabama
UConn
Virginia Tech
TCU
Purdue

Best On-Air Personality

Dave Fleming
Lea Jansen
Michelle McMahon
Adam Stone
Matt Manasse

Best Pickleball Podcast

PicklePod
Pickleballers
King of the Court
Pickleball Studio
Balls Deep
Kew Cast
Pickleball Cheat Code
Cracked Paddles
Pickleball Pursuit
Pickleball U
Pickleball Effect
Bad Calls

YouTuber of the Year

Tanner Tomasi
Kyle Koszuta
Zane Navratil
Eellaup
Ed Ju
Friday Pickleball
Chris Cali (Sorry Not Sorry)
Building Pickleball
Kevin Dong
Shea Underwood
Pickleball Studio
Tyson McGuffin
Jordan Briones
Cliff Pickleball
Cracked Pickleball
Kevin Dong Pickleball

Content Creator of the Year

Anna Bright
Tanner Tomassi
Mari Humberg
Kyle Koszuta
Zane Navartil
Paul Lee (eellaup)
Dom Serves
Nico the Lefty
Emily Visnic
Pickleball On Ice
Juanseanpb
FIt2Serve
Vinny Pickleball
Building Pickleball
Sydney Steineker
Tara Fieri
Picklewithsilas
Troy Akin
Pickleballbybryant
All Things Pickleball

Best Paddle Reviewer

John Kew
Chris Olson
Braydon Unsicker
Pickleball Pursuit
Best Pickleball Instructor
Tanner Tomassi
Kyle Koszuta
Mari Humberg
Briones Pickleball
John Cincola
Zane Navratil
Callie Jo Smith
Suzee Anderson Utah
Reggie Sanderson Hilton head
Jack Munro
Wayne bullock Utah
Ginny Alexander San Diego
Tommy welch
Vu Truong Vietnam

Best Pickleball Instructor - Powered by PPR

Tanner Tomassi
Kyle Koszuta
Mari Humberg
Briones Pickleball
John Cincola
Zane Navratil
Callie Jo Smith
Suzee Anderson Utah
Reggie Sanderson Hilton head
Jack Munro
Wayne bullock Utah
Ginny Alexander San Diego
Tommy welch
Vu Truong Vietnam

Best Pickleball Journalist

Erik Tice
Alex Lantz
NML
Will Daughton
Todd Boss
Alex Weaver

Influential Voice

Zane Navratil
Jason Aspes
Jimmy Miller
Connor Pardoe
Thomas Shields

Gear, Events, & Experience Awards

Best Dressed Player of The Year

Hurricane Tyra Black
Parris Todd
Anna Bright
Jorja Johnson
Hannah Blatt

Paddle of the Year

Selkirk Boomstick
Joola Pro IV
Bread and Butter Loco
RPM Friction Pro
Ronbus Quanta
Gearbox GX2 Power
Franklin C45
CRBN TruFoam Genesis
Luzz Cannon
11Six24 Alpha Pro Power

Best International Tournament

PPA Asia
PPA Australia
English Open
Pickleball World Cup
Indian Open or India Tour
The Dink Minor League Pickleball China

Best Pickleball Facility West Coast

The Hub - Campbell CA
The Hub - Alameda CA
Side Out Tsunami - Seattle WA
Premier Pickleball Club - Redmond OR
San Clemente Lifetime - San Clemente CA
Los Cab - Fountain Valley, CA
Best Pickleball Facility Rocky Mountains
The Flying Pickle - Meridian ID
The Picklr - Lehi - UT
Relish - Louisville CO
Peak Racquet Club - Mussoula MT
3rd Shot Pickleball - Reno NV

Best Pickleball Facility Southwest

Cranky Pickle - New Braunfels TX
Picklr - Austin TX
Pickler Universe Carollton - Dallas TX
Arizona Athletic Grounds - Mesa AZ
Smashers Pickleball - San Antonio TX
Austin Pickle Ranch - Austin TX

Best Pickleball Facility Midwest

Match Point - Columbus OH
SPF - Chicago IL
DINX Social Club - Highland Park IL
The Picklr - Noblesville IA
The Pickle Lodge - Cinci OH
Pickleball 365 - Fairhaven MI
Pickle & Chill - Columbus OH
Midwest Pickleball Club - Omaha NE

Best Pickleball Facility Southeast

Pictona - Holly Hill FL
Let's Go Pickleball - Peachtree City GA
Down The Line - Annandale VA
The Fort - Fort Lauderdale FL
Replay - Boynton Beach FL
St Pete Athletic - St Pete FL
Bounce - Baltimore MD
Rally - Charlotte, NC
The Pickle Bar - Summerville SC

Best Pickleball Facility Northeast

PickleBOS - Boston MA
Bounce Pickleball - Malvern PA
Ascent Pickleball - New Castle PA
Gotham - Long Island City NY
Life Time Penn1 - NY NY
The Picklr - Fairlawn NJ
Hells Kitchen Pickleball - NY NY
Pickle Spot - Orange CT

Source: Thedink Pickleball

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