The voting process for Kerala's biggest sports award has been set in motion. The Manorama Sports Star 2023, instituted by Malayala Manorama in association with Santa Monica Study Abroad, will recognise and celebrate the achievements of outstanding sportspersons from all across the state. 

The six final contenders picked by an expert panel are Minnu Mani (cricket), V Muhammad Ajmal ((athletics), K P Rahul (football), Sachin Baby (cricket), Sidhartha Babu (para shooting), and M Sreeshankar (athletics). 

The winner will be determined via online/SMS voting.

The sportsperson with the maximum number of votes will receive the Manorama Sports Star 2023 award and a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh. The second and third prize winners will be awarded trophies and a cash prize of Rs 3 lakh and Rs 2 lakh respectively. As many as 10 lucky persons who take part in the selection process will be given away Rs 10,000 each.

The panel comprising Olympian M D Valsamma, former cricketer and coach P Balachandran, and ex-shuttler and Arjuna awardee George Thomas assessed the performances of Keralite sportspersons in different disciplines during the last one year at national and international levels before finalising the list.

"Picking the final six contenders for Manorama Sports Star 2023 has been a difficult task. It is a clear indication of the excellent performances put in by Keralite sportspersons in national and international competitions over the past one year," said Valsamma. 

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According to Balachandran, the competition for Manorama Sports Star is getting more serious with each passing year. "Such healthy competition augurs well for the promotion of different sporting disciplines," he said. 

"The six final contenders for the prestigious award represent four different sports. Winners of the previous editions of the Manorama Sports Star award were not included in the final list," said George. 

Format to vote

A. Minnu Mani: MSA<space>A

B. V Muhammad Ajmal: MSA<space>B

C. K P Rahul: MSA<space>C

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D. Sachin Baby: MSA<space>D

E. Sidhartha Babu: MSA<space>E

F. M Sreeshankar: MSA<space>F

The SMS should be sent to 56767123 (charges applicable) in the prescribed format. For example, if your pick is the second person on the list, the format should be MSA<space>B.

Customers need to maintain minimum balance to send text messages to the aforementioned number. It will not be possible to send text messages to this short code using the free SMS pack offered by your service provider. One will have to recharge with an entry-level plan to avail the SMS facility.   

For online voting, log on to https://www.manoramaonline.com/sportsawards

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