Rules
Check back in March 2025 for an updated timeline.
2024 Timeline:
The below dates reflect the 2024 College Series.
Open Nominations: Tuesday, April 2
Close Nominations: Friday, May 3
Voting Opens: Tuesday, May 7
Voting Closes: Tuesday, May 14
Announcement: Sunday, May 26
1. Nominating A Candidate
Any college or university with an interscholastic ultimate team can submit one candidate for the Callahan Award. Nominations are only accepted by visiting callahanaward.com and selecting Nominate A Candidate. Teams can nominate Callahan candidates in whatever manner they choose: They can be selected by a captain or coach, voted for by senior players, voted for by all players, etc. The nominee must be an eligible player rostered for the 2024 College Series.
Regardless of the method used to nominate the player, each team must also submit the name of one team representative as the contact person regarding the team’s Callahan nominee. This team representative can be the player nominated for the award.
In addition to each team being able to nominate one player, USA Ultimate Regional Coordinators can nominate one player from one team in their region and division that does not nominate a player on their own. Note that this cannot result in two players being nominated from the same team.
2. Eligibility Deadlines
TEAMS’ NOMINEES: Teams eligible to nominate a player for the Callahan must submit the Callahan nomination form no later than 11:59 p.m. MT on Friday, May 3, 2024. Once a player’s name is submitted, they cannot be replaced by another player.
USA ULTIMATE COORDINATORS’ NOMINEES: In addition to players nominated by their teams, each of the 10 regional USA Ultimate coordinators will be able to nominate one player from the region they coordinate. Nominations by USA Ultimate Coordinators must be received by 11:59 p.m. MT on Friday, May 3, 2024.
3. Award Balloting
All voters select a first-, second- and third-place candidate for the award. First-place votes are worth five points. Second-place votes are worth four points. Third-place votes are worth two points. The candidate with the most total points will win the Callahan Award.
Players can place a third-place vote for a member of their own school. First- and second-place votes for a member of a player’s own school will be discarded. For example, players on a school’s B team can only vote for a player on their A team as a third-place vote and vice-versa.
When submitting a Callahan ballot, the voter must completely fill out the ballot. Incomplete ballots will not be counted.
4. Voting Procedure
Voters can only cast ballots for candidates in the division in which they play. Men’s division players vote for men’s division candidates, and women’s division players vote for women’s division candidates.
5. Ballot Submission
Voting for the 2024 Callahan Award will open Tuesday, May 7, and close Tuesday, May 14 at 11:59 p.m. MT. All votes must be cast online through your USA Ultimate member account.
6. Award Criteria
Voters should take the following criteria into account when evaluating the candidates’ play during the season:
1) Skill and Excellence – overall offensive and defensive abilities,
2) Dedication and Leadership – dedication to ultimate and leadership ability, and
3) Respect and Spirit of the Game
7. Candidate’s Sportspersonship (Spirit of the Game)
When evaluating a candidate’s merit for the award, voters should treat any example of poor spirit (cheating, fighting, kicking, flagrant rule violation, etc.) as an infraction so severe that the player should be eliminated from consideration for the Callahan.
8. Candidate Removal
USA Ultimate reserves the right to eliminate a candidate from consideration for any reason. Specifically, those candidates who receive support from internet posters or bloggers who habitually make slanderous claims against rivals may be eliminated from the competition.
Efforts to “game” the Callahan voting – for example, by making side deals with other teams and swapping votes, having teams vote for third-place candidates only, etc. – are prohibited. Although ballot stuffing is rare in the history of the Callahan Award, candidates have lost the award because of these types of activities.
Note that over-the-top, public claims made online regarding a Callahan candidate’s prowess on or off the field will not disqualify that candidate and are fully expected.
All decisions from USA Ultimate are final.
9. Awarding of the Callahan Trophies
The winner of the 2024 Callahan Award will be announced on Sunday, May 26, 2024.
USA Ultimate will make arrangements for Callahan Award winners to receive the trophy via mail.
10. Property Rights
All material sent to USA Ultimate (photographs, etc.) becomes property of USA Ultimate.
11. Communicating About the Callahan Award
Communications regarding the Callahan Award can be made via email. All questions, comments and suggestions can be sent to: media@usaultimate.org.