The list of contenders for this year's coveted award includes a broad range of sports such as cycling, swimming, athletics, cricket, basketball, water skiing, lawn bowls and canoeing.

Road cyclists dominate the field, with Jason Lea, Chris Hamilton, Jack Haig, Peta Mullens and Patrick Eddy among the monthly nominations for regional Australia's longest running community sports award.

Emerging superstar Alessia McCaig earned her nomination in March, when she won gold in sprint, team sprint, keirin and scratch, and bronze for time trial at the Australian junior track cycling titles in Brisbane.

Alessia broke Australian records in the flying 200 metres, and team sprint. She earned the Champion of Champions jersey for most outstanding in under-17 girls class for a second successive year, and also won gold in sprint and keirin, and silver in time trial at the Victorian junior champs held earlier in March.

BMX rider Jaclyn Wilson captured three national titles at the Australian BMX Championships raced in Shepparton. The 42-year old won gold in the master's women's open wheel, women's 40-44 cruiser and 20-inch events. Jaclyn has now won 21 national titles, and was the Bendigo Sports Star of the Year in 2011- 12. She is also a four-time world champion.

Breaststroke champion Jenna Strauch won the 200m breaststroke final at the Australian Swimming Championships in Adelaide during April. Her personal best time of 2:24.88 clinched gold and was almost two seconds faster than her previous best time.

Jenna is on track to represent Australia at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

Emma Berg achieved a personal best of 14.24 metres as she won gold in the women's open shot put at the Athletics Australia national track and field championships in Sydney. Emma competes with the South Bendigo Athletics Club.

She is number one in national rankings for under-20 women's shot put, and number two at open level.

In June, Jack Haig capped a brilliant comeback from a knee injury to be runner-up in the final stage of the Criterium du Dauphine in France. Racing for Mitchelton-Scott, Jack was 27th overall. He later made his Tour de France debut with Mitchelton-Scott.

In July, Tayla Vlaeminck became the first female from Bendigo to represent Australia when she played in the one-off Test during the Ashes series in England.

Tayla claimed 0-37 off 11 overs in England's only innings of the Test match in Taunton.

The pace bowler took 1-9 off two overs in the third and final match of the T20 series. Although beaten by 17 runs, Australia retained the Ashes, 12-4, based on points earned in the three one-day clashes, Test, and Twenty20 games.

Tayla has earned a reputation as one of the fastest bowlers in the women's game.

Basketball star Kelly Wilson marked a superb basketball season with the Bendigo Braves by earning the NBL1 Most Valuable Player Award in August.

Kelly was also given the Golden Hands Award and was named on the NBL1 Women's All-Star Five team.

Will Kelly was victorious in the seated trick category at the 2019 International Water Ski and Wakeboard Federation World Waterski Championships for the Disabled in September.

Will also achieved a world record score and he and his Australian teammates were second in the teams category in Norway.

In October, Brad Rawiller teamed with Black Heart Bart to win the Group One Underwood Stakes in a fairytale victory.

Brad returned to race riding in March after being on the sidelines for almost five months recovering from neck fractures sustained in a race fall at Cranbourne in October, 2018. Brad has ridden Black Heart Bart in all of this six Group One victories.

Lee Schraner capped an unbeaten run to claim November's lawn bowls World Singles Champion of Champions event in Adelaide.

Lee was the third Australian in the past four years to win the men's title.

He is playing coach of Bendigo East and a key figure in the club's quest for back-to-back division one premierships in Bendigo Bowls Division pennant.

December's nomination was won by canoeing ace James Humphry, who won gold, silver and bronze at the recent National Canoe wild water championships in Victoria.

Cyclist Pat Eddy capped a remarkable year by being named Cycling Australia's road cyclist of the year to share the Sports Star nomination.

Other awards to be announced on the night include the Cyril Michelsen and Maxine Crouch Trust Fund recipients, the Faith Leech award, the 2020 Hall of Fame inductee, Bendigo's Healthiest School award and the inaugural Bendigo Bank Community Award.

Tickets for the February 28 awards night are $95 each, or a table of 10 for $900.

The celebration is hosted at All Seasons and includes pre-dinner drinks on arrival, a two course meal, wine, beer and soft drink.

Visit www.bendigoregion.com.au for bookings and more details.