Announced at a press conference on Friday, the nominees include prominent figures from various sports disciplines: Gulsan Jha from cricket, Kavita Bhatt from volleyball, Manmati Bista from kabaddi, Preeti Rai from football, and Shriram Shrestha from rugby. The awards ceremony is scheduled for August 28.

The People’s Choice Award will recognize athletes based on their success and popularity. Voting for this prestigious award has already commenced, with a 50 percent share allocated to E-Sewa, the electronic payment service provider, through its voting platform. Additionally, Facebook votes will contribute 25 percent (based on likes on the nominees’ photos on the NSJF Pulsar Sports Awards and Pulsar Nepal official Facebook pages), while 12.5 percent will come from the head coaches of national sports associations affiliated with the Nepal Olympic Committee, and the remaining 12.5 percent will be cast by NSJF members.

A renewed agreement with E-Sewa was announced alongside the nominations, solidifying their role as the voting partner for this year’s awards. Durganath Subedi, president of the NSJF, and Ashish Gautam, chief market manager of E-Sewa, formalized this partnership, emphasizing the importance of including the People’s Choice Award in the sports calendar. Gautam also mentioned that all five nominees will receive care products from E-Sewa.

The Pulsar Sports Awards 2080 will feature nine categories, including Best Male Athlete of the Year, Best Female Athlete of the Year, Best Coach of the Year, Best Young Athlete of the Year, Para Athlete Award, Special Award, Lifetime Achievement Award, Asian Sports Journalist Award, and Team of the Year. The event will take place at Nepal Pragya Pratishthan in Kamaladi.

In a notable addition, this year’s awards will see five Bajaj Pulsar motorcycles given to the winners across various categories. The recipient of the People’s Choice Award will drive away with the new NS 400 series of Pulsar, while the winners in the categories of Man of the Year, Woman of the Year, Coach of the Year, and Youth of the Year will each receive an NS200. Additionally, winners in other categories will be awarded Rs 1 lakh each.

The NSJF Pulsar Sports Awards is supported by co-sponsors and collaborators including E-Sewa, Surya Nepal Pvt Ltd, Plaza Group of Hotels, Royal Singi Hotel, Kelmi Nepal, the National Sports Council (Rakhep), and the Nepal Olympic Committee (NOC). This year’s awards promise to highlight the exceptional achievements of Nepal’s sports stars and celebrate their contributions to their respective fields.