Since 1959, the Oscar Mathisen Award (also known as the Oscar Mathisen Memorial Award, the Oscar Mathisen Memorial Trophy, and sometimes the Skating Oscar) is awarded annually for outstanding speed skating performance of the season. The award was introduced by Oslo Skøiteklub (Oslo Skating Club, OSK) to commemorate the legendary Norwegian speed skater Oscar Mathisen (1888–1954).
Until 1967, speed skaters could not win the award more than once and until 1987, women were not eligible to win the award.
The winner is awarded a miniature of the statue of Oscar Mathisen created by the sculptor Arne Durban. The statue is placed outside Frogner Stadium in Oslo, the venue of many of Oscar Mathisen's most memorable victories.
| Year | Winner | Nationality |
|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Knut Johannesen | Norway |
| 1960 | Boris Stenin | Soviet Union |
| 1961 | Henk van der Grift | Netherlands |
| 1962 | Jonny Nilsson | Sweden |
| 1963 | Nils Aaness | Norway |
| 1964 | Ants Antson | Soviet Union |
| 1965 | Per Ivar Moe | Norway |
| 1966 | Kees Verkerk | Netherlands |
| 1967 | Kees Verkerk | Netherlands |
| 1968 | Fred Anton Maier | Norway |
| 1969 | Dag Fornæss | Norway |
| 1970 | Ard Schenk | Netherlands |
| 1971 | Ard Schenk | Netherlands |
| 1972 | Ard Schenk | Netherlands |
| 1973 | Göran Claeson | Sweden |
| 1974 | Sten Stensen | Norway |
| 1975 | Yevgeny Kulikov | Soviet Union |
| 1976 | Sten Stensen | Norway |
| 1977 | Eric Heiden | United States |
| 1978 | Eric Heiden | United States |
| 1979 | Eric Heiden | United States |
| 1980 | Eric Heiden | United States |
| 1981 | Amund Sjøbrend | Norway |
| 1982 | Tomas Gustafson | Sweden |
| 1983 | Rolf Falk-Larssen | Norway |
| 1984 | Gaétan Boucher | Canada |
| 1985 | Hein Vergeer | Netherlands |
| 1986 | Geir Karlstad | Norway |
| 1987 | Nikolay Gulyayev | Soviet Union |
| 1988 | Tomas Gustafson | Sweden |
| 1989 | Leo Visser | Netherlands |
| 1990 | Johann Olav Koss | Norway |
| 1991 | Johann Olav Koss | Norway |
| 1992 | Bonnie Blair | United States |
| 1993 | Falko Zandstra | Netherlands |
| 1994 | Johann Olav Koss | Norway |
| 1995 | Gunda Niemann | Germany |
| 1996 | Gunda Niemann | Germany |
| 1997 | Gunda Niemann | Germany |
| 1998 | Ådne Søndrål | Norway |
| 1999 | Rintje Ritsma | Netherlands |
| 2000 | Gianni Romme | Netherlands |
| 2001 | Hiroyasu Shimizu | Japan |
| 2002 | Jochem Uytdehaage | Netherlands |
| 2003 | Anni Friesinger | Germany |
| 2004 | Chad Hedrick | United States |
| 2005 | Shani Davis | United States |
| 2006 | Cindy Klassen | Canada |
| 2007 | Sven Kramer | Netherlands |
| 2008 | Jeremy Wotherspoon | Canada |
| 2009 | Shani Davis | United States |
| 2010 | Martina Sáblíková | Czech Republic |
| 2011 | Bob de Jong | Netherlands |
| 2012 | Christine Nesbitt | Canada |
Famous quotes containing the word award:
“The award of a pure gold medal for poetry would flatter the recipient unduly: no poem ever attains such carat purity.”
—Robert Graves (1895–1985)