2009 BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award was announced as footballer Ryan Giggs. Formula 1 world champion Jenson Button was runner up, with world heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis voted third. As part of the 2009 ceremony, awards were also to be presented for: 2009 BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award The 2009 BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award, held on 13 December, was the 56th presentation of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards. Awarded annually by the BBC, the main titular award honours an individual's British sporting achievement over the past year. The winner is selected by public vote from a 10-person shortlist.
BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award competed for Ireland (McGuigan) and Canada (Rusedski and Lewis) respectively, but had completed their transfer of allegiance to Great Britain by the time of their awards. The shortlist is announced a few weeks before the award ceremony, and the winner is determined on the night by a public telephone and on-line vote. Prior to 2012, a panel of 30 sports journalists each submitted a list of 10 contenders. From these contenders a shortlist of ten nominees was determined. This method was criticized following the selection of an all-male shortlist in 2011. The selection process for contenders was changed for the