Now it's time to find out who has won this year's Unsung Hero award, which celebrates the sport volunteers whose work is making a real difference in communities across the UK every day.

This year eight finalists were named:

• Mike Alden (Bristol)
• Rukhsana Hussain (Leicester)
• Nooh Omar Ibrahim (Cardiff)
• Mary O'Hagan (Ballyronan)
• Anna Pim (Belfast)
• Dave Thompson (Aberdeen)
• Helen Thornton (Ipswich)
• Becca Todd (Bristol)

You only have around 30 minutes to have your say - so don't delay!

Earlier this evening we left you with a six-question quiz on the year's sporting events. Did you get them all? Here are your answers...

1. With defending champion Novak Djokovic having his visa cancelled, who went on to win the Australian Open men's singles title in Melbourne? Rafael Nadal
2. Amateur jockey Sam Waley-Cohen won the Grand National on which 50-1 shot at Aintree? Noble Yeats
3. England fell to a narrow defeat by New Zealand in the final of the Women's Rugby World Cup in Auckland, ending a run of how many consecutive Test match victories for the Red Roses? 30
4. Who scored the only goal as Real Madrid beat Liverpool 1-0 in the men's Champions League final in Paris? Vinicius Junior
5. Who celebrated his first Formula One victory by winning the British Grand Prix at Silverstone? Carlos Sainz
6. Who scored Wales' only goal at the men's World Cup in Qatar? Gareth Bale

The vote for Sports Personality of the Year 2022 is now OPEN!

You can vote online at www.bbc.co.uk/spoty, by telephone or by scanning our new QR code which will take you directly to the vote page.

In order to cast your vote online, you must sign in to your BBC account. If you do not have an account, you will need to register before you can vote. Head over here if you still need to do that.

The landline number you need to call is 09015 22 82 followed by the number of your winner as shown below. If you're using a mobile, call 6 22 82 plus the number of your winner:

• 01 - Jessica Gadirova
• 02 - Beth Mead
• 03 - Eve Muirhead
• 04 - Ronnie O'Sullivan
• 05 - Ben Stokes
• 06 - Jake Wightman

Frank Keogh
BBC Sport

Jill Scott is pleased England's Euro 2022 triumph has led to rising crowds and interest in the women's game.

Former midfielder Scott, who retired after the Lionesses' victory, said: "“There has been a good knock-on effect and that’s what we wanted, not just a one-off tournament but keeping the focus on the sport in a good way."

She went on to TV stardom in another sphere - by being voted Queen of the Jungle in the I'm A Celebrity programme.

"I was definitely more nervous playing in front of 90,000 people, having that crowd in front of you makes the difference. The Bushtucker Trials are interesting but you can’t see the audience," she said.

BBC One

Sarina Wiegman speaking to BBC One: "They are very good footballers and I am very privileged to work with them because they are also very good humans.

"I can hardly describe how proud I am of them."

Ella Toone on being recognised by boys and girls in the street: "They just shout ‘Tooney’ about ten times until I reply. That’s all we ever wanted, We didn’t have women footballers growing up. We just want to inspire the next generation of girls."

It has been a history-making year for Beth Mead on the pitch, but off it, things have been difficult.

Her mum, who Mead credits for her success, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer last year and the family found out this year that it was incurable.

Mead's dad said that devastating news kick-started his daughter into action and she went on to "show the world what Beth Mead can do" at the summer Euros.

You can hear more about Mead's story in this video.

Image source, Getty Images

Beth Mead has had a phenomenal year and was a central star in the Lionesses’ historic success when they won Euro 2022. She was named Uefa’s Player of the Tournament and also won the Golden Boot with six goals and five assists.

Mead’s international goal tally for the 2021-22 campaign was 20 in 19 matches, breaking Jimmy Greaves’ long-standing record for the most England goals in one season.

She was the runner-up for the 2022 Ballon d’Or Feminin, and was also named BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year and Arsenal Women’s Player of the Season.

What a year for the Lionesses...

And what a year for Beth Mead, player of the tournament as England triumphed at Euro 2022.

What a moment. After a long 56-year wait England could at last celebrate winning a major football tournament as the Lionesses brought football home.

A few of the Euro 2022 winning side, along with manager Sarina Wiegman, have joined Gabby Logan on stage to chat about their achievement.

110 – the time of Chloe Kelly's winning goal in minutes as England secured their first major women's international football title at the European Championship.

Image source, Getty Images

Emma Sanders
BBC Sport football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

England had waited 56 years for glory at a football major tournament and the Lionesses finally delivered it in a dramatic Euro 2022 showpiece at Wembley against bitter rivals Germany.

Chloe Kelly’s iconic celebration – waving her shirt around her head in frantic disbelief – will live long in the memory of fans who were inspired by a record-breaking triumph.

As captain Leah Williamson lifted the trophy on home soil, it was a moment which felt like the start of a new era for women’s football in this country.

BBC One

Ben Stokes speaking to BBC One: "It's been an amazing three months.

"Pakistan was just another progression for our Test team. Hopefully this Test team is going to keep striving to break records and keep people watching Test match cricket.

"It was an opportunity for me to change something and make players think they were playing for something a bit different and take the pressure off their shoulders. To let people go out with complete freedom and not have to think about failure.

"Publicly coming out and speaking about the situation I found myself in, I know that has helped a lot of people. I take real pride in that. When you go through bad times it makes the good times even better."

Fortunately, Sports Personality of the Year contender Ben Stokes was well enough to speak live on BBC One tonight despite his illness.

Jonathan Jurejko
BBC Sport tennis reporter

Image source, Getty Images

So we wave farewell to the year where we finally waved farewell to two GOATs - Serena Williams and Roger Federer.

Fellow legends Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic – who was not allowed to play at the Australian Open following a saga which ended in his deportation - are still defying age and logic having won three of this year’s four Grand Slams between them.

On the women’s side, French Open and US Open champion Iga Swiatek - who enjoyed a 37-match winning streak - has emerged as the most dominant player on the WTA Tour.

Swiatek successfully filled the void created by Ashleigh Barty's shock retirement and, alongside fellow world number one Carlos Alcaraz who won his first major at the US Open, leads a vibrant group of emerging stars.

From a British perspective, the season also provided heartening signs for the future.

While 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu understandably struggled to hit the same heights in her first full professional year, Cameron Norrie enjoyed a thrilling run to the Wimbledon semi-finals and 20-year-old Jack Draper continued his own meteoric ascent by breaking into the world's top 50.

BBC One

England T20 captain Jos Buttler speaking to BBC One: "Huge pride in the whole group. We set out with these dreams, like all the others here tonight, and we’re no different. To go and win the World Cup is just elation.

"We certainly enjoyed it [the celebrations]. We don’t come down these roads very often, these days are few and far between."

Sam Curran: "We lost to Ireland early in the competition which was a wake up call. But it was amazing, it was absolutely incredible."

Image source, Getty Images

Ben Stokes starred as England defeated Pakistan in a thrilling final to win the men's T20 World Cup.

Having inherited a side with one win in their last 17 Tests, Stokes' England claimed nine victories from 10 games in increasingly audacious fashion against New Zealand, India, South Africa and Pakistan.

He captained England to one of their greatest overseas performances, with a bold declaration helping secure victory with a record run rate in their first Test in Pakistan for 17 years on route to a historic 3-0 series win.

Stokes told BBC Sport: "I think it shows that you don't have to be stuck in a particular way of playing Test cricket just because it's been done for however long, a long period of time. It's different but it's exciting to watch."

England have been transformed under 2019 Sports Personality of the Year winner Ben Stokes, who starred in England's T20 World Cup win.

A few members of England's T20 World Cup winning side have joined Gary Lineker on stage and we'll bring you their words shortly.

First, however, all this cricket chat leads us nicely on to our next Sports Personality of the Year contender...

Jack: As a very young fan, the Lionesses win was one of the best moments of my life so far. Ella Toone and Alessia Russo among others have become my favourite players after it! Outstanding!