Sports Personality of the Year: Public vote for overseas award

The BBC's Overseas Sports Personality will this year be decided by a public vote for the first time.

An expert panel - including Olympic gold medallist and 1972 Sports Personality of the Year Dame Mary Peters, England Rugby World Cup winner Maggie Alphonsi, former Paralympian Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson and footballer Jermaine Jenas - will draw up a shortlist of six contenders for the award.

That shortlist will be announced on the BBC Sport website on Friday, 27 November and the public will be able to vote online for their winner from then until midday on Friday, 11 December.

The winner of this year's prestigious award will be revealed before BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2015, which will come live from Belfast's SSE Arena on Sunday, 20 December.

Last year, Real Madrid and Portugal footballer Cristiano Ronaldo won the award for the second time, beating tennis player Serena Williams, boxer Floyd Mayweather and MotoGP rider Marc Marquez.

The award recognises the overseas athlete who has made the most substantial contribution to sport. More information about this year's award can be found here.

You can vote for your Overseas Personality of the Year by signing in to the BBC Sport website from Friday, 27 November. To sign up for a BBCiD account and for more information visit www.bbc.co.uk/id/info

Full terms and conditions for BBC Sports Personality of the Year, including the Overseas award, can be found here.

How is the winner decided?

The Overseas Sports Personality of the Year award will be determined by a public vote from a six-strong list of contenders selected by the following panel:

• Dame Mary Peters: 1972 Olympic pentathlon champion

• Maggie Alphonsi: England Women's Rugby World Cup winner

• Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson: 11-time Paralympic gold medallist

• Jermaine Jenas: Former England, Newcastle and Tottenham footballer

• Hazel Irvine: BBC Sport presenter

• Baroness Sue Campbell: Chair of the Youth Sport Trust

• Cliff Hayes: Associate head of sport content at the Sun

• Tim Hallissey: Head of sport at the Times

• Ian Prior: Head of sport at the Guardian and Observer

• Barbara Slater: BBC director of sport

• Philip Bernie: BBC head of TV sport

• Carl Doran: Sports Personality of the Year executive editor