1926 — 2026
A century after Ederle
The WOWSA Awards take their bearings from 6 August 1926 — the day Gertrude Ederle crossed the English Channel and reset what the sport believed was possible.
2026 Legacy Honoree
1926—2026
Gertrude Ederle
On 6 August 1926, Gertrude Ederle walked out of the water on the English coast having become the first woman to swim the English Channel — nearly two hours faster than any man before her. New York answered with the largest ticker-tape parade the city had ever staged.
She swam 21 miles in 14 hours and 34 minutes through a rising sea, coated in grease, guided by a tug and a gramophone. Her crossing did not simply set a record; it reset the argument about what endurance sport was for and who it belonged to. A century later, that argument is the standard the WOWSA Awards are judged against.
“I have the confidence that I can do it.”
1926 — 2026A century of open water
Past winners archive
A permanent record of open water excellence
Every WOWSA Awards cycle since 2004 is preserved in the WOWSA archive — finalists, winners and the swims that defined each year.
Nominations are open
The next chapter is being written now.
Nominate the swimmer, pioneer or community leader whose 2026 belongs in this record.