Amateur quartet are among Britain's best
They are Plymouth's premier lady cycle star, Maddie Horton, Torpoint's paralympic table tennis player David Wetherill, swimming sensation Antony James and fencing champion Corinna Lawrence.
The identity of the 2009 winner from this quality quartet and the other six categories will be revealed at the Pavilions next Monday at the Herald's extravaganza.
The other categories are Sports Personality of the Year, Young Sports Personality, Outstanding Contribution, Coach of the Year, Team of the Year and, finally, the Champagne Moment.
The finalists for each of the categories have all been nominated by the readers of the Herald and on Monday, November 30, all will be revealed.
The Herald's guest of honour this year is boxing legend and now respected TV pundit, Barry McGuigan, who is bound to be knocked-out by the array of talent put in front of him and a packed and excited Pavilions audience next Monday.
The Plymouth Argyle-sponsored Amateur Sports Personality category, won in 2008 by Plymouth's international sailor and Olympic hopeful James Ellis, boasts another stellar and equally ambition list of candidates this year.
All four have hopes of competing at the London Games in 2012, and given their impressive performances in 2008, that's not an unreasonable ambition.
Take former British number one mountain biker, Horton, who is hoping to go through the gears and make a push for a Great Britain slot next year and, hopfully, a place at the Olympics two years later.
City schoolteacher Horton, who rides for Team Certini, is also a formidably impressive distance runner.
Horton said: "I am really pleased with the season, because I have broken firmly into the top five female racers in the country, and my name is now one that should be in the mix when Great Britain teams are being considered.
"I'm really chuffed to be nominated for the awards – the whole club has booked a table and are looking forward to it."
Leander's James has a list of achievements to die for this year – notably beating America's Olympic icon, Michael Phelps in the 100m butterfly at the FINA World Cup in Sweden, earlier this month.
Earlier in the year, the 19-year-old British sprint champion broke James Hickman's 100m record and also equalled Mark Foster's 50m butterfly record.
A perfect response to the shock and disappointment of failing by a hair's breadth to qualify for the World Championships in Rome.
The double British short course and long course champion said his place among the finalists was as much for Leander coach Jon Rudd, who persuaded him to carry on.
"It's really very nice to be nominated for the Herald awards which, of course, I'm looking forward to attending," said James.
"I'm grateful that people have thought enough of my efforts this year to put my name forward.
"But, in my view, the nomination is as much for the Jon (Rudd) and the team at the (Plymouth Leander) club as it is for me.
"They all work so hard into helping me progress and kept me focused when I was so disappointed at missing my place at the Worlds."
Another with lofty ambitions is British epée champion, Lawrence, who once again this year promoted her cause as being one of the city's hottest prospects to compete at the Olympics.
She became the country's best women's epéeist after lifting the title at this year's British Senior National Championships in the summer.
The success in Sheffield was the city teenager's first national senior title.
The former Plymouth High School student and now London University undergraduate, has enjoyed a fantastic season, including an individual European bronze medal won in Amsterdam.
Earlier this year, Lawrence won individual and team gold in England colours at the Commonwealth Junior Fencing Championships in Malaysia after topping the podium at the Australian Youth Olympic Festival in Sydney back in January.
A former winner of the Herald's Young Sports Personality category Wetherill competed for Great Britain at last year's Paralympics in Beijing, is now ranked number two in the world.
Wetherill, an undergraduate at Sheffield University, has also won individual and team medals in Slovakia, Slovenia and the Czech Republic.
He has a condition which affects his joints and cartilage and bone development called multiple epiphyseal dysplasia.
Because of his excellence in the disabled category, Wetherill very often has to compete against able-bodied table tennis players.
For information on ticket and table prices for the gala dinner contact Clair Skelley on 01752 765532
