BASINGSTOKE skier Lawrie Taylor is on the shortlist for a prestigious annual award which recognises the best up and coming talent in snowsports in Britain.

The 20-year-old had an impressive season with on the ski slopes during 2017.

Taylor primarily competing on the Europa Cup circuit, but on his World Championships debut, he finished a very impressive 33rd in the slalom after finishing third in the qualification race.

He has been touted as the next Dave Ryding.

The Ski Club INSPIRE Awards recognise and reward talented individuals who are making a positive contribution to snowsports, and include the prestigious Evie Pinching Award supported by Switzerland.

This award celebrates the next generation of snowsports athletes, aged 24 and under, who are considered as ones-to-watch’ in their discipline.

The winning athlete will be awarded a one-off bursary of £1,000 for the year to help with their training and competitions, this year the winner will also have the fantastic opportunity to take part in Swiss-Ski athlete training camps.

The award is named after Evelyn Pinching, Britain’s first ski World Champion who won both the downhill and combined events at the 1936 World Championships in Innsbruck at the age of 21.

Previous winners include freestyle snowboarder Katie Ormerod who has gone on to win World Cup and X Games medals and visually impaired skier Menna Fitzpatrick who medalled in both World Cup and World Championship GS & Super G in 2017.

The athletes were nominated by the sport’s national governing bodies - Snowsport England, Snowsport Scotland, Snowsport Wales, British Parasnowsport and British Ski and Snowboard - with a shortlist of six athletes chosen by the Ski Club.

Along with Basingstoke’s Taylor the other five are mogul skier Thomas Gerken Schofield, Snowboarder Ellie Soutter, freestyle skiers Kirsty Muir and Cal Sandieson, parasnowsports James Whitley Voting has opened and closes on June 14 and can you can vote by going to skiclub.co.uk The athlete with the most votes after the two-week period will receive the Evie Pinching Award supported by the Embassy of Switzerland in the UK and Switzerland Tourism.