Shaun White, Ryan Sheckler and James Stewart will contest the Male Action Sports Athlete trophy, while in the Female Action Sports Athlete division, Maya Gabeira and Ashley Fiolek will vie for top honours. Red Bull New York's Colombian striker Juan Pablo Angel is nominated in the Best MLS Player category.

Ryan Sheckler is coming off a big year both professionally and personally, having won his first X Games gold medal in skate street since his X Games debut at the age of 13. The 19-year-old also became a household name with his MTV Series, The Life Of Ryan, while juggling his time between his skateboard career, running a business and a charity foundation.

James Stewart recently became the 2009 AMA Supercross champion, and continues to break boundaries in the sport. In 2008 he became only the second rider in history to achieve a perfect motocross season and was named the 2008 AMA Speed Athlete of the Year.

Shaun White continues to dominate on the snow and on the skate vert ramp, winning medals at the Winter X Games and the overall Winter AST title. He's also the star of a best-selling video game and one of the most popular and recognizable sportsmen in the world.

Ashley Fiolek, now 18, became the youngest AMA Women's Motocross champ ever as a 17-year-old in her first full season on the series and is an inspiration to many, as she has been profoundly deaf since birth and has never let it slow her down. Find out more about the mischievous new poster child of a traditionally male sport in July's Red Bulletin magazine.

Maya Gabeira is arguably the best big wave female surfer in the world. This Brazilian beauty has braved massive waves from Alaska to Tahiti and won the 2009 Billabong XXL Women's Overall Performance Award for the third straight year.

Juan Pablo Angel led the New York Red Bulls to their first MLS cup appearance, scoring 14 goals during the season.

The 2009 ESPY Awards will air Sunday, July 19, at 9pm on ESPN, with Samuel L. Jackson as host. Fans of the award ceremony can help determine the winners, with online voting that runs through 11:59 p.m. ET on July 11.

To vote, go to http://promo.espn.go.com/espn/