Every year, elections are held all over the world, including in the Netherlands, for people or locations that are the best at something and publications and products that are the top of the top that year. The sportswoman of the year, the sportsman of the year, the politician of the year, the play of the year, the game of the year and the car of the year. Every year there are dozens of laureates who collect their prize or award at the end of the year. In 2014, Doutzen Kroes was the Woman of the Year and the Dutch team was the Sports Team of the Year.
Politician of the Year
Frans Timmermans has been named Politician of the Year 2014. The election is organized annually by EenVandaag. Timmermans received an unprecedentedly high percentage of all votes, namely 30 percent. He received the honorary title because of his enthusiasm, empathy and expertise. Above all, he stood out above the other nominees because of his actions after the MH17 disaster. Geert Wilders and Alexander Pechtold also had a chance.
Woman of the year
Doutzen Kroes has been chosen as Woman of the Year by Glamor. The top model is beautiful inside and out and she is an icon of her generation. Doutzen Kroes has shown Dutch women that you have to dare to think big. Glamor magazine presented the Women of the Year Award in the Netherlands for the first time, in Amsterdam. Previously, Keira Knightley, Stella McCartney, Naomi Campbell and Lady Gaga won.
Sportsman of the year
Arjen Robben has been chosen as Sportsman of the Year. The 30-year-old Bayern Munich striker played brilliantly as a football player and trendsetter for the Dutch National Team during this year’s Football World Cup in Brazil. He succeeds Epke Zonderland, who was elected in 2013. Nominated were, again, the gymnast Epke Zonderland, the skaters Sven Kramer, Michel Mulder, Jorrit Bergsma and the show jumping rider Jeroen Dubbeldam. Not often footballers are voted Sportsman of the Year, because as a footballer you are part of a team. The last individual footballer to win the award was Ruud Gullit in 1987.
Sportswoman of the Year
Ireen Wüst was voted Sportswoman of the Year. She won two gold and three silver medals at the Winter Olympics in Sochi. Athletes Dafne Schippers and Sifan Hasan and skater Jorien ter Mors were also nominated for the prize. Wüst won the honorary title as never before. In 2006 she also became Sportswoman of the Year.
Paralympic Athlete of the Year
Bibian Menter was named Paralympic athlete of the year. The 42-year-old snowboarder became the Olympic champion in snowboard cross during the Paralympic Games in Sochi. She won the only Dutch medal during those Paralympics. Also nominated were dressage rider Rixt van der Horst, wheelchair basketball player Inge Huitzing and track cyclist Alyda Nordbruis. In 2013, athlete Marlou van Rijn became the best Paralympic athlete.
Young Talent Award
The young racing driver Max Verstappen (17) was named Talent of the Year. Verstappen is the youngest Formula 1 driver ever.
Coach of the year
Louis van Gaal was voted Coach of the Year. His achievement this year was that he reached third place with the Dutch football team. Also nominated were skating coaches Gerard Kemkers and Jac Orie, hockey coach Max Caldas, athletics trainer Bart Bennema and national equestrian coach Rob Ehrens.
Sports team of the year
Oranje, the Dutch national team, was voted sports team of the year. The hockey players, the speed skating pursuit teams and the jumping riders were also nominated.
Best sporting moment
Robin van Persie, captain of the Dutch team, won the Sport in Beeld award, the prize for the most beautiful sporting moment of the year. He was awarded it for his beautiful diving goal against Spain during the Football World Cup in Brazil.
Word of the year
Every year Van Dale holds an election for Word of the Year. In 2014 this is the dagobertduck tax. Also nominated were vegetable garden socialism and stemfie . Scrooge tax is a special tax for the very wealthy.
Society Our Language chooses disaster flight as word of the year.
Rebuttal of the year
Rebuttal of the year is pinch sun. MeteoConsult and Omroep Gelderland organize the election following on from Word of the Year. Last year ,wolkenwak won .
Youth language
The term ‘mudderfakker’ won in the youth language category. It means lap swan. This word is also the title of a film that won the Golden Calf for best feature film. Also nominated was request to forget .
Best feature film
Aanmodderfakker was the best Dutch feature film of the year. The film received a Golden Calf for it.
Piece of the year
The most beautiful archive piece of the year is a moving letter that soldier Romke Eelkes Zandstra wrote from France to his lover in Friesland in 1811. The piece is in the Tresoar archive in Leeuwarden. Also nominated were an engraving of the flooding of the Koekoekspolder near Kampen in 1775 and the testimony of the last man sentenced to death in Schiedam.
Secretary of the year
Kelly van Keijzerswaard was voted Secretary of the Year. The secretary has knowledge and skills and is Fit For Tomorrow.
Song of the year
Song of the Year is Home, written and sung by 28-year-old Amsterdammer Dotan. Home became the standard bearer of national mourning after the MH17 disaster.
Website of the year
Website Tweakers Pricewatch is website of the year 2014. The site was chosen by the Dutch public.
In previous years, Beter Spellen, AFAS Personal, Hyves, Google and Zylom won.
Intermediary of the year
Jorrit Gall has been voted Intercedent of the Year 2014. He can call himself the best in the Netherlands. Gall was chosen by a jury of experts.
Cookbook of the year
Cooking among the volcanoes of Ko Sliggers has been named Cookbook of the Year. The book is published by Uitgeverij Loopvis. The book does not look as expected from a cookbook. For example, it contains photos of dishes taken with a smartphone while cooking. Not pretty pictures, but honest and driven.
Car of the year
The Peugeot 308 has been named the Car of the Year 2014. Automotive journalists from all over Europe vote for the Car of the Year election. The BMW i3 and the Tesla Model S came second and third. The Peugeot 308 looks good, exudes quality and drives well. It is a compact car that still has a lot of luggage space.
Toy of the year
Several games have been named Toy of the Year. Each age category has one:
- 0 to 3 years: Zoef Zoef Animal Tree House
- 4 & 5 years: Super Sand Castle
- 6 & 7 years: Lego Friends Heartlake shopping centre
- 8 & 9 years: Nerf Rebelle Secret Agent Bow
- 10 & 11 years: Rainbow Loom Starter Kit
- 12 plus: The Legends of Andor
Education City of the Year
Groningen is education city of the year; not only from 2014, but from the 2014 – 2015 school year.
The capital of the province of Groningen is a city with a rich history and a wide and flourishing educational offer. Half of the city with almost 200,000 inhabitants consists of pupils and students.
Sportswoman worldwide
Ireen Wüst has been named Sportswoman of the World. She defeated tennis star Serena Williams in a neck-and-neck race. Sports journalists from all over the world voted for Wüst.
Best trading site
Koopplein.nl has been declared the best trading site in the Netherlands. The classified ad website started on Texel and the organization still has its headquarters there.
The election is organized by the National Business Success Award Institute in Rotterdam. All nationally known marketplaces participated and Koopplein came out on top. Koopplein is active nationally – and is then called Koopplein Nederland – and has Kooppleinen in many municipalities in the Netherlands.
Best museum
Just like before, the Zuiderzee Museum has been voted the best museum in the Netherlands. The indoor and outdoor museum in Enkhuizen was rated slightly better than the Kröller-Muller Museum and the Drents Museum.
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