They are presented each autumn at the Association's annual awards which have been running since 1963.
There are male and female award categories for senior, junior and Paralympic athletes.
The most frequent winner of the main award is Mo Farah.
The Paralympic Athlete of the Year categories were introduced by British Athletics Writers in 2013, following the success of the 2012 Paralympic Games in London.
Introduced in 2011, the BAWA Inspiration Award is given in recognition of an athlete who made an outstanding performance in a single event, performed well against the odds, or is retiring after a long and distinguished career.