On Christmas Day, the Star Tribune will present its annual Sportsperson of the Year, an honor we bestow on a person (or group of people) who have made the biggest impact on Minnesota sports during the previous 12 months.

Adrian Peterson won it a couple of times when he was with the Vikings. Brett Favre, Maya Moore and Lindsey Vonn are among the other winners of the honor, which was first presented (to Vikings' quarterback Randall Cunningham) in 1998. The Gophers women's hockey team and the Twins organization are also past winners.

This year, we're adding something new.

In addition to the winner chosen by our staff, we're asking you to vote on a Fans' Sportsperson of the Year.

Here's what we are going to do. In the comments section below, we want you to nominate candidates for the award. There are a few obvious ones: Coach Mike Zimmer of the Vikings… WNBA regular season and finals MVP Sylvia Fowles of the Lynx… Twins second baseman Brian Dozier.

We want you to add to the list.

You can nominate anyone (or anything) with a connection to Minnesota sports. You can also tell people why your nominee should win the honor. Give us your choice in the comments below or tweeit it to @StribSports.

We'll compile a list of 10 candidates and ask you to vote for your favorite. Your votes will narrow the list to four finalists.

On Christmas Day, when our Sportsperson of the Year is named, we'll publish another poll with the final four. Your votes will determine the winner, which we'll announce on New Year's Day.

Thanks for participating.