January provided a fantastic start to the athletics year with a plethora of great performances from European athletes, which will make choosing the European Athlete of the Month especially difficult this month.
The indoor season, which culminates in the IAAF World Indoor Championships in the Polish city of Sopot from 7-9 March, got off to a flying start with the first three European Athletics Indoor Permit Meetings.
There were also three European Athletics Cross Country Permit Meetings during January.
Consequently, European Athletics is consequently pleased to announce that athletes from 10 different countries have been nominated for the January award.
At the end of each month, a panel of experts produces a short list of the outstanding athletes and performances achieved by European athletes during that month, which is then mailed to the European athletics media and thousands of fans who have signed up to receive news from European Athletics.
The European Athlete of the Month fan voting takes place through our Facebook page, while members of the media can cast their vote on our website.
Fans are also able to vote through the European Athletics mobile applications on iPhone and Android phones.
The public, media and a group of expert statisticians cast their votes for the European Athlete of the Month with each category counting as 33.3 per cent of the vote.
For example, the winner of each poll will be awarded 10 points, second 9 points, etc. and the athlete with the most points after the three different polls have been counted will be declared the winner.
In the unlikely event of a tie, Hansjörg Wirz, the president of European Athletics, will have the casting vote.
The voting will close on 21 February at noon CET.
The European Athlete of the Month initiative was launched in January 2007 and is designed to recognise outstanding performers at all levels of the sport in Europe.
No athlete who has previously served a two-year doping ban can be nominated for the European Athlete of the Month.
Click here to cast your media vote for the men's category.
Click here to cast your media vote for the women's category.
Username: media
Password: Med2013
MEN
Ali Kaya TUR (3000m): the 2013 European Athletics Junior Championships 5000m and 10000m gold medallist, and still only 19, clocked a European-leading 7:43.61 at the European Athletics Indoor Permit Meeting in the German city of Düsseldorf of 30 January.
David Storl GER (shot put): the two-time World Championships winner outdoors was undefeated in his three meetings in January, including a world-leading 21.10m on home territory at the European Athletics Indoor Permit Meeting in Düsseldorf of 30 January.
Ivan Ukhov RUS (high jump): the London 2012 Olympic Games champion had a phenomenal month and won all three of his competitions at 2.36m or higher, topped by a national record of 2.41m in the Russian city of Chelyabinsk on 16 January.
Adam Kszczot POL (800m): the two-time European Athletics Indoor Championships 800m gold medallist ran a world-leading 1:45.42 over four laps of the track at the European Athletics Indoor Permit Meeting in the German city of Düsseldorf of 30 January.
Andrey Ruzavin RUS (walking): the former world and European junior champion won the 5000m race walk at the Samara Region Indoor Cup in a super-quick 18:15.54 on 30 January to move up to number five on the all-time list for the indoor event.
Garfield Darien FRA (60m hurdles): the silver medallist in the last two European Athletics Championships 110m hurdles finals ran what was then a world-leading 7.55 on home soil in Aubière on 26 January.
James Dasaolu GBR (60m): the 2013 World Championships 100m finallist sped to a time of 6.50 at international match in Glasgow on 25 January, at the time the fastest time in the world and he moves up to equal eighth in the European all-time lists.
Lee Emmanuel GBR (mile): ran the fastest time in the world this year over the classic distance when he clocked 3:54.30 to win indoors in New York on 25 January.
Oleksiy Kasyanov UKR (multi-events): the 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships heptathlon silver medallist set a world-leading tally of 6104 points in the indoor discipline at his national championships in Zaporizhzhya on 27-28 January.
Pavel Fadjek POL (weight): the 2013 IAAF World Championships hammer gold medallist threw a national record of 23.22m at the European Athletics Indoor Permit Meeting in Bydgoszcz, Poland, on 31 January to go to10th place on the European all-time list.
Pavel Maslak CZE (400m): the reigning European champion over 400m, indoors and outdoors, ran a world-leading 45.81 at the European Athletics Indoor Permit Meeting in the German city of Düsseldorf of 30 January.
Renaud Lavillenie FRA (pole vault): the reigning Olympic and European champion won all four of his meetings in January, topped by a phenomenal 6.08m clearance at the European Athletics Indoor Permit Meeting in Bydgoszcz, Poland, on 31 January.
WOMEN
Anita Hinriksdottir ISL (800m): the 2013 European Athletics Rising Star of the Year clocked a European junior indoor record of 2:01.85 at the Reykjavik International Games, a European Athletics Indoor Permit Meeting, in the Icelandic capital on 19 January.
Christina Schwanitz GER (shot put): the 2013 European Athletics Indoor Championships gold medallist won all three of her outings in January and produced a world-leading effort of 19.93m at the European Athletics Indoor Permit Meeting in Düsseldorf of 30 January.
Cindy Billaud FRA (60m hurdles): the 2013 IAAF World Championships 100m finalist ran a world-leading time and personal best of 7.96 for the indoor distance in Nantes, France, on 18 January, and was the first woman in the world this year to go under eight seconds.
Gemma Steel GBR (cross country): the 2013 SPAR European Cross Country Championships senior women's silver medallist had an great win at the Great Edinburgh Cross Country on 11 January, beating the current and former European champions.
Holly Bleasdale GBR (pole vault): the 2013 European Athletics Indoor Championships gold medallist won all three of her competitions in January and cleared a world-leading 4.71m when she was equal first with Jirina Svobodova in Dresden on 31 January.
Jirina Svobodova CZE (pole vault): the 2012 European Athletics Championships gold medallist won all three of her competitions in January, clearing a national record and world-leading 4.71m when she was equal first with Holly Bleasdale in Dresden on 31 January.
Laura Muir GBR (800m): the 2013 European Athletics U23 Championships 1500m bronze medallist set a world leading time of 2:00.94 over the shorter distance at an international match in front of her family and friends in Glasgow on 25 January.
Mariya Kuchina RUS (high jump): the 2011 European junior champion cleared a personal best and world-leading height of 2.00m in the Russian city of Chelyabinsk on 16 January, the first woman in the world this year over that benchmark.
Nadine Broersen NED (multi-events): set a personal best and 2014 world-leading tally of 4656 points in the indoor discipline of the pentathlon when winning at an international meeting in the British city of Sheffield on 25 January.
Svetlana Biryukova RUS (long jump): she twice jumped a world-leading and absolute personal best distance of 6.98m, firstly in Moscow on 12 January and then in Volgograd on 25 January.
Tetyana Gamera-Shmyrko UKR (marathon): defended her title at the Osaka Women’s Marathon in 2:24:37 on 26 January, less than a minute outside her personal best set when winning last year's race in the Japanese city.
Yelena Korobkina RUS (3000m): the 2009 European junior champion at the same distance outdoors ran a world-leading 8:55.90 over 15 laps of the track in Novocheboksarsk, Russia, on 11 January to become the first woman to go under nine minutes this year.