The 2018 ESPY nominations were announced on Wednesday, and some of the biggest sports stars of the year will compete for the prizes. 2018 ESPY Awards Nominations List The Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Awards are held annually and are considered by many to be the "Oscars" of sports. Former race car driver Danica Patrick will host this year's ceremony, which is set to be held July 18 in Los Angeles. SLIDESHOW: 30 Best Sports Instagrams! Some of the top contenders this year include second baseman Jose Altuve of the World Series champion Houston Astros, Houston Rockets guard James Harden and Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin, all of whom are nominated for Best Male Athlete. Best Female Athlete nominees include snowboarder Chloe Kim, who won a gold medal for Team USA at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea earlier this year, as well as another Olympic medallist, alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin. The Best Breakthrough Athlete category includes Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons, and Sloane Stephens, a tennis youngster who won last year's U.S. Open women's title. Cleveland Cavaliers star forward LeBron James earned his 14th straight best NBA player nomination after leading his team to the Finals against the eventual champion Golden State Warriors. James has won the award for the past two years. Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo, Harden, and New Orleans' Anthony Davis are also nominated in this category this year. SLIDESHOW: 10 Highest-Paid Athletes Nominated for Best Game are Game 5 of the 2017 World Series, where the Astros defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Georgia Bulldogs' victory over the Oklahoma Sooners in the Rose Bowl, and the U.S. Women's Hockey Team's championship win over Canada at the 2018 Winter Olympics. Here is the full list of nominees: Best Male Athlete Jose Altuve, Houston Astros James Harden, Houston Rockets Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals Tom Brady, New England Patriots Best Female Athlete Sylvia Fowles, Minnesota Lynx Mikaela Shiffrin, Ski Chloe Kim, Snowboard Julie Ertz, Chicago Red Stars/United States Women's National Soccer Team Best Olympic Moment Shaun White, Snowboard Jessie Diggins & Kikkan Randall, U.S. Cross Country Ski U.S. Men's Curling USA Women's Hockey defeats Canada, 2018 Winter Olympics Best Championship PerformanceGeorge Springer, Houston Astros - MLB World Series Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors - NBA Final Donte DiVincenzo, Villanova Men's Basketball - CBB National Championship Best Breakthrough Athlete Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers Donovan Mitchell, Utah Jazz Sloane Stephens, Tennis Best Game Houston Astros defeat Los Angeles Dodgers, World Series Game 5 Georgia Bulldogs defeat Oklahoma Sooners, Rose Bowl USA Women's Hockey defeats Canada, 2018 Winter Olympics Best MomentMinnesota Vikings defeat the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Championship GameNotre Dame defeats Mississippi State to win the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament Las Vegas Golden Knights defeat Winnipeg Jets to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals No. 16 University of Maryland-Baltimore County upsets No. 1 Virginia Best Team Houston Astros, MLB Philadelphia Eagles, NFL USA Women's Ice Hockey Notre Dame Fighting Irish, NCAA Women's Basketball Villanova Wildcats, NCAA Men's Basketball Golden State Warriors, NBA Washington Capitals, NHL Best Coach Aaron Feis Scott Beigel Chris Hixon Best College Athlete Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma Football Jalen Brunson, Villanova Basketball Katie Ledecky, Stanford Swimming A'ja Wilson, South Carolina Basketball Best Play (Top 16 into bracket for fan voting) 1. ND's Arike Ogunbowale hits 2nd buzzer beater to win NCAA women's national title 2. Minnesota Miracle: Stefon Diggs makes last-second TD Catch to send Vikings to NFC championship 3. Philly Special: Eagles fool Patriots with fourth-down TD toss to Foles 4. Alabama wins national title on 41-yard OT TD pass from Tua Tagovailoa to Devonta Smith 5. FSU's Jessie Warren makes diving double play in WCWS 6. LeBron James nails buzzer beater 3-pointer to beat the Pacers in Game 5 of Round 1 7. Evanston Township High school freshman Blake Peters hits 80-foot buzzer beater 8. Gareth Bale scores go-ahead bicycle kick goal in Champions League Final 1022 9. Cristiano Ronaldo scores bicycle kick goal against Juventus 10. Julian McGarvey makes last-second steal & heave to secure Ardsley High School's 1st Section 1 title in 60 years 11. LeBron floats a glass-kissing buzzer beater to beat Raptors in game 3 of round 2 12. Team USA's Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson scores the shootout winner to secure gold medal in women's hockey 13. Giannis Antetokounmpo leapfrog dunks on Tim Hardaway Jr 14. Acrobatic volleyball play from Autumn Finney out of Decatur High School 15. Golden Knights' William Karlsson goes through legs for 'goal of the year' contender 16. Jordan Poole hits buzzer-beater to send Michigan to the Sweet 16s Best Record-Breaking Performance Roger Federer, Tennis Aaron Judge, New York Yankees Tom Brady, New England Patriots Diana Taurasi, Phoenix Mercury Best International Men's Soccer Player Lionel Messi, FC Barcelona/Argentina National Team Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid/Portuguese National Team Mohamed Salah, Liverpool/Egyptian National Team Neymar Jr., PSG/Brazilian National Team Best NFL Player Tom Brady, New England Patriots Todd Gurley, Los Angeles Rams Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers Aaron Donald, Los Angeles Rams Best MLB Player Aaron Judge, New York Yankees Jose Altuve, Houston Astros Mike Trout, LA Angels Max Scherzer, Washington Nationals Best NHL Player Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers Marc-Andre Fleury, Las Vegas Golden Knights Best Male Golfer Jordan Spieth Justin Thomas Dustin Johnson Patrick Reed Best Female Golfer Shanshan Feng Inbee Park Ariya Jutanugarn Sung-Hyun Park Best Male Olympian Shaun White, Snowboarding Red Gerard, Snowboarding David Wise, Halfpipe Skiing John Shuster, Curling Best Female Olympian Chloe Kim, Snowboarding Mikaela Shiffrin, Skiing Jamie Anderson, Snowboarding Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson, US Women's Hockey Best Male Tennis Player Roger Federer Rafael Nadal Marin Cilic Best Female Tennis Player Sloane Stephens Caroline Wozniacki Simona Halep Garbine Muguruza Best MLS Player Nemanja Nikolić, Chicago Fire Diego Valeri, Portland Timbers Ike Opara, Sporting Kansas City Tim Melia, Sporting Kansas City Best NWSL Player Sam Kerr, Chicago Red Stars Megan Rapinoe, Seattle Reign Sam Mewis Adrianna Franch, Portland Thorns