Ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal was today nominated for the 2012 Female Player of the Year Award of the Badminton World Federation-BWF.The nomination comes on the back of an impressive performance in the season which had seen her win a bronze medal at the London Olympics. World number two Saina is the only non-Chinese among five contenders for the top annual award among women shuttlers instituted by the BWF. The four Chinese are world number one Li Xuerui who won eight titles in 2012, including the London Olympic gold medal, Olympic silver medallist Wang Yihan, Olympic Women's Doubles gold-winning pair Tian Qing/ and hao Yunlei.Should a pair win the award, they will share it, the BWF said in a statement. Saina won four major titles in 2012 — two Super Series and two Grand Prix Gold events, besides bagging the London Olympics women's singles bronze.She won the Indonesian Open and Denmark Open Super Series titles besides the Thailand Open Grand Prix Gold and Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold events. Among those nominated for the Male Player of the Year for 2012 are two-time Olympic gold medallist, Lin Dan of China and his perennial rival, Malaysia's Lee Chong Wei — the current world number one and two-time Olympic silver medallist. Others in that category are Olympic bronze medallist and winner of BWF World Super Series Finals, Chen Long (China); Men's Doubles Olympic gold medallists Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng, both from China, and Lee Yong Dae and now retired Jung Jae Sung of Korea, who won the Men's Doubles bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics. The key criteria for nomination include exceptional and consistent performance across a calendar year, performance at the Olympics, BWF events and Super Series events, a good role model for the sport which goes beyond on-court performance, and being ranked among the top five in the world in the year of nomination. The announcement of the winners — to be chosen by the BWF Council — and the presentation of prizes will take place at a gala dinner in Kuala Lumpur on May 18, following the BWF Annual General Meeting.