Eighteen-year-old Knighton is the only athlete to have won world silverware on the senior stage this season, having finished third in the men's 200 metres behind compatriots Noah Lyles and Kenny Bednarek in Oregon.

He also won the men's 200m at the Brussels Diamond League meeting and broke the under-20 world record over the distance in a time of 19.49sec at the LSU Invitational in April.

Letsile Tebogo from Botswana is also shortlisted having broken the under-20 world record in the men's 100m - which he did at the World Athletics Under-20 Championships in Cali, where he took the gold medal in a time of 9.91.

He added a silver medal in the 200m at the World Athletics Under-20 Championships too.

Kenyan Emmanuel Wanyonyi was another significant mover on the senior circuit, having finished fourth at the World Athletics Championships in the 800m - finishing behind compatriot Emmanuel Korir, Djamel Sedjati of Algeria and Marco Arop from Canada.

He claimed victory at the Rabat Diamond League meeting and finished the year with the quickest under-20 time over the distance.

France's Anthony Ammirati and Jamaican Jaydon Hibbert complete the shortlist having respectively claimed under-20 world titles in pole vault and triple jump.

Ammirati dominated in the junior ranks this year - having the best six clearances of 2022 and taking bronze at the French Athletics Championships behind Thibaut Collet and pole vault great Renaud Lavillenie.

Hibbert matched Ammirati's performance in his event - having the six best jumps over the season and taking the senior triple jump title at the Jamaican Athletics Championships.

The winner of the award will be selected by an international panel and is due to be announced on World Athletics' social media platforms in early December.