Libby Lenton capped her golden year in the pool by being named swimmer of the year, but it was shy butterflyer Jessicah Schipper who received the biggest plaudits at swimming's night of nights.

Lenton's five world championship gold medals in Melbourne earlier this year handed her the coveted major award, but Australia's love affair with 'madame butterfly' resurfaced as Schipper won the people's choice award and the swimmers' swimmer title voted by her peers.

Schipper, following in the trailblazing wake of Susie O'Neill and Petria Thomas, won the hearts of a nation with her 200m butterfly gold medal in Melbourne after she was cruelly denied victory by a rival's illegal touch at the Montreal world titles in 2005.

Schipper and world champion breaststroker Leisel Jones were contenders for the main award, but 22-year-old Lenton's five-gold haul at the worlds helped her become just the fourth woman in 18 years to claim the title.

O'Neill (1995 and 1996), triple Olympic champ Jodie Henry (2004) and last year's winner Jones are the only other women to have won Australia's top award.

The 2004 Athens Olympian received her award from Telstra chief executive Sol Trujillo and Swimming Australia President Neil Martin at a glittering awards ceremony at Badgery Pavilion in Sydney.

It's been a watershed year for Lenton as she also became the first female to break 53 seconds over the 100m freestyle, but her relay lead-off against American Michael Phelps at the Duel in the Pool in Sydney was not ratified by FINA as a new world record.

The Queenslander won gold in the 50m and 100m freestyle, 100m butterfly and two relays at the world championships and will chase a repeat at next year's Olympic Games in Beijing.

Schipper polled the largest public vote in the people's choice award over fellow nominees Lenton, Jones, Brenton Rickard, Eamon Sullivan, Matthew Cowdrey, Kate Brookes-Peterson and Craig Stevens.

As expected the all-conquering women's team dominated the awards with 15-year-old Emily Seebohm named discovery of the year and Bronte Barratt given the golden moment award for breaking Tracey Wickham's 28-year-old Commonwealth record for the 400m freestyle at this year's Japan International.

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