Shaquille O’Neal and Mike Pereira are the finalists for the Sports Social TV Entertainer of the Year award to be announced on May 29 at the first Sports Social Summit in Los Angeles.

A panel of judges will pick between O’Neil, the former NBA MVP and 15-time All Star now an analyst on TNT, and Pereira, the former vice president of officiating for the NFL, now rules analyst for Fox Sports.

The two are among the 18 category finalists announced today by conference organizer, Social Summits, the parent company of Social TV Daily. Mo Krochmal, executive editor of Social TV Daily, is a member of the panel of judges.

The first Sports Social TV Awards will be presented at the Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles at the conclusion of the Sports Social TV Summit on May 29.

O’Neil, who has 7,079,983 followers on Twitter and 3,367,825 fans on Facebook, is a groundbreaker as both an athlete and a TV personality on social media. He logged onto Twitter on Nov. 18, 2008 when he was with the Phoenix Suns and, in concert with advisor Amy Jo Martin , innovated social media interactions with fans that included the first verified Twitter account, tweetups and stunts such as tweeting free tickets for fans. O’Neil announced his retirement on social media on June 1, 2011 and then made the switch to TV as an analyst a month later.

Pereira, who has 158,137 followers on Twitter has been a authoritative, if not uncontroversial presence on Fox Sports since 2010 after retiring from his position with NFL in 2009. He has provided fans a window into the NFL’s rules on broadcasts and, no sparing in his opinions, has also become a magnet for those who might have a beef with officials.

The award guidelines say this reward recognizes the Entertainer/On-Air Talent who best used Social TV executions inside their TV or online video program and engaged their audience best.

Sports is, week in and week out, the hottest category in Social TV. Simply put, sports fans like to share on Social TV what they are watching, from game broadcasts to tentpole events like the NCAA’s March Madness, the Olympics and the Super Bowl.

The awards range from best professional league, to best teams, programs, arena, Facebook and Twitter integrations.

The finalists were selected by judges from entries submitted independently.

2013 Sports Social TV Awards Finalists

1. Best Professional League Sports Social TV Award

• NHL PrePlay Sports – PrePlay Inc
• MLB 2012 All-Star Game – Fox Sports
• NFL Thursday Night Football XTRA – OMD
• NBA – Game Time – NBA Digital

2. Best Team Specific Sports Social TV Award

• NY Giants – NY Giants & Mass Relevance
• Boston Celtics – Boston Celtics and Mass Relevance

3. Best In Arena Sports Social TV Execution

• Boston Celtics In-Venue Social Integration – Boston Celtics and Mass Relevance
• Slam Dunk Intensity Meter – Turner Sports

4. Best TV Show Specific Sports Social TV Award

• ESPN SportsCenter – iPowow / ESPN
• NFL TNF XTRA – OMD
• Super Bowl on CBSSports.com – CBS Interactive

5. Best Broadcast Network Sports Social TV Award

• TSN NHL GameTracker – OneTwoSee and TSN
• ABC -ESPN SportsCenter – iPowow / ESPN
• Super Bowl on CBSSports.com – CBS Interactive

6. Best Cable Network Sports Social TV Award

• Fuel TV – Fan Cameo – FUEL TV
• TBS – Social Dugout – Turner Sports
• Turner – NCAA March Madness Live – Turner Sports
• TSN – NHL GameTracker – OneTwoSee and TSN

7. Best Online Video Sports Social TV Award

• Prep Zone – Fox Sports North
• NCAA March Madness Live – Turner Sports
• Kings Vision – Kings Vision, Los Angeles Kings

8. Best Special Event Sports Social TV Award

• NBA Social Media Awards – NBA Digital
• 2012 MLB All-Star Game – FOX Sports
• Daytona 500 – Brad Keselowski – FOX Sports
• NFL Draft Xtra – Visiware
• 2012 London Olympic Broadcast on NBC – Shazam

9. Best Ubiquitous Sports Social TV Award

• MyGuy – Viggle
• ESPN SportsCenter – ipowow/ESPN

10. Best Branded Sports Social TV Award

• ESPN SportsCenter State Farm – – ipowow/ESPN
• FIFA CLUB WORLD CUP Japan 2012- Social Cheering Tool for Sports Toyota – Nippon Television Network Corp.
• NASCAR Sprint Unlimited – Telescope

11. Best Check-In and Loyalty Sports Social TV Award

• Fox Sports Florida Live Rewards – Lodestone Social Media and Fox Sports Florida
• MyGuy – VIGGLE

12. Best White Label Sports Social TV Execution or Solution

• TSN NHL GameTracker – OneTwoSee and TSN
• ESPN SportsCenter – ipowow/ESPN
• Fan Cameo – FUEL TV

13. Best Sports Social TV Integration of Facebook

• NCAA March Madness Live – Turner Sports
• ESPN SportsCenter – ipowow/ESPN
• 2012 FOX College Football Maps – FOX SPORTS

14. Best Sports Social TV Integration of Twitter

• SportsNation – ESPN
• NCAA March Madness Live– Turner Sports
• Ryder Cup tablet/mobile app– Turner Sports
• SnappyTV – NBA

15. Best Connected TV Social TV Award

• NBA Challenge – NBA Digital
• NFL TNF XTRA Mobile Coviewing – OMD

16. Best TV Everywhere Sports Social TV Award

• NCAA March Madness Live – Turner Sports
• NBC Sports Live Extra – NBC Sports
• Watch ESPN – ESPN

17. Best Mobile, iPad Or Tablet Sports Social TV Application

• MyGuy – VIGGLE
• NCAA March Madness Live – Turner Sports
• TBS Social Dugout – Turner Sports
• NFL Draft Xtra – - Visiware

18. Sports Social TV Entertainer of the Year Award

• Mike Pereira – Mike Pereira, Fox Sports
• SHAQ – Shaquille O’Neil, Turner Sports