Here at SELF, we know good footwear can make or break your day—but with all the options on the market, finding the perfect pair isn’t always easy. You want a style that feels great; helps you run, cycle, walk, lift, and just flat out move better; and boosts your confidence (and your look) the minute you slip it on.
If all that sounds appealing to you: Welcome to our 2024 Sneaker Awards, our annual compilation of the very best vetted and tested kicks out there.
For this year’s Sneaker Awards, 50 brands submitted 167 styles—the most ever—of shoes released between August 2023 and August 2024, and editors recommended 14 pairs of their own faves for consideration too. Then SELF editors narrowed the pool down, considering everything from function to cost to design. This left us with 157 models to test across a bunch of categories: running and racing sneakers; hiking shoes; athleisure styles; walking sneakers; shoes excellent for folks who are on their feet all day; cycling shoes; HIIT and cross-training styles; sneakers for weightlifting; and—new for 2024—kicks for pickleball and tennis.
Next, our testers. Our testing pool of 47 people was made up of SELF editors (including folks who’ve run marathons and raced other distances, hiked in canyons and on trails, deadlifted big PRs, and logged tens of thousands of steps per day) and friends of the brand, including outdoor influencers, med students, manufacturing workers, teachers, and new parents who did all those same activities and more.
That pool really put the shoes to work during our monthlong testing period. When evaluating each shoe, we asked our testers to keep a few things in mind: We asked them to test the shoe at least three times for its intended use—so, for instance, hiking sneakers or trail shoes were worn on trail terrain rather than pavement; racing shoes during intense running efforts; walking shoes during days you’d be on your feet for a ton, etc. Then we had our testers consider the following questions:
Fit
- All shoes should have about half an inch of space between your toe and the top of the shoe. Do you feel any pressure points?
- Does the size of the shoe fit as expected?
- For running or walking shoes: Do your toes have plenty of space to wiggle? Is your heel secure, or does your heel slip out when you run?
- For cycling shoes: Do your shoes fit snugly, but with adequate toe space?
Shape
- What is your foot shape? How well did the shoe map to the shape of your foot?
- Does the shoe have a narrow or wide toe box?
Feel
- Is the shoe cushioned or more firm?
- Does the arch of the shoe feel supportive or obtrusive?
- Do you feel like you’re fighting the shoe to find a comfortable rhythm, or does it feel like an extension of your foot? Does it feel too heavy, or does it feel light?
- Do you feel in touch with the ground when you perform weight-lifting or other cross-training exercise moves?
- Did you develop any blisters, hot spots, or bruised toes during or after wear? Did you experience any other pains, like shin splints or knee pain?
- Ultimately, is the shoe comfortable?
Dan Jaramillo. Wardrobe styling by Kat Thomas. Makeup by Deanna Melluso at Forward Artists. Hair by Hide Suzuki.
Style
- Would you wear this shoe after your activity? Is it stylish? Does it feel genuinely cool, or is it trying too hard to be trendy? Is it ugly in a bad way or in a fun way? Does it come in several colors, or are your options limited?
For Trail and Hiking Shoes
- What surface is the shoe made for? What surfaces would you recommend this shoe for?
- Does the sole provide adequate traction and gripping ability?
- Do rocks, gravel, and other obstacles on the trail feel uncomfortable underfoot or do your feet sufficiently cushioned and protected?
- What level of ankle support does the shoe provide? Did you feel the ankle support was adequate and comfortable?
After each tester evaluated each pair of shoes on those attributes, they gave it a score between 1 and 10, with 10 being the absolute best of the best. Our editors then analyzed the ratings, choosing winners that not only ranked highly numerically, but also lined up most strongly with the shoe’s intended activity and made our testers feel good wearing them. We sifted through responses, searching for the sneakers that really stood out as the ones folks would want to slip on day in, day out, even when the testing period was in the books.
At the end of our rigorous testing process, 30 winners came out on top. Check them out here for all your running, walking, hiking, cycling, lifting, dog-walking, city-exploring, errand-crushing needs. We really think you’re gonna find your next perfect pair there.
