We’ve been publishing a list of young innovators for more than two decades now. The list always includes fascinating stories of young people working to employ technology to make the world a better place, but beyond that it’s a way for us to showcase the technologies that will likely play a big role in all our lives in the coming years.
You’ve probably heard of many of the people we’ve selected over the years—Andrew Ng, Helen Greiner, Feng Zhang, Neha Narkhede, Ian Goodfellow, Stephanie Lampkin, Julie Shah, Joy Buolamwini. Many of these distinguished scientists, entrepreneurs, humanitarians, and businesspeople list the honor of being selected prominently on their bios.
What makes a great candidate for our 35 Innovators list? We’re looking for people doing interesting work in all areas of technology—biotechnology, artificial intelligence, robotics, computing, energy, electronics, software, nanomaterials, and the internet. Sometimes are winners are inventors. Other winners are entrepreneurs employing technology in a new or interesting way, and others are working to use technology to right a social injustice or make life easier for people in difficult circumstances.
We like to see a specific achievement. We like to be able to answer questions like: What’s the innovation here? What did this person achieve that hasn’t been done before in quite this way? How is this person working toward solving a major technology problem that could make a huge difference in people’s lives?
Yes, many of our candidates come from elite research universities or big corporations, but that’s not a requirement. We’re also like to feature inventors, startup founders, and social activists using technology in creative ways to make a difference in their communities.
Does this description sound like anyone you know? If so, it’s easy to nominate someone, and you can do it right here.