Future Leader Awards

Future Leader Awards

Year after year, industry lists honor executives in prominent roles who are already in the headlines. But what about the leaders you haven’t heard about yet? The Future Leader Awards recognize the next generation of talent — professionals with 10 years of experience or less who are already making a significant impact in their roles.

Planning to submit this year? Access everything you’ll need to join the ranks of past winners — including leaders from The New York Times, TRUFF and Starface. You’ll find our entry kit, expert tips for crafting a strong submission and past coverage of this program, click here.

Submit your entries now

Key Dates

Early Deadline: Nov 14, 2025

$379 per entry
Regular Deadline: Jan 09, 2026

$479 per entry
Last Chance Deadline: Feb 20, 2026

$599 per entry

All deadlines end at 11:59PM PDT

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Categories

Rising Agency Leader

Awarding an individual at an agency who is emerging as a leader in their organization.
Rising Technology Leader

Awarding an individual at a technology provider or vendor who is emerging as a leader in their organization.
Rising Media Leader

Awarding an individual at a media company who is emerging as a leader in their organization.
Rising Brand Leader

Awarding an individual at a brand or retailer who is emerging as a leader in their organization and throughout the industry.
Rising Founder

Awarding a founder who is shaping the future of their industry.
Rising Innovator

Awarding an individual who is driving innovation and emerging as a leader within their organization.
Rising Creator

Awarding an individual who is emerging as a leader in the creator economy.
Rising Marketing Leader

Awarding an individual who is emerging as a leader in marketing within their organization.
Rising Video Leader

Awarding an individual who is driving the future of video within their organization.
Rising AI Leader

Awarding an individual who is shaping the future of AI within their organization.
Rising Social Leader

Awarding an individual who is shaping the future of social media within their organization.
Rising Influencer Marketing Leader

Awarding an individual who is shaping the future of influencer marketing within their organization.
Rising Operations Leader

Awarding an individual who is emerging as a leader in operations within their organization.
Rising Product Leader

Awarding an individual who is shaping the future of product development and technology within their organization.
Rising Sales Leader

Awarding an individual who is emerging as a leader in sales within their organization.
Rising People Leader

Awarding an individual who’s shaping their organization’s people strategy, culture and employee experience.
Rising Finance Leader

Awarding an individual who is shaping the future of financial strategy and revenue growth within their organization.
Rising Design/Creative Leader

Awarding an emerging leader shaping the future of their organization’s design, creative or user experience work.
Rising PR Leader

Awarding an individual who is emerging as a leader in public relations within their organization.
Rising Brand Safety Leader

Awarding an individual who is shaping the future of brand safety within their organization.
Rising Media Buying and Planning Leader

Awarding an individual who is shaping the future of media buying and planning within their organization.
Rising Content Marketing Leader

Awarding an individual who is shaping the future of content marketing within their organization.
Rising Journalist

Awarding a young journalist who is shaping the future of their industry.
Rising Audio Leader

Awarding an individual who is shaping the future of audio within their organization.
Rising Gaming Leader

Awarding an individual who is emerging as a leader in gaming within their organization.
Rising E-commerce Leader

Awarding an individual who is emerging as a leader in e-commerce within their organization.
Rising Retail Leader

Awarding an individual who’s shaping their organization’s in-store strategy, customer experience and physical retail presence.
Rising Supply Chain Leader

Awarding an individual who is emerging as a leader in supply chain innovation within their organization.
Rising Merchandising Leader

Awarding an individual who is emerging as a leader in merchandising within their organization.
Rising Retail Buyer

Awarding an individual who is emerging as a retail buyer within their organization.

Judges

Raquel Bubar

MANAGING DIRECTOR

T BRAND STUDIO INTERNATIONAL, THE NEW YORK TIMES
Maureen Hoch

EDITOR, HBR.ORG & VICE PRESIDENT, DIGITAL CONTENT

HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW

Judging Criteria

Judges will be looking for companies or campaigns that can clearly demonstrate success over the past 12 months. Judges are seeking companies or campaigns that have seized challenges and created opportunities and will evaluate entries based on the following criteria: Innovation, Creativity, Consumer Value, Results and Overall.

Judges will require evidence to substantiate all entries. This can include details of financial performance, specific KPIs, creative evidence in the form of a sizzle reel, campaign images, or links to the final project or related sites. The judges will also consider the structure, presentation and clarity of each entry.

Judging Process

Judges will score each entry prompt and consider any supporting materials submitted. After each judge submits their score for the above criteria, the scores of each criteria will then be averaged and then combined to determine an overall score for each entry. The highest scoring entries will appear on the shortlist and winner lists.

Confidentiality

All material will remain confidential to the judges. Only the 'Credits' section of an entry will be made public via the shortlist/winners announcement. If you win a particular category, our team may summarize the entry for shortlist/winner announcements and winners guides.