In January 2026, the Greek America Foundation opened nominations for the Class of 2026 Forty Under 40 Awards, the leading recognition for North Americans of Greek descent, 40 years old and under.
The awards recognize individuals who have excelled in their professional endeavors while simultaneously showing care and concern for the world around them through philanthropic initiatives.
Excellence and philanthropy are two ideals espoused in the mission statement of the Greek America Foundation, and our Forty Under 40 winners should be the epitome of both.
Previous winners have included Emmy Award-winning directors and actors, successful business leaders in diverse industries, artists and leaders in the sciences and law. Click here to read more about them.
Qualifications
- The sole criteria for the awards are the individual’s professional achievements AND philanthropic activity.
- Nominees must be U.S. or Canadian citizens or legal permanent residents of either country — and claim at least partial Greek heritage.
- Individuals must be between 17 and 40 years old as of calendar year 2025. In other words, if the nominee’s 17th to 40th birthday falls any time in 2025, he/she qualifies for nomination for the Class of 2026.
Class of 2026 Nomination Requirements
Nominations closed on April 30, 2026. The requirements below are retained as part of the Class of 2026 record.
Nomination Process and Letter
As part of the nomination form, nominators were required to include the nominee’s full date of birth, which would be verified if the nomination advanced to the final round. They were also required to include a formal nomination letter of no more than 1,000 words highlighting why the nominee deserved this distinction. The letter was required to include:
- What your relation to the nominee is and how you know him/her.
- Nominee’s most significant professional accomplishments (such as awards, honors or other recognition received).
- Philanthropic endeavors that the individual has participated in, or supported, and what the impact of these endeavors was/is.
- As much detail as possible regarding both the nominee’s professional accomplishments and philanthropic endeavors – please do not provide vague or generic descriptions.
Nomination letters had to be written and submitted by someone other than the nominee; self-nominations were not considered eligible.
A minimum $50 donation was required when submitting a nomination. This fee covered administrative costs and helped make the programming sustainable. Nominations without the fee by the deadline were not considered.
How we select our Forty Under 40
A special committee is formed of past Forty Under 40 winners who review all applications and determine the winners. Winners are determined based on their achievement of excellence and commitment to philanthropy. In cases where a member of the selection committee has nominated someone himself/herself, then that member will abstain from voting on his/her nominee.
In our efforts to maintain a fair and impartial selection process, no members of the Greek America Foundation staff or board of directors are included in this completely independent selection process.
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