Forty Under 40 Awards - Greek America Foundation

Why this project?

From Gregory C. Pappas, President & Founder

We launched Greek America’s Forty Under 40 in 2010 as a way to recognize, honor and celebrate the brightest and most successful members of our community who excel not only professionally but also philanthropically. Since their inauguration, the Forty Under 40 Awards have recognized 280 exceptional individuals coming from various walks of life and from throughout North America. Our hope is to maintain this biannual tradition to ensure that young adults remain engaged with our community and to uplift, encourage and inspire them to continue their pursuit of excellence.

Announcing the Class of 2024

Meet the latest honorees including CEOs, lawyers, academics, digital content creators, actors, musicians and many other professionals.

About the awards

The Forty Under 40 Awards are the leading recognition for North Americans of Greek descent, 40 years old and under, celebrating the community’s top young talent in business, the arts, the sciences and other fields. Since 2010, the Greek America Foundation has held a biannual awards reception acknowledging the outstanding accomplishments of these selected individuals.

The awards are given every two years and recognize those 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 are 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.

Qualifications

Sole criteria of awards are the individual’s professional achievement AND philanthropic activity.
Nominees must be U.S. or Canadian citizens or legal permanent residents of either country — and claim Greek heritage.
Individuals must be between 17 and 40 years old in the given calendar year. For example, for the class of 2024, the nominee’s 17th to 40th birthday must fall any time within the 2023 calendar year for him/her to qualify.

Nomination process

Following an official announcement (click here to subscribe to our email list), the Greek America Foundation begins to receive nominations via our online form. All nominations must include the nominee’s full date of birth, which will be verified if the nomination advances to the final round. Nominators must also submit an essay NO MORE THAN 1000 words highlighting why the nominee deserves this distinction. Your letter should 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/generic description

Nominations letters must be written and submitted by someone other than the nominee; self-nominations will NOT be considered eligible.

Selection process

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 obstain 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.