Who will be TIME Person of the Year 2026?

Who will end 2026 inside TIME’s famous red border? Politicians, religious leaders and celebrities are all in the running – but the race is far from over. One election, peace deal, or controversy could send a new name racing to the top.

Here, we unpack the latest prediction market prices for the award this year – and the stories propelling each candidate up the leaderboard.

This article is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial or investment advice. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

What is TIME Person of the Year 2026 prediction?

Zohran Mamdani currently leads the TIME Person of the Year predictions on OG.com, followed by Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, Pope Leo XIV, Donald Trump and Bad Bunny. See the full list below.

Market data as of September 21, 2026. For the latest market probabilities, check the OG.com platform.

These percentages are derived from individual event-contract prices. They show how traders are pricing each candidate at that moment, rather than what TIME’s editors are likely to decide.

The percentages may not add up neatly to 100%. Each candidate has a separate Yes or No contract with its own available liquidity, bids, and offers. Wide spreads or limited trading activity can therefore produce prices that do not form a complete probability distribution.

How does TIME choose its Person of the Year?

TIME’s editors are not choosing the year’s “best” person. They are looking for the individual, group or idea that shaped the news and people’s lives more than any other – for better or worse. Influence matters more than popularity or moral approval. 

The tradition began with aviator Charles Lindbergh, who was named Man of the Year for 1927 after completing the first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic. TIME changed the title to the gender-neutral Person of the Year in 1999.

Is TIME Person of the Year decided by a public vote?

No. TIME’s editors make the official decision.

TIME sometimes invites readers to vote in online polls, but the result is not binding. The poll shows who the public wants to win, while TIME’s editors make the final decision – and the two choices do not always match.

A loyal following can certainly keep a candidate in the conversation, but it carries no formal weight when the editors choose Person of the Year.

When is TIME Person of the Year announced?

TIME normally announces Person of the Year in December, although the exact date varies.

The 2025 winner was announced on December 11, while Donald Trump was revealed as the 2024 selection on December 12. TIME has not yet confirmed the date of its 2026 announcement.

The OG.com market is scheduled to close on January 1, 2027, at 4:59 a.m. GMT. It settles according to TIME’s official announcement and the market’s published rules.

Who are the top TIME Person of the Year 2026 candidates?

Zohran Mamdani 

Zohran Mamdani is a Democrat Party politician who became the 112th mayor of New York City in January 2026, and is the current prediction market favorite for the award. 

During his first 100 days, Mamdani’s administration secured $1.2 billion for universal child care, obtained more than $30 million in settlements with landlords and repaired over 6,000 apartments. The Associated Press described Mamdani’s success as a test of the Democratic Party’s willingness to embrace a more progressive economic agenda. 

Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf

Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf is Iran’s parliamentary speaker and a former Revolutionary Guard commander.

His influence has grown as Iran faces domestic unrest and war with the US and Israel. Ghalibaf supports military retaliation but remains open to talks with Washington. He says Iran will keep the Strait of Hormuz closed – disrupting a key global oil route – until the US meets Tehran’s conditions. His role in the war and any peace deal makes him a serious contender.

Pope Leo XIV 

Pope Leo XIV is the leader of the Catholic Church and the first North American-born pope. TIME named him among the 100 most influential people of 2026.

This year, he has become a strong diplomatic voice on war, migration and artificial intelligence. He created a Vatican AI study group and used his first encyclical to call for stronger safeguards around AI, jobs and autonomous weapons. 

Donald Trump

Donald Trump is already a two-time TIME Person of the Year. His second administration has pursued an aggressive foreign policy, including the US operation that captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and military action against Iran, while tightening immigration rules at home.

Trump remains central to the wars involving Iran and Ukraine. His administration has combined military pressure on Tehran, while he recently signed new sanctions targeting Russia and buyers of Russian oil in September.

If Trump can reshape either conflict before the clock runs out in 2026, he could join Franklin D. Roosevelt as the only three-time Person of the Year.

Bad Bunny

Bad Bunny is a Puerto Rican singer and one of the world’s biggest streaming artists. He won the 2026 Grammy for Album of the Year with Debí Tirar Más Fotos, the first entirely Spanish-language album to take the award. He is also the reigning Spotify global Top Artist, having won the 2025 Wrapped title with 19.8 billion streams.

Bad Bunny’s 2026 Super Bowl halftime show brought Puerto Rican culture and politics to a huge global audience. A historic Grammy win, enormous streaming reach and a performance that became part of America’s political conversation give TIME a clear cultural case for choosing him.

Who were the previous TIME Person of the Year winners?

TIME’s 2025 Person of the Year was not one person. The title went to the Architects of AI: Sam Altman, Dario Amodei, Demis Hassabis, Jensen Huang, Fei-Fei Li, Elon Musk, Lisa Su and Mark Zuckerberg.

TIME said they had transformed business, science, government and daily life. The choice also reflected AI’s more disturbing side – from job disruption and misinformation to soaring energy use and power concentrated among a handful of tech leaders.

How to trade TIME’s Person of the Year 2026 on OG.com

With OG.com, you can trade event contracts on who will be named TIME’s Person of the Year 2026.

1. Create an account: Open an OG.com account and complete sign-up, including identity verification. You can use the web or mobile platform.
2. Find the market: Search for “TIME’s Person of the Year 2026” and review the available candidates and current prices.
3. Review and trade: Compare each market price with your own view. Check the rules, fees and settlement details before choosing Yes or No.
4. Monitor your position: Track your open contract and its price as political, diplomatic and cultural events reshape the race.

FAQs about TIME Person of the Year 2026

Who is most likely to be TIME Person of the Year 2026?

Zohran Mamdani is currently the favorite in the OG.com prediction market, followed by Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, Pope Leo XIV, Donald Trump and Bad Bunny. However, TIME’s editors make the final decision.

Can a group be named TIME Person of the Year?

Yes. Previous winners include the Architects of AI, the Guardians and the Silence Breakers. TIME has also selected broader concepts and objects, including the endangered Earth and the personal computer.

Has anyone won TIME Person of the Year more than once?

Yes. Franklin D. Roosevelt holds the record with three selections. Donald Trump, Barack Obama, Ronald Reagan, Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin are among those chosen twice.

Does TIME always choose someone it supports?

No. TIME’s Person of the Year measures influence and not editors’ moral approval. The winner may have influenced events for better, for worse or through a mixture of both.

When will the 2026 TIME Person of the Year be revealed?

TIME is expected to announce its 2026 Person of the Year in December. The exact date has not yet been confirmed.

Important Information: Prediction is an event contract offered by Crypto.com | Derivatives North America (CDNA), a CFTC-regulated designated contract market and derivatives clearing organization. OG.com is a technology provider to CDNA.

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