Person of the Year

TIME’s History of President-Elects as Person of the Year

TIME’s 2020 Person of the Year choice of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris keeps with tradition—and breaks new ground. The selection of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris marks the first time a...

By Olivia B. Waxman December 10, 2020

Behind the Scenes of TIME's 2020 Person of the Year Issue

In the fall of any normal year, we pack a conference room at TIME’s headquarters in New York City with reporters, producers and editors to debate who should be selected as Person of the Year,...

By Edward Felsenthal December 10, 2020

BTS Performs 'Dynamite' in TIME's POY Special

BTS was named TIME's 2020 Entertainer of the Year

By Raisa Bruner December 10, 2020

Who Will Be TIME's Person of the Year for 2020?

The shortlist of candidates for TIME's 2020 Person of the Year was announced Thursday morning during NBC's Today show. Four candidates are being considered by TIME editors for this year's selection of the person who...

By TIME Staff December 10, 2020

Greta Thunberg on Fighting Climate Change During COVID-19

Like millions of other students around the world, Greta Thunberg is still getting used to attending school virtually. But on a Sunday morning in late November, the 17-year-old Swedish climate activist—named TIME’s Person of the...

By Suyin Haynes December 8, 2020

2020 TIME Person of the Year Debates

Join us for a live debate on who should be TIME's 2020 Person of the Year.

By TIME Staff December 7, 2020

Here's Who Won TIME's 2020 Person of the Year Reader Poll

Essential workers—the nurses, doctors, delivery people, grocery-store employees and many others who continue to risk their lives on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic—have won TIME’s 2020 Person of the Year reader poll. These...

By TIME Staff December 7, 2020

In the Year Since TIME Named Besieged Journalists the Person of the Year, the War Against Truth Has Continued Unabated

Governments worldwide have criminalized journalism

By Karl Vick December 12, 2019

香港示威者在時代雜誌2019年年度風雲人物經讀者投票獲勝

過去六個月走上香港街頭的數以萬計的大部分年輕示威者是時代雜誌2019年年度風雲人物讀者投票的贏家。

By TIME Staff December 11, 2019

Hong Kong Protestors Win TIME’s 2019 Person of the Year Reader Poll

The choice of 30% of visitors to our online survey

By TIME Staff December 11, 2019

Greta Thunberg: TIME's Person of the Year 2019

It began with a story line familiar to every parent of every generation in every corner of the globe: an indignant teenager and a sudden burst of rebellion. It became one of the most unlikely...

By Edward Felsenthal December 11, 2019

Greta Thunberg Is the Youngest TIME Person of the Year Ever. Here’s How She Made History

The climate activist is the first teenager to receive the recognition

By Lily Rothman December 11, 2019

Behind the Scenes of TIME's 2019 Person of the Year Issue

Person of the Year started on a whim. At the end of 1927, the editors realized they had made it through the year without putting the 25-year-old aviator Charles Lindbergh on the cover to commemorate...

By Edward Felsenthal December 11, 2019

The Story Behind TIME's 2019 Person of the Year Cover

Photographer Evgenia Arbugaeva used art references to create a portrait of Greta Thunberg on a beach in Lisbon

By Karl Vick December 11, 2019

'Venezuelans Are Starving for Information.' The Battle to Get News in a Country in Chaos

Activists and former journalists are trying to keep information flowing around the country

By Ciara Nugent April 16, 2019

How Nicaragua is Waging a War on Journalists

On January 1, Carlos Chamorro, one of Nicaragua’s most prominent journalists, packed his bags and snuck across the border with his wife. For months, he says, security forces from President Daniel Ortega’s authoritarian regime had...

By Ciara Nugent March 18, 2019

Two Brothers Are Fighting for Press Freedom in Azerbaijan

Neither of the Huseynov brothers got to see their mother before she died last year

By Joseph Hincks March 13, 2019

Behind the Scenes of the 2018 Person of the Year Issue

Journalism is a team sport, the saying goes, and that’s particularly true at TIME, where our co-founder Henry Luce helped pioneer the notion of “group journalism” nearly a century ago. To begin the process of...

By Edward Felsenthal December 11, 2018

He Faked His Own Death to Save His Life. Did He Discredit His Profession By Doing So?

Arkady Babchenko’s participation in a hoax sparked a debate about exactly how inviolable a journalist’s commitment to the truth should be

By Simon Shuster/Kiev December 11, 2018

What Still Needs to Be Done to Break the Silence Surrounding Sexual Harassment

A letter from 12 Silence Breakers, a year after being named TIME's Person of the Year

By Celeste Kidd, Amanda Schmitt, Sandra Muller, Jessica Cantlon, Adama Iwu, Wendy Walsh, Gabrielle Eubank, Lindsay Meyer, Lindsey Reynolds, Tarana Burke, Terry Crews and Ashley Judd December 11, 2018

'I Hate Being the Story.' The Capital Gazette Reflects on Life After a Newsroom Shooting

Andrea Chamblee, 57, wore a bright yellow shirt that read "Journalism Matters" as she fiddled with the rings on her fingers. They signified 33 years of marriage to her husband, John McNamara. One of the...

By Abby Vesoulis December 11, 2018

Inside a Bangladeshi Journalist’s Dangerous Journey From Photographer to Prisoner

It was only by chance that Shahidul Alam began taking photographs. A chemistry doctoral student in London, Alam purchased a Nikon FM for a friend while traveling in the United States and Canada in 1980....

By Eli Meixler / Dhaka December 11, 2018

The Wives of Reuters Journalists Jailed in Myanmar Speak Out

Chit Su Win and Pan Ei Mon have been left to raise small children in communities quick to ostracize them

By Laignee Barron / Yangon, Myanmar December 11, 2018

She Reported From War Zones. But Covering Philippine President Duterte Might Be Her Most Dangerous Job Yet

When Maria Ressa realized she was about to be arrested for doing her job, she reacted in the manner she had learned reporting from conflict zones throughout her 33-year career in journalism: she took a...

By Joseph Hincks December 11, 2018

We Need Writers Now More Than Ever. Our Democracy Depends On It

Online, lies and truth look the same. This has been a boon for professional liars, who take advantage of the fact that two-thirds of Americans get their news from social media, and use these platforms...

By Jennifer Egan December 11, 2018

The Story Behind TIME’s 2018 Person of the Year Covers

The man who photographed TIME’s 2018 Person of the Year covers — featuring several journalists who have been targeted for their work— is, himself, a photojournalist who has been imprisoned and blacklisted during two decades...

By Katie Reilly December 11, 2018

TIME Announces 2018 Person of the Year Shortlist

These were the top contenders for TIME's annual accolade

By Suyin Haynes December 10, 2018

K-Pop Sensation BTS Wins Person of the Year Reader's Poll

The seven-member K-Pop band — which includes members RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook — won the poll with 9% of all “yes” votes.

By TIME Staff December 7, 2018

BTS Holds Onto the Lead in Final Days of TIME Person of the Year Poll

The 2018 TIME Person of the Year will be revealed in December

By TIME Staff November 29, 2018

See the Results of the TIME Person of the Year Reader's Poll

TIME readers voted on who they want to see as the 2018 Person of the Year — the person or group of people selected annually for having the greatest influence on the events of the...

By TIME Staff November 19, 2018

Who Should Be TIME's Person of the Year for 2018?

Cast your vote for the person you think most influenced the news this year

By TIME Staff November 19, 2018

#MeToo Creator Tarana Burke Will Lead NYC Ball Drop

Last year, an estimated 2 million people flocked to Times Square to celebrate the New Year

By Casey Quackenbush December 18, 2017

Here’s a Look at Past Coverage That Led Up to TIME’s 2017 Person of the Year Choice

Former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson sued over sexual harassment in 2016

By Katie Reilly December 6, 2017

The Story Behind the Woman You Don’t See on TIME’s Person of the Year Cover

On the lower right-hand corner of the cover, you can see her arm

By Melissa Chan December 6, 2017

Megyn Kelly's Message to Women Facing Sexual Harassment: 'You Are Not Alone'

She spoke after TIME revealed “The Silence Breakers” as the 2017 Person of the Year

By Melissa Chan December 6, 2017

'Now the Work Really Begins.' Alyssa Milano and Tarana Burke on What’s Next for the #MeToo Movement

After TIME named 'The Silence Breakers' as the 2017 Person of the Year

By Melissa Chan December 6, 2017

'I Was Angry.' Taylor Swift on What Powered Her Sexual Assault Testimony

Before the Harvey Weinstein allegations broke, and before #MeToo swept the Internet, Taylor Swift testified in court on Aug. 10 about being assaulted in a room full of people. Swift, who TIME recognized as one...

By Eliana Dockterman December 6, 2017

Gillian Flynn: A Howl

The outrages and allegations flash through my brain like a nasty, ludicrous slide show of twisted male power. Harvey Weinstein and his potted plant. Charlie Rose and his flapping bathrobe. Roy Moore and the cowboy-booted...

By Gillian Flynn December 6, 2017

Republicans Are Less Likely Than Democrats to Believe Women Who Make Sexual Assault Accusations: Survey

In the two months since Harvey Weinstein was felled by a wave of allegations, American attitudes on sexual harassment and assault have shifted dramatically. Hundreds of people have come forward with accusations against powerful men...

By Charlotte Alter December 6, 2017

Rose McGowan: 'They Really F--ed With the Wrong Person'

Rose McGowan doesn’t care if you like her or not. TIME recognized McGowan for by naming her one of the Silence Breakers, TIME’s Person of the Year, for speaking out about sexual assault and harassment....

By Eliana Dockterman December 6, 2017

Behind the Scenes of TIME's Person of the Year 2017

Each year, we begin the process of choosing the Person of the Year—this is the 91st time we have done so—with a late-September meeting of the staff. The nominations are varied and the debates vigorous,...

By Edward Felsenthal December 6, 2017

Terry Crews: 'Men Need to Hold Other Men Accountable'

When dozens of women came forward with sexual assault and harassment allegations against Harvey Weinstein—who has continued to deny all allegations of non-consensual sex—actor Terry Crews noticed that some people on Twitter were skeptical. Crews...

By Eliana Dockterman December 6, 2017

What It Means When TIME's Person of the Year Is a Group

In times of great change, the forces that influence the news can transcend specific individuals

By Lily Rothman December 6, 2017

Behind the Powerful Portraits of 'Silence Breakers' in TIME's Person of the Year Issue

For the cover of TIME’s 2017 Person of the Year, we commissioned the photographer team known as Billy & Hells to make a group portrait of “The Silence Breakers”—women whose individual acts of courage have...

By Kira Pollack December 6, 2017

Here's the History of TIME's Person of the Year Franchise

The magazine's editors have been picking a Person of the Year since 1927

By Lily Rothman December 5, 2017

Here's the Winner of the Reader Poll for TIME's 2017 Person of the Year

TIME’s 2017 Person of the Year will be revealed on Dec. 6

By TIME Staff December 4, 2017

Person of the Year

Assa Traoré and France's Fight for Racial Justice

Kamala Harris on Restoring the Soul of the Nation

Joe Biden on Vaccines, Pardons and Uniting America: The 2020 TIME Person of the Year Interview

The Story Behind TIME's 2020 Person of the Year Covers