Watch: How to make your 40 Under 40 nomination stand out

UPDATE, October 27: Nominations for the 40 Under 40 for 2020 are now closed. Our thanks to all who entered.

The nomination process for the 2020 edition of 40 Under 40, our annual list of outstanding and promising industry professionals, is now open. The early-bird deadline is October 9 and the final deadline is October 16.

> 40 UNDER 40 NOMINATION INSTRUCTIONS AND FORM <

In an effort to help you prepare the best possible nominations for the people you want to spotlight—and answer some of the common questions we tend to receive—we've prepared this brief video, hosted by Matthew Miller, our managing editor and the point person for 40 Under 40 this year.

No doubt the people you have in mind are sterling individuals who have made enormous contributions to your company. You think the world of these people, and you're eager to tell the world about them. But translating that into a nomination that stands out amidst the many entries our senior editors will be tasked to absorb and evaluate...that's another thing entirely. 

It's not about telling us how great the person is. It's about showing us. Put another way, the number one thing that makes an entry rise through the pile is specific and detailed information about the nominee's achievements.

But what does that actually look like? The video delves more deeply into what we mean by specific information, with examples that should help you think about how to present the information in the most effective way.

The video also touches on some common questions, such as how to handle sensitive information in submissions, what kinds of companies can submit nominations and how many nominations you can submit.

Please see the nomination instructions here for further details, where you'll also find a handy checklist for preparing your nominations, as well as the nomination form itself.

If you have further questions, please send them to [email protected], and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.