| Aging in America News is asking readers to nominate changemakers whose work is improving life for older adults, family caregivers, and the direct care workforce.
| Help Us Find the People Shaping Aging in America
America is getting older faster than its systems are adapting. In 2024, older adults outnumbered children in 11 states and in nearly half of U.S. counties, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Just four years earlier, that was true in only three states.
The people responding to that shift rarely make headlines, but their work shapes how millions of Americans will age, yet most of it happens out of public view.
The Aging 15 brings that work into view. Each year, Aging in America News will recognize 15 people whose recent work is changing how this country supports older adults, family caregivers, and the people who provide care.
The list has a simple purpose: helping good work spread. It brings honorees to the attention of policymakers, funders, and journalists and connects a scattered field. And while other awards honor lifetime achievement, The Aging 15 spotlights what has made a difference in the past year.
How to nominate
Nominations are open now through November 30, 2026. Anyone can nominate, and self-nominations are welcome. The form takes about 10-15 minutes.
Nominees can come from any part of the field: nonprofits, government, providers, startups and businesses, research, advocacy, media, direct care, and family caregiving. Given the nature of this work, some nominees’ impact may be concentrated on a single town or state while others may be focused nationally – we want all of them to be nominated.
The strongest lists come from the widest net, and you may be one of the few people who has seen a nominee’s impact up close. This is not a popularity contest: multiple nominations will not increase a nominee’s chance of being selected.
What our reviewers look for
Our advisory council will assess every nomination against five criteria:
- Clear change: What is this person changing, and what makes their approach different?
- Evidence of impact: Concrete results, such as people served, policies passed, programs launched or scaled, workers trained, or research that changed practice
- Recent momentum: Meaningful accomplishments in the past approximately 12 months
- Who benefits: How the work improves life for older adults, family caregivers, direct care workers, or people with disabilities
- Originality: A fresh and creative approach, or a new spin on an existing model
Nominees’ work must impact the United States. Supporting links are optional but can provide reviewers with a clearer sense of the nominee’s impact. Plain language is better than polished language: specific names, places, and numbers help reviewers most. Selection will consider nominees’ diversity of specialty, geography, age, gender, race/ethnicity, and disability status.
Honorees will be announced in March 2027.
Become a sponsor
We are still looking for partners to help drive success of the inaugural Aging 15. Sponsorship supports the review process, honoree profiles, and the independent journalism Aging in America News publishes year-round.
Sponsors support the program, not the outcome. Nomination and selection are free, and sponsors, advertisers, and donors have no say in who is nominated or selected. We ask nominators to disclose conflicts of interest so reviewers can weigh every nomination fairly.
To discuss sponsorship opportunities, contact Mark Swartz, at mark [at] aginginamerica.news.
Know someone who belongs on the list? Submit your nomination by November 30, 2026.
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