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Crain's Cleveland Business 40 Under 40 honors the exceptional achievements of young professionals across diverse industries and showcases dynamic leaders who are shaping their communities.

For more than three decades, from Chicago to Cleveland, Michigan to New York, we have highlighted CEOs, founders, innovators, and community champions under 40 who are making significant impacts. Selected through a peer nomination and editorial review process, we celebrate their contributions and inspire future leaders. 

To be eligible, a nominee must be working in Northeast Ohio and be 39 years old or younger as of Nov. 17, 2025. The deadline to nominate an individual for 40 Under 40 is May 16, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. EST. 

Know a leader we need to meet? Click here to nominate.

Get alerted when 40 Under 40 publishes and learn more about the Northeast Ohio Business scene by subscribing to Crain's Cleveland Business newsletters and updating your email preferences here.


How to nominate: 

  • To get started, click the application link and sign into your account. If you do not have an account, you will be asked to create one before you can proceed with the nomination form. We recommend using Chrome or Firefox web browsers to complete your application. Note, your CrainsCleveland.com account is separate from an account you create for 40 Under 40 or any other Cleveland Business recognition program.
    • To finish an incomplete nomination: Sign into your account and choose either the "incomplete" or "in progress" option as shown on the next page. Then, select "edit" on the following page to complete the previously started submission.
  • To submit someone for consideration, there is a nomination fee of $99, which must be paid before the nomination can be formally submitted. The nomination fee ensures that your nominee will be considered for inclusion in the final published story; it does not ensure your nominee will automatically be included.

Honoree notification: 40 Under 40 honorees will be notified by phone or email no later than 5 weeks before publication day. Please note that we do not notify all applicants, only those we have chosen to include.

Got questions? We have answers. Click to our FAQ page to see answers to the most common questions.

Contact us: To address technical issues with the submission form or payment process, please contact us ClevelandRecognitions@crain.com


By submitting a nomination for this feature, you consent to receive marketing or editorial promotional emails from Crain's Cleveland Business; you may unsubscribe or change your email preferences through the opt-out link in emails you receive.

Click here to nominate a leader for the class of 2025.

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