Aaron Maniam is a policy planner, poet and youth activist enthusiast interested in the intersection between government and technology.

Antonio Donato Nobre researches the “ingenious systems” of the Amazon. His work illustrates the beautiful complexity of this region, as well as its fragility against a backdrop of climate change.

Nonny de la Peña uses new, immersive media to tell stories that create empathy in readers and viewers.

Helen Marriage cofounded a company that specializes in creating disruptive, whole-city arts events that surprise and delight everyone who comes across them.

António Guterres is at the forefront of fighting the climate emergency and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

Jonathan Tepperman writes on the world's most pervasive and seemingly intractable challenges.

Bono, the lead singer of U2, uses his celebrity to fight for social justice worldwide: to end hunger, poverty and disease, especially in Africa. His nonprofit ONE raises awareness via media, policy and calls to action.

Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf has devoted himself to healing relations between Muslim-Americans and their neighbors, and bringing that message of peace to the wider Muslim world.

BCG's Shervin Khodabandeh helps businesses get real impact from AI by working with them to build game-changing capabilities.

Nicaila Matthews Okome is the creator and host of "Side Hustle Pro," the first and only podcast to spotlight bold, black women entrepreneurs who have scaled from side hustle to profitable business.

Using a principle he calls “convex lens leadership,” R.A. Mashelkar’s vision has catapulted india’s talent for science and innovation onto the international stage.

With scholarship and incisive commentary that exposes the marginalized narratives hidden within "mainstream" history, Brittney Cooper writes at the vanguard of cultural criticism.

James Rhee is an acclaimed entrepreneur, leader and goodwill strategist

In 2019, Victor Vescovo could become the first person to have climbed to the highest point of all the world's continents as well as descended to the deepest reaches of all its oceans, including the Challenger Deep.

Ayanna Howard designs and builds robots that learn from and interact with people, in order to help improve quality of life.

Samy Nour Younes is a trans actor and activist who highlights the diversity of the trans experience -- not just in their struggles, but also in their triumphs.

BCG's Sylvain Duranton thinks that only human input can save us from a high-tech bureaucracy.

Ali Noorani has traveled the world listening to the stories of migrants -- along with the stories of those who welcome them and those who fear them.

Jason Fried thinks deeply about collaboration, productivity and the nature of work. He's the co-founder of 37signals, makers of Basecamp and other web-based collaboration tools, and co-author of "Rework."

A former committed pioneer of violent jihad, Manwar Ali draws on his experience and deepening understanding of Islam to prevent radicalisation and extremism.

The creator of emotional, immersive games like "Heavy Rain," "BEYOND: Two Souls" and "Detroit: Become Human," David Cage uses games to push the boundaries of storytelling.

Maajid Nawaz works to promote conversation, tolerance and democracy in Muslim and non-Muslim communities.

Karen Armstrong -- winner of the 2008 TED Prize -- is a provocative, original thinker on the role of religion in the modern world.

Alex Laskey helps power companies to help their customers cut down -- using data analysis, marketing and a pinch of psychology.

Dena Simmons believes that creating a safe environment for children is an essential component of education.

Hal Harvey works with policymakers to develop a clean energy future.

Deborah Rhodes is an expert at managing breast-cancer risk. The director of the Mayo Clinic’s Executive Health Program is now testing a gamma camera that can see tumors that get missed by mammography.

Investor Yossi Vardi is godfather to more than 40 startups, mostly in the jumping Israeli high-tech sector. He's a legendary community-builder, connector and prankster.

Kavita Ramdas directs the Global Fund for Women, the largest foundation in the world supporting women's human rights across all borders.

Will Wright invented a genre of computer game that involves neither winning nor shooting, yet has generated colossal hits. Among them: SimCity (which earned its publisher $230 million), The Sims, and Spore.