HR Executive Presents...

HR'S Rising Stars of 2026

Nomination Deadline:
July 6, 2026

Submit a Nomination

HR Executive is honored to once again shine a spotlight on the rising stars of Human Resources. Now in its 21st year, the competition recognizes rising HR leaders who have demonstrated leadership excellence, an ability to innovate and a proven record of driving HR success through effective strategy and program development.   
HR’s Rising Stars of 2026 will be profiled on HRExecutive.com and recognized at the annual HR Tech conference in Las Vegas on October 20-22, 2026. The chosen individuals will gain additional recognition via HR Executive’s social media and email newsletters. 

The nomination deadline is July 6, 2026.

Once the nomination portal is closed, we will no longer accept submissions. 

Submit a Nomination Here

Who is Eligible?

  • Eligible nominees must have 3-15 years of experience in HR or a related field, and they must have been in their current role at their organization for at least one year. 
  • Eligible candidates must head a major HR discipline or be the second-highest-ranked HR executive. Nominees cannot be the highest-ranking HR leader at their organization.
  • To avoid redundancy, we aim to vary the professionals that we profile from year-to-year. That said, any individual who was nominated as one of HR’s Rising Stars last year may be nominated once again by including updated details and accomplishments that do not mirror previous submissions.

What You Need to Know

  • Winners will be recognized within two categories based on their organization’s size (those with less than 1,000 employees and those with more than 1,000 employees).
  • You may submit up to five nominees per company. If your firm has multiple locations, please coordinate with your corporate headquarters to determine official candidates.
  • For preparation purposes, the complete nomination form is available for download here. Please note that all final entries must be submitted online via the nomination portal (e-mail and fax are not acceptable). Late entries will not be considered.
  • Each submission must include a professional headshot. The image must be in color, minimum 300 dpi files and in .jpg format.
  • Editorial staff will send email notifications to the chosen individuals and their submitters by August. Due to the high volume of nominations that we receive, only those selected will be notified.

For inquiries regarding this recognition that are not addressed here, contact Paul Wilson. 

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