Isa Briones, Joshua Henry, and Sarah Pidgeon Named to 2026 TIME100 Next List

TIME has revealed the 2026 TIME100 Next, an annual list recognizing 100 emerging leaders from around the world. Among the theater highlights of this year’s list are Isa Briones, Joshua Henry and Sarah Pidgeon.

“This spring’s Broadway turn as Connie Francis in Just in Time left me wondering, ‘Is there anything she can’t do!?’,” said Katherine LaNasa about Isa Briones.

Lin-Manuel Miranda commented on Joshua Henry, “My form of evangelism has been casting him in almost everything I’ve worked on: In the Heights; two companies of Hamilton; tick, tick … Boom!—while cheering for him on Broadway in Violet, Shuffle Along, Carousel, and so many more. This season, The Truth transcended the arts page, as clips of his blazing portrayal of Coalhouse Walker Jr. in Ragtime made the rounds.”

Finally, Sarah Michelle Gellar talked about Sarah Pidgeon, stating, “Her Tony-nominated performance in Stereophonic showcased both her powerhouse vocals and her heartbreaking vulnerability. And her role in this year’s Love Story not only earned Sarah a much deserved Emmy nomination, but also introduced a global audience to how truly captivating she is.”

See the entire TIME100 Next list here.

“The TIME100 Next brings together individuals whose work is defining the next generation of leadership,” said TIME Chief Executive Officer Jessica Sibley. “This year’s listmakers are pushing boundaries, creating new possibilities, and advancing their fields and communities around the world. We look forward to celebrating them at the TIME100 Next event with our partners Rolex, Toyota, Project Management Institute and Target.”

TIME Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs writes in his letter to readers: “We launched TIME100 Next in 2019 with the belief that the nature of influence was changing. When the TIME100 was born at the turn of this century, influence largely derived from traditional power structures and timing. We created TIME100 Next knowing that influence can now come early and, when it does, through channels that work outside the establishment.”

Jacobs continues: “Our team spent months working with our editorial colleagues around the world, seeking out the individuals who best represent the stories shaping our world. Among the key themes: those working to increase access to education, individuals leading the AI revolution, leaders tackling immigration, and politicians seeking to create a new kind of leadership in their own countries and around the world.” 

Highlights From The 2026 TIME100 Next:

TIME selects guest contributors to write about members of the TIME100 Next list. Pairings for the 2026 list include: Tyrese Maxey by LeBron James, Arch Manning by Matthew McConaughey, Charles Melton by Natalie Portman, Alexandra Eala by Rafael Nadal, Raye by Anya Taylor-Joy, Wawira Njiru by Trevor Noah, Alex Consani by Charli xcx, Troye Sivan by Kylie Minogue, Gretchen Goldman by Bill Nye, Naomi Girma by Alex Morgan, Anna Menon by Jessica Meir, Lauren Ireland and Marianna Hewitt by Emma Grede, E.J. Lagasse by Eric Ripert, Tosin Eniolorunda by Tony Elumelu, and more.

Entertainers on this year’s list include: Druski, Ashley Padilla, Charles Melton, Eiza González, Joey King, Chase Sui Wonders, Molly Gordon, Cooper Hoffman, Chase Infiniti, Himesh Patel, Sarah Pidgeon, Yerin Ha, Marisa Abela, Paapa Essiedu, Dominic Sessa, Isa Briones, Joshua Henry, Katie Dippold, and Curry Barker.

Musicians on this year’s list include: Raye, Troye Sivan, PinkPantheress, Megan Moroney, Conan Gray, Alex Warren, and Sombr.

Athletes on this year’s list include: Arch Manning, Tyrese Maxey, Naomi Girma, Alexandra Eala, Folarin Balogun, Olivia Miles, and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.

Fashion, arts, media, literary, and culinary figures on this year’s list include: Alex Consani, Robert Wun, Ben Collins, Daniella Kallmeyer, Claire Tabouret, Caro Claire Burke, E.J. Lagasse, Sasha Gordon, Emily Sundberg, and Annie Shi.

Business, technology, and AI leaders on this year’s list include: Luana Lopes Lara, Tarek Mansour, Yang Zilin, Max Jaderberg, Lauren Ireland, Marianna Hewitt, Michael D. Ratner, Michael Truell, Tosin Eniolorunda, Rati Sahi Levesque, Pawan Kumar Chandana, Hosam Arab, Yotam Segev, Brendan Foody, Julia Reichelstein, and Cristina Etcheberry.

U.S. political figures and public leaders on this year’s list include: Andy Kim, Jake Auchincloss, Maxwell Frost, Katie Britt, James Blair, and Andrew Ferguson.

Global leaders and policymakers on this year’s list include: Peter Magyar, Heidi Reichinnek, Rob Jetten, Shamma Al Mazrui, Naama Lazimi, Martha Wangari Wanjira, Siviwe Gwarube, Luis Carlos Rúa, Shoko Kawata, and Anika Wells.

Science, space, and health innovators on this year’s list include: Anna Menon, Yu Deng, Jane Burston, Mathilde Poyet, Mathieu Groussin, Marie-Roseline Darnycka Belizaire, Muhammad Azmi Abdul Wahab, Katherine Dafforn, Adrien Bilal, and Olivier Nsengimana.

Advocates and changemakers on this year’s list include: Shabana Basij-Rasikh, Wawira Njiru, Julian Aguon, Kaley Glenn-Mills, Gretchen Goldman, Skye Duncan, Isidora Uribe Silva, Pavel Talankin, Claudia Queragama, Conchita Cruz, Swapna Reddy, Ronaldo Salgado, Lorenzo Salgado Jr., Olsi Nika, and Besjana Guri.

While the TIME100 Next list has no age requirements, the youngest person on the 2026 list is cricket player Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, age 15.

Photo Credit: Art Direction and Set Art by Jana Frost for TIME