Observer New Media Power List: Call for Submissions (original) (raw)

Nominations are open for Observer’s 2026 New Media Power List

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Observer’s inaugural New Media Power List recognizes the individuals who are defining how information, influence and capital move in the digital age. This is not a list about celebrity or follower counts alone, but a rigorous assessment of who holds real power in the new media ecosystem: the creators building loyal audiences outside traditional structures, the builders designing the infrastructure everyone else depends on, and the intelligence leaders whose tools determine where billions of advertising and PR dollars flow.

Honorees will be profiled in a landmark Observer feature and celebrated across our digital and events platforms, reaching our core audience of executives, investors, cultural leaders and decision-makers.

Who we're looking for

Nominations are open across three categories

• Creators — Individuals who have built significant, monetizable audiences independent of legacy media, through video, podcasts, newsletters, social platforms or cross-platform brands. We are looking for people whose influence measurably shapes capital, culture, behavior or discourse.
• Builders—Leaders of the platforms, tools and infrastructure that power the new media landscape, from publishing and distribution platforms to creator economy services. These are the people building the rails everyone else runs on.
• Intelligence Leaders—Executives at the companies using data and A.I. to measure reach, map influence and guide how agencies and brands invest in earned and paid media. These behind-the-scenes power brokers determine where attention and capital flow across the ecosystem.

How honorees are evaluated

Observer will assess nominees across two primary dimensions

Capital Influence — evidence that the nominee has moved money

• Paid subscribers, platform revenue or audience monetization at scale
• Brand deals, licensing, merchandise, courses, or media extensions
• Investment activity: funds launched, companies founded or backed, funding raised
• Platform GMV, creator earnings facilitated, or ad spend directed

Conversation Influence — evidence that the nominee has moved minds

• Ideas, frameworks, or phrases that have entered broader cultural or industry discourse
• Media citation frequency and cross-platform reach
• Demonstrated behavior change at scale or shifts in how an industry operates
• Thought leadership that has influenced peers, policymakers, or competitors

Trajectory, originality and leverage—how many other powerful people’s decisions flow through this person—will also factor into the final selection.

What to include in your nomination

• Full name, title and organization or platform
• Category: Creator, Builder or Intelligence Leader
• A brief biography that explains the nominee's ascent
• Quantitative metrics demonstrating the nominee's capital influence
  • Reach
    * Monthly active users & unique visitors
    * Total pageviews & time on site
    * App downloads & active users
    * Social media following & growth rates
    * Video views & watch time
    * Podcast listens & downloads
    * Newsletter subscribers & open rates
    * Community engagement
  • Growth
    * Annual revenue & profitability
    * Subscription & membership growth
    * Advertising revenue
    * Creator economy earnings
    * Brand collaborations & sponsorships
    * Venture capital & private investment
• Examples of how the nominee has influenced culture and conversations
  • Influence
    * Viral moments created
    * Number of viral stories & social shares
    * Memes & challenges originated
    * Crossover into mainstream media
    * Number of citations in traditional media
    * Influence on public policy & discourse
    * Impact on celebrity & entertainment trends
    * The nominee's role in breaking news
    * Influence on purchasing decisions
    * Platform dependence (do they own audience data, or are they at the mercy of algorithms?)
• A statement explaining why the nominee belongs on the list now (what makes their influence timely and significant) and the degree to which they've created something genuinely new versus scaled an existing model

Timeline and process

1. Submit your nomination here.
2. Observer will review all submissions. We will not be in touch with everyone who submitted.
3. We will begin reaching out to a short list of honorees for interviews, fact-checks, data collection and other items.
4. The list will go live in Q2 2026. Honorees will be notified the morning the list is published and provided with a folder of custom graphics for promotional purposes.
5. Feedback on nominees who didn't make the cut will be available upon request in the weeks following.