Since 1927, TIME magazine has awarded a person or persons the annual title of TIME Person of the Year. Here's a look at who could win the honors for 2023, which comes a year after Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy took home the honors.
This year's shortlist and potential winner could ruffle some feathers given the controversies surrounding several candidates.
What Happened: Each year, TIME puts together top 100 lists and names the Person of the Year.
On Monday, the company announced its shortlist for Person of the Year 2023, which includes the following candidates.
Hollywood Strikers: The year 2023 saw a strike in Hollywood by both actors and writers, marking the first time both groups have been on strike simultaneously in over six decades. The Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild fought for a new contract that included clarity on the use of artificial intelligence by media companies and royalties from streaming deals.
Xi Jinping: The president of China is now in a third term and one of the most powerful leaders in the world. Controversy comes to Jinping with relations with the U.S. and international relations with Taiwan. Jinping has been on the Time 100 list several times and was the runner-up for the 2017 Person of the Year award.
Taylor Swift: The musician has been one of the most talked about people in 2023 and was recently named the most streamed artist for the year on Spotify Technology SPOT.
In November 2022, demand for Swift's now record-breaking Eras Tour crashed the Ticketmaster website and led to a huge storyline for the ticket-selling website's parent company Live Nation Entertainment Inc LYV. A deal for her concert film from the Eras Tour also broke records at the box office and could be a profit driver for AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc AMC.
Sam Altman: The CEO of OpenAI and his company have been among the top news items of the last 12 months. The ChatGPT parent company got $10 billion in funding from Microsoft Corp MSFT and kicked off increased interest of artificial intelligence.
Donald Trump Prosecutors: The former president became the first president in history to face federal charges. Over time, Donald Trump has now been charged in four cases with over 90 charges against him. Charges related to classified documents, election interference and business records make multiple court dates on Trump's calendar during his run for president in the 2024 election.
Barbie: The Mattel Inc MAT-owned toy brand hit the big screen with a movie adaptation that broke records. The movie grossed $636.2 million domestically and $1.44 billion worldwide, ranking as the top movie for 2023 for both categories. The movie also ranks 11th and 14th all-time for box office domestically and worldwide, respectively.
Vladimir Putin: The Russian president is on the shortlist and may make the list controversial in 2023 given his current role in the invasion of Ukraine. A rebellion by the Wagner group that was fought off is listed as an item that showed Putin's influence in the country and European region. Putin previously won Person of the Year in 2007 and was on the TIME 100 list in 2022.
King Charles III: The death of Queen Elizabeth II saw Charles ascend to the throne in the U.K. The move comes after Elizabeth served as the head role for the Royal Family for 70 years.
Jerome Powell: The chairman of the Federal Reserve is a key figure in the world of finance and with items such as high inflation, he has been more closely monitored. Powell was on the TIME 100 list in 2019 and 2020.
The winner will be announced Wednesday morning by TIME.
Related Link: Elon Musk Named TIME’s 2021 Person Of The Year
Why It's Important: The inclusion of Putin and Jinping on the list could be controversial given the relations with the U.S. Including the Trump prosecutors could also be controversial as it involves charges against a former president.
According to TIME, the Person of the Year is awarded to the person who was the biggest figure in the last year, both good or bad.
"TIME's annual selection of the individual, group, or concept that has had the most influence on the world throughout the previous 12 months," the magazine said.
In the past TIME has named several controversial world leaders as the Person of the Year including Adolf Hitler in 1938 and Joseph Stalin in 1939 and 1942.
In 2019, TIME introduced Entertainer of the Year and Athlete of the Year as subset categories. The media company also introduced an online poll for the public to select a winner, with Zelenskyy winning both the magazine and public award in 2022.
The list has included every president of the U.S. since the award began except for Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover and Gerald Ford.
Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos are among the business names to win the top award with Steve Jobs notable absent from winning the annual Person of the Year.
Read Next: AI Crowned 2023's Word Of The Year
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