Topeka’s Top “20 Under 40”

Topeka’s Top “20 Under 40” award honors members of the Topeka/Shawnee County Community for their commitment and contributions both professionally and personally.  Each spring, members of the greater Topeka community are invited to submit nominations for the “20 Under 40” award and then nominees are sent an invitation to formally apply for the honor.  After the application deadline closes, a selection committee of more than 20 Topeka community leaders spends countless hours reviewing every submission. Each year the program receives more than 200 nominations and over 100 applications, including two letters of recommendation per submission.  The decision to select only 20 honorees out of such a large pool of worthy candidates each year continues to become an increasingly difficult task.

How the Program Works:

Community members and leaders nominate individuals who will be over the age of 18 but under the age of 40 as of May 31st. Nomination period will be announced mid-April and will close in late May. Visit our Nominations page for more information on who to nominate.

Once nominated, individuals are invited to apply for the honor. At the time of notification they are informed of an information session with past honorees and past selection committee members who speak about best practices and offer tips that helped them with their application.

Applications must be received by the Jayhawk Area Council in late June/early July each year (date varies).

Applications are then distributed to Selection Committee members for evaluation. Following a meeting in August, announcements of the new class of honorees are made the third or fourth week of August.