Early betting markets and media speculation for TIME's 2026 Person of the Year have coalesced around Zohran Mamdani, Pope Leo XIV, and Donald Trump as leading contenders, driven by their prominent placements on the magazine's April 2026 TIME100 list of influential figures. With the official announcement still months away in December, trader sentiment reflects broad news-cycle visibility, political developments, and cultural impact rather than any single decisive event. Historical precedent favors high-profile individuals or groups tied to major global stories, though past winners like the 2025 "Architects of AI" show TIME's flexibility for collective or thematic selections. Key upcoming catalysts include sustained media momentum through fall and any late-year breaking developments that could shift the narrative.
Experimental AI-generated summary referencing Polymarket data. This is not trading advice and plays no role in how this market resolves. · UpdatedTIME Person of the Year 2026
Zohran Mamdani
28%
Pope Leo XIV
17%
Donald Trump
15%
Elon Musk
12%
Artificial Intelligence
10%
Dario Amodei
10%
Christina Koch
10%
Jeremy Hansen
9%
Jerome Powell
9%
Victor Glover
9%
Benjamin Netanyahu
9%
Taylor Swift
8%
Reid Wiseman
8%
ChatGPT
8%
Shehbaz Sharif
7%
Sam Altman
7%
Marco Rubio
7%
James Talarico
6%
Péter Magyar
6%
Bad Bunny
5%
Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf
4%
Alysa Liu
3%
$8,784 Vol.
Zohran Mamdani
28%
Pope Leo XIV
17%
Donald Trump
15%
Elon Musk
12%
Artificial Intelligence
10%
Dario Amodei
10%
Christina Koch
10%
Jeremy Hansen
9%
Jerome Powell
9%
Victor Glover
9%
Benjamin Netanyahu
9%
Taylor Swift
8%
Reid Wiseman
8%
ChatGPT
8%
Shehbaz Sharif
7%
Sam Altman
7%
Marco Rubio
7%
James Talarico
6%
Péter Magyar
6%
Bad Bunny
5%
Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf
4%
Alysa Liu
3%
A listed option will be considered TIME Person of the Year if they/it are explicitly named as Person of the Year.
Additionally, the following rules apply:
If multiple people are explicitly named person of the year, both people will be considered TIME Person of the Year.
If the TIME Person of the Year is a concept, group or thing, a person may still be considered Person of the Year if they are also explicitly named person of the year, or if they are directly associated with the concept, group or thing named as person of the Year and are pictured on any official TIME cover announcing the Person of the Year. For example, in 2025 when TIME Person of the Year was “Architects of AI” the option for Sam Altman would have resolved to “Yes” as he was associated with the concept and is pictured on the Cover. However, if Sam Altman were Person of the Year, and ChatGPT was shown on the cover, this would not qualify for ChatGPT because ChatGPT is not a person.
If the TIME Person of the Year is a specific concept, group, entity, or thing (e.g. artificial intelligence), listed concepts or entities will be considered Person of the Year only if they are synonymous with the announced TIME Person of the Year. For example, if ChatGPT were Person of the Year, options for AI or LLMs would resolve to “No” because, while they are conceptually linked, they are not synonymous.
If TIME uses language that does not refer to a specific, commonly-recognized, concept, group, entity, or thing (e.g. 2011’s “The Protester” or 2017’s “The Silence Breakers”), the TIME Person of the Year feature article will be used to determine the meaning of the language defining TIME Person of the Year. In such cases, listed concepts, groups, or things will be considered TIME Person of the Year if they can be reasonably understood as equivalent to the meaning of the language used to define TIME Person of the Year. For example, the option for “The Me Too Movement” would have resolved to “Yes” in 2017.
If for any reason the TIME's Person of the Year is not announced by June 30, 2027, 11:59 PM ET, this market will resolve to "No".
The resolution source for this market will be the TIME magazine cover or covers announcing the 2026 TIME Person of the Year; however, the TIME Person of the Year Feature article may also be used.
Market Opened: May 26, 2026, 4:26 PM ET
Resolver
0x65070BE91...A listed option will be considered TIME Person of the Year if they/it are explicitly named as Person of the Year.
Additionally, the following rules apply:
If multiple people are explicitly named person of the year, both people will be considered TIME Person of the Year.
If the TIME Person of the Year is a concept, group or thing, a person may still be considered Person of the Year if they are also explicitly named person of the year, or if they are directly associated with the concept, group or thing named as person of the Year and are pictured on any official TIME cover announcing the Person of the Year. For example, in 2025 when TIME Person of the Year was “Architects of AI” the option for Sam Altman would have resolved to “Yes” as he was associated with the concept and is pictured on the Cover. However, if Sam Altman were Person of the Year, and ChatGPT was shown on the cover, this would not qualify for ChatGPT because ChatGPT is not a person.
If the TIME Person of the Year is a specific concept, group, entity, or thing (e.g. artificial intelligence), listed concepts or entities will be considered Person of the Year only if they are synonymous with the announced TIME Person of the Year. For example, if ChatGPT were Person of the Year, options for AI or LLMs would resolve to “No” because, while they are conceptually linked, they are not synonymous.
If TIME uses language that does not refer to a specific, commonly-recognized, concept, group, entity, or thing (e.g. 2011’s “The Protester” or 2017’s “The Silence Breakers”), the TIME Person of the Year feature article will be used to determine the meaning of the language defining TIME Person of the Year. In such cases, listed concepts, groups, or things will be considered TIME Person of the Year if they can be reasonably understood as equivalent to the meaning of the language used to define TIME Person of the Year. For example, the option for “The Me Too Movement” would have resolved to “Yes” in 2017.
If for any reason the TIME's Person of the Year is not announced by June 30, 2027, 11:59 PM ET, this market will resolve to "No".
The resolution source for this market will be the TIME magazine cover or covers announcing the 2026 TIME Person of the Year; however, the TIME Person of the Year Feature article may also be used.
Resolver
0x65070BE91...Early betting markets and media speculation for TIME's 2026 Person of the Year have coalesced around Zohran Mamdani, Pope Leo XIV, and Donald Trump as leading contenders, driven by their prominent placements on the magazine's April 2026 TIME100 list of influential figures. With the official announcement still months away in December, trader sentiment reflects broad news-cycle visibility, political developments, and cultural impact rather than any single decisive event. Historical precedent favors high-profile individuals or groups tied to major global stories, though past winners like the 2025 "Architects of AI" show TIME's flexibility for collective or thematic selections. Key upcoming catalysts include sustained media momentum through fall and any late-year breaking developments that could shift the narrative.
Experimental AI-generated summary referencing Polymarket data. This is not trading advice and plays no role in how this market resolves. · Updated



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