This story first appeared in the Jan. 27 issue of the Community Voice. For your own subscription, call 270-384-9454.
Three years ago, the first 20 Under 30 class was announced in Adair County.
The program, sponsored by the Community Voice, was suspended last year due to Covid-19 restrictions, but the program is back this year with a number of changes.
The biggest change will allow more Adair County young leaders to be nominated, because the program is now open to local residents under the age of 40, hence the new name, “20 under 40.”
“We started this program because we wanted to recognize a group of our citizens who are innovative, hardworking and positive influencers but may fail to earn the recognition they deserve,” publisher Sharon Burton said. “We expanded the age restriction to make room for more young leaders who are displaying talent and developing leadership skills that will serve and benefit our community and our world for years to come.”
Businesses and individuals can nominate a candidate. Nominees must be under the age of 40 and must either reside in Adair County or originally be from Adair County. A candidate cannot turn 40 until 2023.
Nominations will open next week, but first, the Community Voice is encouraging input from the community on the categories for which individuals will be recognized. Traditionally, two candidates are selected from 10 categories. In 2020, the categories were agriculture, art and style, business/commerce, education, entertainment/ music, healthcare/emergency services, multimedia, professional/services, public service, and sports/ athletics.
This year, additional categories will be added but no more than two winners may be selected for any category. Some categories will not have a winner.
Possible categories include automotive, finance, food & drink, legal, non-profit, religion, sales & marketing, manufacturing, real estate, retail, service industry, and technology. Art and style will be separated, with art being a single categor y and fashion & style being a separate category. Healthcare/emergency services will also be divided, with healthcare being a single category and first responder being a separate category.
Nominations will open on Thursday, Feb. 3 and nomination forms will be available inside the Community Voice and available online at adairvoice.com.
Deadline for nominations is Thursday, March 17.
Winners will be recognized in a special publication inside the Community Voice and will be the guests of honor during a 20 under 40 banquet in April.
