Who are the region’s top young professionals? Get your nominations ready

The Reno Tahoe Young Professionals Network (YPN) is gearing up for its 11th annual Twenty under 40 Awards.

Nominations will open the end of July and go through August. Links to the nomination pages will go out with the organization’s weekly e-newsletter as well on its website at https://renotahoeypn.com. Winners will be honored with a reception on Nov. 9.

Last year, Reno YPN received almost 250 nominations for 162 nominees, Chelsea Hart, executive director of Reno YPN, told the NNBW.

“That number’s growing every year,” she said.

Nominees must be 39 or younger, but do not need to be YPN members.

The judges will consider three main areas:

Professional Accomplishments

Community Involvement,

Leadership

Community involvement carries the most weight.

“The main criteria for consideration are that a nominee gives back to the community through volunteerism,” Hart said.

“That’s one of the most heavily rated factor in the selection process,” she said.

Winners will be chosen by six judges from YPN, previous Twenty under 40 winners, NNBW (Print Partner for the competition), and KOLO 8 News Now (Media Partner).

New this year is that judges will be given nominations identified by numbers rather than names to minimize bias.

As judges narrow down the nominees to get to the magic 20, many individuals stand out.

“Usually, 12 to 15 are the same (nominees) across all the judges,” Hart said. “Choosing the last five or six involves a lot of discussion.”

Reno Young Professionals Network began in 2006 to cultivate an informed and active young professional community.

Despite the name of the organization, professionals of any age can be a part of YPN.

“We don’t have an age cap,” Hart said.

The YPN website includes the notation, “We believe that young is a state of mind, not a number on your driver’s license.”