TIME for Kids announces the 2024 Kid of the Year, honoring five deserving young people and one outstanding child who offers hope for the future. Heman Bekele, a 15-year-old scientist from Fairfax, Virginia, gets the prize this year. He is credited with creating an inexpensive compound-based soap bar that may one day offer a novel and easier method of administering medication to treat melanoma and other skin cancers.

(Source: Google Images) 

Bekele tells TIME:  “I’m really passionate about skin-cancer research…. whether it’s my own research or what’s happening in the field. It’s absolutely incredible to think that one day my bar of soap will be able to make a direct impact on somebody else’s life. That’s the reason I started this all in the first place.” 

(Source: Google Images) 

The Others ~

 The other five 2024 Kid of the Year honorees include: inventor Shanya Gill (13, San Jose, CA), advocate Madhvi Chittoor (12, Arvada, CO), advocate Jordan Sucato (15, Phoenix, AZ), actor Keivonn Woodard (11, Bowie, MD), and entrepreneur Dom Pecora (15, Malvern, PA). Read the Kid of the Year.

TIME has covered leadership and impact for more than a century. The people we identify are usually mature adults, either at the peak of their professions or wise seniors thinking back on a lifetime of experience. They mentioned that young people are among the most remarkable individuals they have ever met, which is why they decided to honor TIME's Kid of the Year.

TIME asked for suggestions for young individuals who are making outstanding achievements in a variety of sectors, such as social justice, science, and business, in order to choose the 2024 Kid of the Year. Editors and writers went through submissions and looked up exceptional children in the United States between the ages of 8 and 16. Then, a group of TIME for Kids Reporters provided feedback on the finalists as part of the selection process.

About TIME ~

With its recognizable magazine and digital platforms, TIME, a 101-year-old global media brand, reaches a combined audience of over 120 million people worldwide. TIME's objective is to tell the vital stories of the people and ideas that change and improve the world. With unmatched access to the most prominent people in the world, the confidence of customers and partners worldwide, and an unmatched capacity to convene, the organization achieves this goal. Along with these, TIME now encompasses the Emmy Award®-winning film and television division TIME Studios; a greatly expanded live events business based on the successful Person of the Year and TIME100 franchises; and TIME for Kids, which offers reliable news with an emphasis on news literacy for children as well as helpful resources for educators and families.