The 100 Most Influential Turks in the US Announced

The 'Top 100 Most Influential Turkish Americans' list, compiled as part of the TOA Awards 2026 to highlight the achievements of the Turkish-American community in ABD and their contributions to society, has been announced.

According to information shared by the organization, the selection process took more than six months. In a process that evaluated hundreds of candidates, a 23‑member jury and a 16‑member Selection Committee carried out the work. After the evaluations, a total of 100 people were chosen for the 2026 honor list across 24 different categories.

ABDPost Joins the Selection Committee

ABDPost was also represented on the Selection Committee that determines the finalists for the TOA Awards 2026. New York representative Özlem Özgüt Yörekli, as a committee member, contributed to the process of selecting the finalists.

By conveying the developments, achievements, and stories of the Turkish community living in ABD to the public, ABDPost also became represented in one of the key evaluation stages of the TOA Awards 2026.

Nobel Laureates on the List

One of the event's most striking categories was science and academia. Nobel laureate scientist Aziz Sancar was honored in the 'Lifetime Achievement' category.

In the 'Science, Research & Academia' category, Nobel laureate economist Daron Acemoğlu, along with Gökhan Hotamışlıgil, Dani Rodrik, Canan Dağdeviren, Aydoğan Özcan, Mehmet Toner, İvet Bahar, Feryal Özel, Ali Erdemir, Asuman Özdağlar, Bilge Yıldız, Murat Günel, Engin Kırda, and Selçuk Şirin were included.

Important names of the business world were also selected.

Turkish entrepreneurs known for their achievements in the U.S. and global business world also secured a prominent spot on the list.

In the 'CEO & Founders' category, Fatih Özmen, Hamdi Ulukaya, Eren Özmen, Eren Bali, Osman Kibar, Magdalena Yeşil, Oğuzhan Atay, Murat Özgener, Aydın Şenkut, Ahmet Okumuş, Tümay Başaranlar, Varol Ablak, and Emre İmamoğlu were included.

In the technology field, Egemen Taş, Aylin Uysal, and Hande Çilingir were selected for the 'Technology & Futures' category; Dr. Selda Günsel, Tolga Kurtoğlu, and Murat Genç also appeared in the 'CTO & CIO' category.

From Refik Anadol to Alperen Şengün

Renowned Turkish figures from the worlds of art, culture, media, and sport also found a place on the TOA Awards 2026 list

In the 'Arts & Culture' category, Gizem Salçığıl White, Refik Anadol, Barbaros Tapan, and Emre Şahin were selected; in the 'Performing Arts' category, Fahir Atakoğlu and Pınar Toprak were chosen

Alperen Şengün, one of Turkey's standout representatives on the international sports stage thanks to his performance in the NBA, entered the 'Sports & Athletic' category's honor list

In the Media category, Arda Öcal, Cenk Uygur, and Hasan Piker; in the 'Policy, Government & Public Administration' category, Dr. Mehmet Öz, Tayfun Selen, Seval Öz, and Didem Nisanci were included

Young Turkish Americans also on the list

Ali Sarılgan, Anya Özmen, and Lara Özkan were selected in the 'Under 30' category, which aims to highlight the next generation of successful Turkish Americans.

In the 'Women in Business' category, Derya Taşkın, Neslihan Hıdırliğil, and Kerime Ataker were highlighted among the standout figures for their achievements.

The list also brought together Turkish-American success stories across a wide range of fields, including finance, law, real estate, health, tourism, hospitality, civil society, cultural heritage, and community leadership.

Special awards will also be given in addition to the 100 names.

In addition to the 100-person list selected by the jury, it was decided that the founders of TOA Awards would also present special appreciation awards to certain individuals.

In this context, Ali Berke Ayazlı and Dinçer Ocak were recognized for business and entrepreneurship; Ali Rıza Doğan for humanitarian aid and community services; Emre Uğurlu for cybersecurity; Hakan İnan for industrial leadership; Mustafa Tuncer for transatlantic entrepreneurship; Orhan Genceli for the hospitality sector; Serdar Ali Çelikler for sports media and commentary; Serdar İlhan for entertainment and cultural promotion; and Ziya Keskin was deemed worthy of a special award for his work in global standards and certification.

It was noted that the special awards are separate from the 100-person main list compiled by jury assessment.

Cemil Özyurt: "We Want to Pass on Achievements to Future Generations"

Founder of the TOA Awards, Cemil Özyurt, stated that the event should not be seen merely as a prize ceremony, saying its purpose is to document the achievements of Turkish Americans in fields such as science, technology, entrepreneurship, arts, public service, academia, and sports.

Özyurt emphasized that the 2026 list demonstrates the wide sphere of influence that the Turkish-American community has reached in the United States, ranging from Nobel laureates to founders of global companies, from academics to artists, and from public officials to young entrepreneurs.

The Award Ceremony Will Be Held in New Jersey

The 2026 TOA Awards ceremony will take place on Tuesday, November 17, 2026, at The Venetian in Garfield, New Jersey.

The evening that will bring together names from many sectors such as science, business, technology, art, media, academia, public administration, finance, law, health, real estate, and tourism will be one of the Turkish-American community's comprehensive gatherings in 2026.