AAM's Rising Talent Gets a Platform: Ones to Watch 2026 Nominations Close in Two Weeks

The advanced air mobility sector is getting a fresh chance to name its next generation of leaders. eVTOL Insights has opened entries for its Ones to Watch 2026 special report, and the window is already counting down — nominations run from October 26 to November 13, with the finished report scheduled to land on December 7.

It marks the publication’s final special report of the year, and this one turns the lens away from aircraft specs and funding rounds toward the people behind them.

Who the Report Is Looking For

The focus is on individuals in the early stages of their careers whose thinking and drive are pushing the AAM ecosystem forward. That scope is deliberately wide. Organisers want to hear about talent working across engineering and flight testing, but equally from infrastructure, regulation, commercial development and other corners of the sector.

In other words, this is not a pilot-only list. The report aims to capture just how spread out the talent map really is.

“Behind every aircraft programme, infrastructure project and operational milestone are people helping to turn ambition into progress.”

How to Put Someone Forward

Nominations are open worldwide, and submissions should make a clear case for the candidate — specific achievements, concrete contributions, and evidence of real impact rather than broad praise.

• What to send: the nominee’s name and job title, plus their company
• The write-up: a description of their role and the case for inclusion, running 250–300 words
• A photo: a suitable headshot
• Where to send it: editorial@evtolinsights.com

One rule to keep in mind: anyone featured in last year’s edition is not eligible this time around.

Why It Matters

For a young industry, visibility is not a small thing. AAM has spent years wrestling with certification timelines, infrastructure gaps and public trust — challenges that will be solved by people, not press releases. A dedicated list gives engineers and regulators early in their careers a platform they might otherwise wait a decade to earn.

The clock is short, though. Two weeks is not much time to gather a headshot, sharpen a 300-word pitch and get it across the line.

The Practical Takeaway

If you work alongside someone bringing a genuinely new angle to a hard problem — or you are that person — this is a low-effort way to get their name in front of the wider sector. Editors are asking for specifics, so vague endorsements will not carry much weight. Numbers, projects and outcomes will.

More details, including the full submission requirements, are available through eVTOL Insights’ editorial team.