The Symbol Powerlist is a community-driven global recognition for business professionals, decided entirely through open nominations and public voting. With 2,500+ nominations from 80+ countries, it identifies the 100 most influential people in business each year, alongside additional specialty lists recognizing excellence across specific fields.

Anyone can submit a nomination during the official nomination period. All nominations are then put to a public vote, where voters can support up to 10 people. The final ranking is determined by votes received. In the event of a tie, the nominee with more nominations takes precedence — and if both votes and nominations are equal, both individuals are included in the list.

Beyond the main list of the 100 Most Influential People in Business, the Powerlist recognizes excellence across several areas of expertise: Creative Communication, Sustainability & Impact, Customer Excellence, Employer Branding, Business Innovation, and Business Leadership.

For the 2026 edition, nominations opened on March 9 and closed on March 23, 2026. The official nomination window ran March 9–16, with a late nominations period from March 17–23 (late nominees had less time to collect votes). Public voting took place between March 17 and March 23, 2026. Results are published in alphabetical order.