Reports on the TOA Awards 2026 roster differ over who was selected in the CEO & Founders category. Turk of America’s announcement names nine honorees; an ABDPost account lists those nine and adds Ahmet Okumuş, Tümay Başaranlar, Varol Ablak and Emre İmamoğlu. The available accounts therefore do not provide a consistent list for that category.
Selection process and ceremony
The organizer’s announcement, published by Turk of America, says 100 people were selected across 24 categories after a process lasting more than six months. It involved a 23-member jury and a 16-member Selection Committee. The ceremony is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 17, at The Venetian in Garfield, New Jersey.
Honorees across fields
Among the named honorees are Lifetime Achievement recipient Aziz Sancar and Science, Research & Academia figures Daron Acemoğlu, Gökhan Hotamışlıgil, Dani Rodrik, Canan Dağdeviren, Aydoğan Özcan, Mehmet Toner, İvet Bahar, Asuman Özdağlar, Bilge Yıldız, Murat Günel, Engin Kırda and Selçuk Şirin, according to the Turk of America announcement.
The same announcement names NBA forward Alperen Şengün in Sports & Athletic; Arda Öcal, Cenk Uygur and Hasan Piker in Media; Fahir Atakoğlu and Pınar Toprak in Performing Arts; and Refik Anadol, Gizem Salçığıl White, Barbaros Tapan and Emre Şahin in Arts & Culture. A press release carried by the Cincinnati Enquirer also identifies Yusuf Ceylan, Erol Devli and Fehmi Karahan in Real Estate Investment and Development, and lists Dr. Mehmet Öz, Tayfun Selen and Seval Öz in Policy, Government & Public Administration. Egemen Taş, Aylin Uysal and Hande Çilingir are named in Technology & Futures.
Other names in the Cincinnati.com release include Barbaros Karaahmet and Fejir Uğurlu in Legal Advisory & Corporate Law; Halil Demir and Mehmet Kırdar in Nonprofit & Philanthropy Leadership; and Suzan Toprak, A. Cem Erenler and Cihan Yılmaz in Hospitality & Tourism. Derya Taşkın, Neslihan Hıdırliğil and Kerime Ataker are listed in Women in Business. The Under 30 honorees named in the Turk of America announcement are Anya Özmen, Emre Uğurlu and Lara Özkan.
Additional founders’ recognitions
Separate from the jury-selected 100, the awards’ founders are also giving special recognitions, according to the Turk of America announcement and the Cincinnati.com release. The recipients named in those accounts include Hakan İnan for industrial leadership, Levent Sertbaş for community services, Mustafa Tuncer for transatlantic entrepreneurship, Orhan Genceli for hospitality excellence, Serdar Ali Çelikler for sports media and commentary, Mehmet Dinç for AI and legal innovation, Ziya Keskin for standards and certification leadership, Yavuz Macit for sports infrastructure and business leadership, and Hakan Karalok for academic excellence.
