Help us choose our People of the Year

The elections may be over, but another selection is just beginning.

Every year at this time, we ask readers to nominate candidates for our People of the Year edition coming in January.

With their heartfelt nominations, our readers have always played an essential role in the selection process. Every year, they help us choose from a wide array of worthy recipients, including public officials, educators and volunteers who ensure our communities remain caring places.

We’ve always prided ourselves on honoring people from diverse fields and all walks of life. We want to hear about the teacher who went above and beyond to help a student succeed or the business owner who never stops giving back to the community.

Our annual honors recognize contributions in education, public service, community leadership, business and sports, along with an overall Person or People of the Year.

Our communities are filled with people who work tirelessly to make this a special place. We always have a growing list of people worthy of our newspapers’ highest honor. That list can never be too long.

Many do important work without seeking the spotlight. As a result, their contributions can go largely unnoticed.

That’s who we’re talking about.

Tell us what your nominee did during 2026, whom it helped and why it deserves recognition. Their contribution might be an extraordinary act or years of steady service that continued to make a difference this year. Specific examples help us understand their impact.

Do you know such a person? Let us know.

Nominations can be emailed to the Riverhead News-Review at [email protected]. Please include your name and phone number so we can follow up, along with contact information for the nominee if available.

All correspondence will be kept confidential, so the person nominated doesn’t even have to know you are singling them out.

Nominations should be submitted before Dec. 4.