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One of the founding tenets of The Philadelphia Citizen is to get people the resources they need to become better, more engaged citizens of their city.

We hope to do that in our Good Citizenship Toolkit, which includes a host of ways to get involved in Philadelphia — whether you want to contact your City Councilmember about the challenges facing your community, get those experiencing homelessness the goods they need, or simply go out to dinner somewhere where you know your money is going toward a greater good.

Find an issue that’s important to you in the list below, and get started on your journey of A-plus citizenship.

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Who Are this Year’s Citizens of the Year?

Our search for the next crop of local heroes is well underway — and we need your input!

Who Are this Year’s Citizens of the Year?

Our search for the next crop of local heroes is well underway — and we need your input!

BY Jessica Blatt Press

Sep. 02, 2025

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Not to brag, but you could say The Citizen has a Midas Touch of sorts:

When we announced Jalen Hurts as our 2025 Citizen of the Year for his work to improve our city schools, mentor youth and support women in sports? It was before he went on to lead the Eagles to Super Bowl glory.

When, the year before, we chose Dr. David Fajgenbaum as our 2024 Citizen of the Year for his groundbreaking work with Every Cure, the company he founded to save lives by harvesting data to repurpose drugs? It was before he was named a Time 100 Health Person of the Year or had a documentary about him greenlit, to be produced by Academy Award-winner Wendy Finerman.

We’ve also honored Educators of the Year (looking at you, Njemele Tamala Anderson) who’ve gone on to be named a Lindback Awardee, Disruptors of the Year who have cured diseases (that would be Drs. Alexis A. Thompson and Stephan A. Grupp), Youth Citizens of the Year who have improved the lives of folks experiencing homelessness (thank you, Declan Cassidy), Block Captains who have fueled voter turnout (Michelle Belser) and provided opportunities for underserved young people (Dianna C. Coleman), and a handful of other local heroes who continue to make our city better for all of us.

Now, as we prepare to honor the next group of Citizens of the Year in early 2026, we want to hear from you. Please tell us about the awe-inspiring educators, young people, block captains, business leaders, disruptors, and all-around incredible Philadelphians who you think should be held up as role models for all of us.

You can fill out nomination forms for as many categories as you’d like – but you must do so before November 20, 2025. We can’t wait to hear from you!

 

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Eagles Quarterback and Citizen of the Year Jalen Hurts at the Citizen of the Year Awards.

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