Incredible Kids

TIME’s Kid of the Year honor recognizes young people who are making a positive impact. In addition to this year’s winner, Heman Bekele, five honorees were selected. This was done with the help of TIME and TIME for Kids editors. A committee of TFK Kid Reporters helped too. Read on to learn about the five incredible honorees. Then write to us at tfkeditors@time.com to tell us about kids you know who are making a difference.

Bikes for All

Dom Pecora (above) taught himself to fix bikes by watching YouTube videos. By the time he was 10 years old, he’d gotten good at it. Eventually, he started doing repairs to raise money for his dream mountain bike. He had money left over, so he decided to surprise six other kids with brand-new bikes.

Now Dom is 15. He runs his own bike shop. It’s in Malvern, Pennsylvania. He does tune-ups and repairs. He also sells bikes. But his biggest goal is to give away at least 100 bikes per year to people who need them. That includes young people with health issues. It also includes people dealing with homelessness.

During the 2023 holiday season, Dom gave away 121 bikes. He says he’s just getting started. “Since the beginning,” he says, “I always wanted everyone to be able to ride a bike, no matter their financial abilities.” —By Jaime Joyce

Breakout Star

In 2023, Keivonn Woodard made history. The Emmy Awards are for people who work in the television industry. That includes actors, like Keivonn. He was only 10 years old when he was nominated for an Emmy Award. Keivonn was the youngest person ever nominated in his category (Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series). And that’s not all: Keivonn is Deaf. He became the first Black Deaf actor to receive an Emmy nomination.

Keivonn isn’t stopping there. Now 11 years old, he has several movie roles lined up. He feels each role is a chance for him to make people who are Deaf feel more represented.

“Most people [in TV and film] are hearing,” he says. “But when I see Deaf people and they’re using sign language, I understand what they’re saying. Showing Deaf people playing Deaf characters is authentic and extremely important.” —By Megan McCluskey

Fighting Fires

In 2022, a restaurant burned down in Shanya Gill’s hometown of San Jose, California. This made her wonder. Could she invent a better fire-detection system? Shanya got to work. She created a device. It alerts users to fires before they start. It uses a camera and a small computer. If the system detects heat but not a person nearby, it texts the user a warning.

The idea won Shanya the 2023 Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge. It’s a big science competition for middle schoolers.

In March, Shanya met with the U.S. Fire Administration. This agency is helping the 13-year-old develop the project. “I want people to feel safe in their own homes,” she says. —By Sanya Mansoor

Earth Advocate

Did you know that some chemicals last for hundreds of years? PFAS are sometimes referred to as “forever chemicals.” They’re in everyday products, such as makeup. They make their way into the water, soil, and air. This can cause health problems in people and wildlife. Thirteen-year-old Madhvi Chittoor wants to help.

Madhvi lives in Arvada, Colorado. She works with government officials there to reduce chemicals like PFAS. Madhvi worked with Colorado state senator Lisa Cutter to promote a bill. It bans PFAS in common items. The bill passed in 2022. But Madhvi has more work to do. She’s always finding ways to spread the word about the environment. For example, she recently took a trip to her family’s hometown of Chennai, India. There, she organized a beach cleanup and talked to schools about pollution. And “there’s still more to be banned,” she says. —SM

Protecting Paws

Jordan Sucato, 15, lives in Phoenix, Arizona. The summers there are very hot. As the air temperature rises, so does the pavement temperature. This puts the dogs walking on it in danger.

Jordan’s goal is to protect homeless dogs. They’re the pets of people who are unhoused. These pets often walk many miles a day outside. “Their paws can burn and blister in under five minutes,” Jordan says. So far, she has raised $7,000. That’s enough to buy protective boots for 515 dogs.

Jordan also speaks up for change. Last year, she advocated for a ban on the sale of cosmetics that have been tested on animals. She even met with Arizona state senator John Kavanagh. They discussed the issue.

Many kids care about animals. What sets Jordan apart? “Her passion,” says animal advocate Monique Hebert, who has worked with Jordan. “And her spirit.” —By Allison Singer