Time magazine previewed some candidates ahead of its annual Person of the Year issue.
The magazine named "The Protester" the 2011 person of the year, which followed its 2010 selection of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
Time's Person of the Year issue hits stands annually around mid-December. Some years, the magazine bestows the honor upon a group of people, like "The Protester;" or an idea, as in its selection of previous winners "You" and "The Earth;" or one person.
It's unclear which direction the magazine will take this year, however Time did post a number of potential candidates on its website Monday. In previous election years, including 2008, 2004 and 2000, the magazine selected the winner of the U.S. presidential election. This year, the list of potential candidates includes President Barack Obama, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, major Republican donor Sheldon Adelson, China's most famous living artist Ai Weiwei, Syria's President Bashar Assad, undocumented immigrants and more.
While the candidates are only meant to spark discussion (it is not certain the winner is actually on the candidates list), a selection committee ultimately names the Person of the Year.
Click over to Time's website to see the full list of candidates.
Related
Before You Go
