This is an automated AI translation of the original ranking in German. Here you can find the original CALL 100 list in the German language and this link leads you to the CALL web shop, where you can find the ePaper version of the print edition.
It is a special anniversary: for the 10th time, an international jury, together with the CALL editorial team, has compiled the annual CALL 100: The World’s Most Inspiring People list. A ranking that has been regularly featured in the world press since its first year and has been covered by hundreds of media outlets – from CNN to The Independent and The Korean Herald. Who has inspired, motivated, and excited us the most? Who are the people who stand for the good, for empathy, and for creativity in our world? The CALL anniversary ranking.
1 Lindsey Vonn, Ski racer & Olympic champion
(NEW) She is one of the most successful athletes of all time – Olympic champion, four-time overall World Cup winner with 83 World Cup victories. An athlete who has shaped skiing like no other. And yet, in the winter of 2025/2026, Lindsey Vonn is a woman who is not returning to her past, but to her future.
Comeback of the decade. Fifteen years after her Olympic gold in Vancouver, six years after her official retirement, and two decades after her first major victories, she returns to a world with a clarity that teaches us one thing: anything is possible. The woman who has made skiing history several times won her first World Cup downhill race of the season in St. Moritz in mid-December – and at 41, she goes down in history as the oldest World Cup winner. It is the comeback of the decade in skiing. Now she wants to climb onto the podium again at the 2026 Olympic Games in Cortina. “I’m probably in the best physical shape of my life,” she says. And with that, she proves that age is no barrier to top performance.
There have been many lows in Lindsey Vonn’s career: she suffered several knee ligament tears (2013, 2016), had shoulder surgery (2015), and numerous sports injuries. She had to take long breaks, fight for months to regain mobility, and mentally battle her way back from zero before she could race again. At the 2018 Olympics, she had to give up after a fall and was under immense pressure to end her career. Her comeback shows how she overcame mental blocks and turned self-doubt into motivation.
Inspiration for women around the globe. Despite all her successes, she is one thing above all else: a role model for millions of women worldwide. In 2024, she established a Youth Ambassador Program through the Lindsey Vonn Foundation to motivate young women to become role models in their own communities. Her foundation organizes programs such as the #STRONGirls Camp, where mentors work specifically with girls, coaching and encouraging them to develop personal strengths and self-confidence. The foundation also awards scholarships specifically designed to support girls from disadvantaged communities. In interviews and podcasts, Lindsey Vonn repeatedly emphasizes that her comeback is intended to send a clear message to women and girls to pursue their dreams, regardless of age or expectations.
CALL 100 #1. Her triumphant return is a statement that passion, resilience, and iron discipline make it possible to achieve even seemingly unattainable goals. That is why the CALL 100 jury chose her as the most inspiring person of the year.
There are female athletes who break records. And there are athletes who change the perception of courage. Lindsey Vonn belongs to that rare group that can do both. Her comeback is not a look back, but a continuation of a story that is bigger than sport. Perhaps that is the real secret of her new beginning: that at 41, you don’t come back to prove who you once were, but to show who you have become.
2 Gavin Newsom, Governor of California
(NEW) If democracy, truth, and the rule of law are to return to everyday political life in America, then this man is the hope for it: Gavin Newsom, 58, Governor of California, responds to President Trump’s autocratic style of governance with unusually tough measures for Democrats: “We fight fire with fire.” Whether it’s the deployment of the National Guard, the lifting of environmental regulations, or the deportation of migrants: wherever Newsom senses injustice, he floods Trump’s administration with lawsuits. With his media and social media offensive, he is enjoying increasing popularity across the country. When the US government boycotted the COP30 world climate conference, Newsom flew to Brazil himself . The US media are certain: Gavin Newsom is already positioning himself for the 2028 race for the White House. A politician who puts the people back at the centre of politics.
3 Demi Moore, Actress & Icon
(NEW) She has experienced a lot and seen even more. Above all, she has seen an industry that elevates young stars to the heavens but does nothing to catch them when they fall. Demi Moore, 63, starred in box office hits such as “G.I. Jane,” “Indecent Proposal,” and “Disclosure.” She was good in all of them, and exceptional in some. The fact that it took decades for the industry to celebrate her with the socially critical horror film “The Substance” surprised her most of all. The film became her big comeback, earning her an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe. Her acceptance speech inspired millions of women worldwide: “For all the times we think we’re not smart enough, not beautiful enough, not successful enough, or just not enough.” She shows her big heart not only through her support for organizations such as Amfar and the UN Trust Fund for Victims of Human Trafficking. She also takes touching care of her ex-husband Bruce Willis, who is suffering from incurable dementia. A strong woman, an icon of our time.
4 Jannik Sinner, Tennis player
(NEW) He is the wunderkind of tennis, winning one tournament after another. South Tyrolean Jannik Sinner, 24, had a phenomenal season in 2025. He won six major titles, including his first Wimbledon victory, defending his Australian Open title, winning the ATP Finals in Turin, and Masters 1000 tournaments in Paris, Vienna, and the China Open. The tennis ace, who is considered modest and down-to-earth, finished the season as world number 2 (in November he was even at the top for a while). With his friendly, uncomplicated manner, he became a role model for an entire generation of young athletes. Originally, he wanted to become a skier and won one title after another in this sport as a child. He reveals very little about his private life, which makes him even more likeable.
5 Jane Fonda, Activist & Actress
(85) As a climate activist, she led passionate and fearless protests for a better world so consistently that she was regularly arrested at demonstrations: “We must get the climate crisis under control. Civil disobedience is more important today than ever before.” In the TV series Grace and Frankie, which is about women over 60, she addressed the desires, longings, and thoughts of an entire generation that is often considered “past its prime” but is in fact more dynamic and self-confident than ever. Now Jane Fonda, 87, is moving on to her next fight. Film giant Warner Bros. Discovery is up for sale, possibly to Netflix, and Jane Fonda is openly opposed to the deal: “This merger threatens the entire entertainment industry and the public it serves,” she wrote in a guest column in The Ankler. The free, independent media ecosystem is in danger, as are jobs—from actors to directors and editors—and democracy. Jane Fonda is voicing what Hollywood is thinking. A woman who shows us all what courage is.
6 Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the WHO
(NEW) He is the world’s leading fighter against pandemics and deadly diseases, spearheading efforts to protect our health and provide medical care even for the poorest of the poor. Ethiopian Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, 60, has been Director-General of the World Health Organization since 2017. This year, the biologist and immunologist had to accept the US’s withdrawal from the WHO. This decision has drastically exacerbated and threatened the financial situation of his organization. Already during Trump’s first term in office, Ghebreyesus was accused of being “too friendly to Beijing” and thus of having “contributed to the global spread of the virus from China.” Now the US government has gone even further, claiming that vaccines cause autism, which Ghebreyesus – and the entire scientific community – categorically denies. But the Ethiopian remains undeterred and continues to advocate for a world where health is a fundamental human right. A hero of our time.
7 Jimmy Kimmel, Talk show host
(Re-Entry) It was a dark day for freedom of the press and freedom of expression in the US when the Disney Corporation, which owns ABC, simply canceled US comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show in September under pressure from US President Donald Trump. Kimmel’s comments about the assassination attempt on activist Charlie Kirk were the trigger. When Trump went even further and announced that TV stations that reported negatively about him would have their licenses revoked, the waves were stirred up: Writers‘ and actors‘ associations, as well as former US President Barack Obama, condemned Kimmel’s suspension and described it as capitulation to unconstitutional pressure from the government. Shortly afterwards, Jimmy Kimmel celebrated his return to the screen. And since then, he has not minced his words in pointing out the government’s shortcomings. All’s well that ends well: Kimmel has extended his contract with ABC for another year, and the show Jimmy Kimmel Live! will continue until at least May 2027.
8 Bjarke Ingels, Architect
(27) He is considered an architectural visionary, building ski slopes on top of waste incineration plants and airports made of wood. When it comes to spectacular yet sustainable urban and building design, he is Denmark’s leading expert. Now Bjarke Ingels, 51, and his Copenhagen-based Bjarke Ingels Group have won the architectural competition for the new opera house in Hamburg. Five world-renowned architectural firms had submitted their designs for the architectural qualification process since June. Ingels was awarded the contract. His design: a striking opera house with walkable roofs and large glass surfaces reminiscent of spreading waves: “This was a labor of love.” The opera house is intended to be a bridgehead between the still unfinished Elbtower and the Elbphilharmonie. The new opera house is to be built on the Baakenhöft in Hamburg’s HafenCity. Total cost: 500 million euros. Further proof of the creativity of the star architect from Copenhagen.
9 Millie Bobby Brown, Actress & UN Ambassador
(NEW) She rose to fame as a child star in the Netflix science fiction series Stranger Things, has been nominated for two Emmy Awards, and was named one of Time magazine’s 30 Most Influential Teens in 2017 and one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World just one year later. Now 21 years old, Millie Bobby Brown, who was born in Marbella, Spain, is back with a new season of Stranger Things that is once again breaking viewing records worldwide. But what tipped the scales for her placement on the CALL 100 list is her commitment as UNICEF’s youngest Special Ambassador. In this role, she not only hosted the gala celebrating UNICEF’s 70th anniversary at its headquarters in New York, she also actively supports the organization, traveling around the world on its behalf and advocating for children’s rights. She has made bullying a particular focus of her agenda in order to empower girls and promote education, health, and fair opportunities for children worldwide, including through campaigns such as the Powerful Girls Initiative. A strong young woman who is going her own way.
10 Gilbert & George, Artists
(NEW) They are icons of British art who have been redefining the boundaries of photography, performance, and identity for more than six decades. Their recently opened retrospective, “21st Centuries Pictures,” at London’s Hayward Gallery, which will be shown in several European museums in the coming years, underscores their enduring influence on visual culture and the construction of “artist images.” The new show features over 60 floor-to-ceiling installations, which The Guardian describes as “a pulsating panorama of sex, violence, and glorious urban grime.” From male sex workers‘ business cards to shocking headlines about murder, the octogenarian couple sees and processes everything, resulting in a show bursting with life. Gilbert & George, alias Gilbert Prousch, 82, and George Passmore, 83, had a significant influence on the Young British Artists with their work. And they still inspire young artists, as well as anyone who engages with their oeuvre. A power couple.
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