Want a reason to feel hopeful? We got 50. Meet the people who are cooking up the boldest, most ambitious solutions to humanity's biggest challenges. We like to call these forward-thinking phenoms “Fixers.” They are leaders who will actually make you feel good about the future.

Every year, Grist scours the sustainability space — and beyond — for 50 innovators doing high-impact work. On our Grist 50, you’ll find scientists, policymakers, artists, farmers, social justice advocates, entrepreneurs, technologists, chefs, clean-energy wonks — all kinds of people who can help bail us out of our current climate code red.

For our 2018 list, we collected nominations from a variety of sources: leaders across sustainability; our brilliant community of Grist readers; previous Grist 50 honorees; and our own writers and editors. We also enlisted a roster of cross-sector titans to serve as guest advisors for the project:

Mustafa Santiago Ali, senior vice president of climate, environmental justice, and community revitalization for the Hip Hop Caucus

Katharine Hayhoe, climate scientist, Texas Tech University

Lisa P. Jackson, vice president of environment, policy, and social initiatives at Apple; and former head of the U.S. EPA

Samin Nosrat, writer, cook, and teacher

Mark Ruffalo, actor, filmmaker, and activist

As we sifted through hundreds of nominations, we saw themes emerge. Turns out that changemakers with different areas of expertise — from solar deployment to architectural design to musical theater — still have some things in common. They have personal stories of hope and transformation. They take creative approaches. They bridge divides. We broke down these themes into five categories:

Visionaries make bold ideas happen

Creators think outside the box

Catalysts spark connections between disparate groups

Strategists write a playbook for a better future

Hometown Heroes put their communities first

Alright, enough preamble. Take a break from the bad news overwhelming your social media feeds and dive into the stories of these amazing, relentless, ambitious, and brilliant people. It’s time for Grist 50 2018!