Some say life begins at 40, but the PR professionals in PRWeek’s 40 Under 40 list are rising stars who have blazed trails and made long-lasting impressions in the industry—all before hitting the big 4-0.

Check out the rest of the list here.

First row (from left): Mashable’s Stacy Green, Jorge Plasencia of Republica, Weber Shandwick’s Allyson Hugley; second row (from left): Fleishman-Hillard’s J.J. Carter, NASCAR’s Jon Schwartz, and Hill+Knowlton Strategies’ Melody Lee.