Stay Work Play’s 2026 Rising Stars Awards to
Celebrate the People Building New Hampshire’s Future —
and to Unveil What Comes Next

Photo by Morgan Karanasios, of last year’s 2025 Rising Stars Awards, held at The Venues at the Factory in Manchester

MANCHESTER, NH — At a pivotal moment for New Hampshire’s workforce, Stay Work Play is putting the spotlight on the people already showing what is possible here: young leaders, creators, entrepreneurs and community-builders choosing to invest their talent in the Granite State and the employers and organizations creating pathways for them to succeed.

On Thursday, October 8, 2026, the statewide nonprofit will host its annual Rising Stars Awards at The Rex Theatre in Manchester, presented by Eversource Energy in partnership with New Hampshire Public Radio (NHPR).

The evening will bring together young people, employers, business leaders and community-builders from across New Hampshire to celebrate inspiring stories of leadership and impact while marking a pivotal moment for Stay Work Play itself.

“New Hampshire has a very real workforce challenge in front of us, but we also have incredible people across this state already showing us what is possible,” said Corinne Breton, Executive Director of Stay Work Play New Hampshire. “This event allows us to tell those stories loudly and to celebrate the young people creating businesses, making art, strengthening their communities, leading organizations and choosing to build their lives here, along with the employers and partners helping make that possible.”

September 28, 2026

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Celebrating the 2026 Rising Stars

This year’s winners reflect the many ways young people and the organizations supporting them are strengthening communities across NH:

Artist of the Year: Aaron Jones

What does it look like when an artist uses their creativity not just to entertain, but to teach, connect, and make community more accessible?

Meet our 2026 Artist of the Year, Aaron Jones…better known to families across New Hampshire as Mr. Aaron! Aaron has built his career around original, interactive, and story-driven music for kids and families. His songs get kids moving and laughing, but they're also intentionally built around storytelling, curiosity, learning, and the world around them.

Every summer, Aaron writes new music inspired by the theme of New Hampshire's statewide summer reading program. But his impact extends beyond the songs themselves.

This September, Aaron hosted the third annual Mr. Aaron's Kid Fest in Concord: an entirely free music festival for young families. Aaron has intentionally built the event around the belief that cost shouldn't prevent a family from experiencing great live music together.

New Hampshire is lucky to have a small but mighty community of children's artists doing incredible work around learning, accessibility, quality time, and connection. Aaron is an important part of that creative ecosystem, and our jury saw an artist taking those values and building something uniquely his own around them. That's art making a place better.

Student of the Year: Madison Duffy

A Concord High School senior in the top 10% of her class, Madison is already a Licensed Nursing Assistant, NH HOSA State Secondary Secretary, class president, multi-sport athlete, National Honor Society member, and Girl Scout Gold Award recipient.

But what stood out to our jury is what she’s done with those opportunities.

For her Gold Award, Madison launched an initiative to increase melanoma awareness, prevention, and early detection among teens — developing peer education, securing 300 bottles of sunscreen for student athletes, appearing on WMUR, and ultimately creating a Melanoma Awareness Club at Concord High.

Madison represents exactly why we created this award: to recognize young people who aren’t waiting until “someday” to lead, serve, and make their communities better.

Entrepreneur of the Year: Erik Mogensen

There’s entrepreneurship, and then there’s choosing to invest your ideas, businesses, and energy in New Hampshire.

As Founder and CEO of Entabeni Systems and Managing Director of Indy Pass, Erik and his teams selected New Hampshire as the new headquarters for both organizations, bringing growing outdoor-industry businesses and innovation to the Granite State.

And his impact here doesn’t stop at the office. As General Manager of Black Mountain Ski Area, Erik has also been part of keeping this beloved independent mountain open and accessible to the greater community of lifelong New Hampshire skiers and riders.

That combination stood out to our jury: building innovative businesses, choosing New Hampshire as their home, and helping preserve a place that means so much to generations of people who love this state.

Erik’s work shows what entrepreneurship can look like when business growth and community impact move together.

Young Person of the Year: Fisto Ndayishimiye

Originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Fisto’s journey from displacement to building a life in New Hampshire has shaped a deep commitment to public service, representation, and creating opportunities for others.

As Founder and Executive Director of the Young Adults Development Network (YDN), Fisto leads a youth-led organization focused on leadership development, advocacy, and community empowerment. Through YDN, he works to equip refugee, immigrant, and low-income young people with the skills, opportunities, and platforms they need to engage in civic life, advance justice, grow professionally, and help build stronger, more inclusive communities.

That commitment to representation extends into Fisto’s own civic leadership. He stepped forward as a candidate for Concord City Council At-Large, using that platform to encourage greater participation by young people and strengthen community representation in local government.

And while he is building opportunities for others, Fisto continues to invest in his own growth. He is currently studying Business Communications at Southern New Hampshire Univ ersity and exploring Political Science as part of his continued interest in leadership, public policy, and civic engagement.

Coolest Employer for Young People:
HEB Engineers, Inc.

HEB Engineers, Inc. was named the 2026 Coolest Employer for Young People for creating a workplace where young professionals can build meaningful careers, grow into leadership, and still have the flexibility to build full lives in New Hampshire. Today, 65% of HEB’s workforce is age 40 or younger and 44% of its managers are 40 or younger. As an employee-owned company, HEB gives eligible employees a real stake in its success while supporting them through mentorship, professional development, continuing education and licensure assistance, flexible and remote work, paid family and medical leave, paid volunteer time, and a commitment to a true 40-hour workweek. Headquartered in North Conway, HEB also embraces the quality of life that makes the Mount Washington Valley special, building a culture where outdoor recreation, community involvement, and career growth can coexist.

This marks HEB’s second Coolest Employer for Young People win, following its first award in 2013, making it only the second employer in the award’s history to earn the honor twice. Many of the young professionals who helped shape HEB’s culture more than a decade ago are now leading the company and creating those same opportunities for the next generation. HEB continues to strengthen New Hampshire’s talent pipeline through internships, school and college recruitment, mentorship, and workforce development efforts, while also making meaningful progress in representation: since 2019, women have grown from 15% to 36% of its total staff. Together with fellow two-time winner Mainstay Technologies, HEB represents a standout model for what it looks like to attract, develop, and retain young talent in New Hampshire.

Young Professional Network of the Year:
To Be Announced at the Event!

The 2026 Young Professional Network of the Year will remain under wraps until it is revealed live during the October 8 program. The award recognizes a New Hampshire network going above and beyond to help young people build relationships, find community, grow professionally, and become more connected to the places they call home. The 2026 nominees are:

Catapult Seacoast
Concord Young Professionals Network (CYPN)
Kahoots Collective
Lake Sunapee Region Young Professional Network
Manchester Young Professionals (MYP)
NHEX (NH Entrepreneurial Exchange)

“We’re proud to partner with Stay Work Play for our sixth consecutive year celebrating the rising stars whose exceptional contributions are making New Hampshire a place where young people can thrive,” said Eversource NH President of Electric Operations Bob Coates. “New Hampshire’s future is made brighter by the young people who are choosing to build their lives here and give back to their communities in meaningful ways, benefiting all our neighbors and businesses across the state.”

Giving Positive Impact Stories a Bigger Platform

The Rising Stars Awards are about more than recognition. They provide a statewide platform for stories that demonstrate what can happen when young people are given opportunities to lead, create, connect, and contribute.

At a time when conversations about New Hampshire’s future often focus on the challenges facing young people, the Rising Stars Awards intentionally highlight another side of that story: young people who are finding ways to succeed here and the businesses, organizations, and communities working to help them do it.

The 2026 program will be emceed by Zoë Mitchell, NHPR’s The Weekender host, and features remarks from Jim Schachter, President and CEO of New Hampshire Public Radio.

“The stories we tell about New Hampshire help shape how people understand this state and their place within it,” said Schachter. “These are important voices in the story of where our state is headed, and NHPR is pleased to help bring greater visibility to them.”

The evening begins with a 5:30 p.m. cocktail hour featuring live music from NH indie jam band, Saguaro, along with food, drinks, and networking, followed by the awards program at 6:30 p.m.

Attendees will hear directly from this year’s Rising Stars and the stories behind their work, creating a program centered not simply on receiving an award, but on understanding the impact these young people and organizations are having across New Hampshire.

Game On: Stay Work Play Looks Toward 2030

The evening will culminate in one of the most significant organizational moments in Stay Work Play’s recent history. We are thrilled to announce some very exciting news, live at the awards! Be sure to join us so you’re in the room to hear it.