This year's TIME Person of the Year is German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Karl Vick, TIME editor-at-large, explains how Merkel was chosen "for asking more of her country than most politicians would dare, for standing firm against tyranny as well as expedience and for providing steadfast moral leadership in a world where it is in short supply."

Vick also discusses the runners-up, including ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Donald Trump, and Black Lives Matter.

And here's an interesting fact: it's been 29 years since a woman was featured as TIME's Person of the Year.