TIME debuts first-ever Girls of the Year List
The list, made possible by the LEGO Group, aligns with their She Built That campaign, which challenges stereotypes and empowers girls to see themselves as builders
Today, TIME reveals its first-ever Girls of the Year list, recognizing 10 young leaders who are inspiring communities around the world. The list, curated by TIME's award-winning editorial team, has been made possible by the LEGO Group and aims to celebrate and empower girls.
The 2025 TIME Girls of the Year list features 10 honorees, including: Rutendo Shadaya, 17, an advocate for young authors in New Zealand; Coco Yoshizawa, 15, an Olympic gold-medalist in Japan; Valerie Chiu, 15, a global science educator in China; Zoé Clauzure, 15, an anti-bullying crusader in France; Clara Proksch, 12, a scientist prioritizing child safety in Germany; Ivanna Richards, 17, a racing driver shattering stereotypes in Mexico; Kornelia Wieczorek, 17, a biotech innovator in Poland; Defne Özcan, 17, a trailblazing pilot in Turkey; Rebecca Young, 12, an engineer tackling homelessness in the United Kingdom; and Naomi S. DeBerry, 12, an organ donation advocate and children's book author in the United States.
– See the complete list and read the TIME Girls of the Year profiles: here
'At TIME, we've long believed that leadership has no age requirement. This belief is reflected in the inspiring young women named to our first-ever TIME Girls of the Year list, who are shaping their communities with courage and purpose,' said TIME CEO Jessica Sibley. 'Thanks to our partnership with the LEGO Group, we are proud to spotlight those who are turning imagination into real-world impact.'
Of the new list, TIME's Senior Editor Dayana Sarkisova writes: 'These girls are part of a generation that's reshaping what leadership looks like today…Their generation understands that change doesn't require waiting for adulthood—it starts with seeing problems and refusing to accept them as permanent. …TIME's Girls of the Year—who are all between the ages of 12 and 17—prove that changing your community and inspiring those around you can send ripple effects around the globe.' Read more here.
Additionally, the LEGO Group and TIME Studios, the award-winning branded content studio, created a limited-edition animated TIME cover, reimagining this year's Girls of the Year as LEGO Minifigures. Each character captures the spirit of their achievements, with the animation set to the empowering new LEGO anthem, She Built That.
See the TIME Girls of the Year cover: here
In a recent study by the LEGO Group, it found that the term 'Building' has a perception problem. It doesn't resonate with girls. The majority of (70%) young women globally struggle to see themselves as someone who is good at building things. Equally, most parents (72%) feel girls lack visible female role models who build the world.
Women's achievements remain largely invisible to children, according to a survey of 32,605 parents and children across 21 countries. Kids are twice as likely to credit major inventions to men - with most believing that Wi-Fi (69%), fridges (63%) and even the moon landing software (68%) were invented by men, when in fact, all were pioneered by women.
Julia Goldin, LEGO Group Chief Product & Marketing Officer, said: 'When girls don't see it, they don't believe it - the world risks missing out on the next big breakthrough. There's no stopping what girls can build. TIME's Girls of the Year is a step in giving the next generation the role models they deserve, recognising young women globally who are not just imagining a better world but actively creating it. Together with TIME we hope these stories will inspire a future generation of unstoppable female builders to dream big and continue making their mark on the world.'
It's a sentiment that ties into the LEGO Group's wider mission: to build confidence, imagination and creativity through play and to unlock the potential of every child. The collaboration is an extension of the LEGO Group's She Built That campaign, which aims to challenge outdated societal stereotypes that can limit the potential of girls, and to empower them to see themselves as builders in every sense of the word. In collaboration with TIME's Girls of the Year, the initiative honors young females who are building the future, turning imagination into impact. It's a celebration of creativity, confidence, and possibility, recognizing girls not just as future builders, but as the architects of change today.
The TIME Girls of the Year list builds on the foundation of TIME Women of the Year, which recognizes extraordinary leaders working toward a more equal future. Consistent with TIME's mission to spotlight the people and ideas that shape and improve the world, TIME has long highlighted women and girls making an impact across climate, science, sports, entertainment, and more—including scientist and inventor Gitanjali Rao, named TIME's first-ever Kid of the Year.
###
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
4 cutest Myles Garrett and Chloe Kim moments in their dating history
Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett and Olympic snowboarder Chloe Kim are officially an item, and they are totally adorable. In case you were unaware, Garrett and Kim have been spending time together and popped up at an awards show in May (a possible hard launch), looking very cozy as they strolled the red carpet. They stared at each other and smiled as the cameras flashed away. Months later, the pair are going strong, and Kim recently supported Garrett during Browns training camp. On Thursday, the two-time Olympic gold medalist attended a joint practice with the Eagles and shared some footage of her day to her Instagram story, including a video of her superstar beau going through warmups with the team. In celebration of this wholesome activity, let's take a look back at the couple's four cutest moments in their dating history. Myles Garrett and Chloe Kim dating history Here's the pair attending the Crunchyroll Anime Awards together in Tokyo in May. And Garrett happily looks on as Kim does a media availability spot and poses for photos. In June, Garret and Kim raced one another in the best possible way ― with him running backwards as his girlfriend ran forwards. By July, Kim attended her first training camp practice to support Garrett. And in August, she was back again to enjoy watching Garett as he prepares for the NFL season. Lint in our pocket says Kim attends a Browns game before the end of the year.
New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
Myles Garrett supported by Olympic gal pal Chloe Kim at Browns camp after sparking dating rumors
Browns superstar Myles Garrett had a special supporter at training camp Thursday. During a joint practice with the Eagles, whom the Browns will face in their second preseason game Saturday, Garrett's gal pal, Olympic snowboarder Chloe Kim, cheered him on from the sidelines at the NovaCare Complex in Philadelphia, as captured in Instagram Stories. In one video shared Thursday by the two-time Olympic gold medalist, Kim — who ignited dating rumors with Garrett earlier this spring when they stepped out publicly — captured the All-Pro defensive end, 29, in action on the field. 8 Myles Garrett and Chloe Kim sparked dating rumors in May 2025. WireImage 8 The Olympic snowboarder posted a video from Browns camp in August 2025. Chloe Kim/Instagram Another post featured Noah, Philadelphia's bald eagle mascot and animal ambassador. Kim, who qualified to compete at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, smiled from ear to ear in late May when Garrett joined her at the Crunchyroll Anime Awards in Tokyo, where she served as a presenter. Weeks later, Kim, 25, posted a video of the pair competing in a playful race, with Garrett emerging victorious after running backward. 8 Browns defensive end Myles Garrett at training camp in July 2025. Getty Images 8 Garrett is entering his ninth season in the league. AP The Browns' first overall pick in 2017, Garrett is entering his ninth season in the league after agreeing to a four-year contract extension in March worth $123.5 million guaranteed. The deal, which averages $40 million per year, came after Garrett publicly requested a trade. 8 Chloe Kim stepped out with Myles Garrett in Tokyo earlier this spring. WireImage 8 Chloe Kim posted a photo of the Eagles' mascot and animal ambassador during her time in Philadelphia. Chloe Kim/Instagram Garrett, the 2023 Defensive Player of the Year, found himself in hot water this week when it was reported he had been cited for going 100 mph in a 60-mph zone. Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski called the matter 'extremely disappointing.' 8 Chloe Kim during the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang. Getty Images 'It's been addressed with Myles, with the football team,' Stefanski said, according to Pro Football Talk. 'He needs to slow down for his safety and the safety of others.' Garrett has been cited for speeding eight times since landing in Cleveland. 8 She's a two-time Olympic gold medalist in the halfpipe. Getty Images The Browns, coming off a putrid 3-14 season, open their 2025 campaign at home against the Bengals on Sept. 7. As for Kim, her quest to secure a third Olympic gold medal in the halfpipe begins in February. She was at the top of the podium in 2018 and 2022 in PyeongChang and Beijing, respectively.
Time Magazine
5 hours ago
- Time Magazine
Breaking Down the Smoldering Finale of Smoke
Warning: This post has spoilers for the finale of nine episodes, Smoke traced destruction as it traveled from suburban streets and storefronts into more figurative places—the dark recesses of identity, the fragile façades to which people cling in order to survive. By the season finale, "Mirror Mirror," long-buried truths surface, demanding a reckoning as emotional as it is inevitable. Creator Dennis Lehane always envisioned a climax that erupted on every level. "It's such a cliché, but I wanted to have an explosive finale," he tells TIME. "This is a show about fire. We've been promising them fire, so we're going to give them the fire of all fires. We wanted to go as big as we can—just go for broke, and if we miss, we miss." That eruption plays out most vividly through the series' two central figures. If Michelle Calderone (Jurnee Smollett) serves as its moral compass, Dave Gudsen (Taron Egerton) is its shape-shifter, the man whose presence destabilizes every scene because even his sense of self is built on deception. Over the season, he was both predator and partner, the charming investigator and the arsonist hiding in plain sight. By the end, the armor he constructed—and the story he's told so often he nearly believes it—has crumbled. Into the growing inferno The finale opens in the aftermath of Michelle's darkest act. In the penultimate episode, "Mercy," she accidentally wounded Captain Burke (Rafe Spall)—her colleague and former lover—then let him die, torching his home to eliminate the evidence. Before fleeing, she planted a glove bearing Gudsen's DNA, crafting a false trail. Now, in "Mirror Mirror," she struggles to steady herself, continuing to investigate alongside Gudsen while her composure falters beneath the surface. Her act of arson ignites something far more catastrophic: an uncontained wildfire rising from Burke's ruins, flames roaring as windborne embers spiral into the dark. She and Gudsen drive headlong toward the blaze, racing through the woods while heat presses in and smoke thickens the air—until the path reveals itself to be a trap. Gudsen, unmasked earlier as one of the two serial arsonists she's been hunting, unbuckles her seat belt and wrenches the wheel, sending them into a crash designed to kill her. Harry Nilsson's "Jump Into the Fire" pulses as Michelle—not dead—ties back her hair, preparing for battle. Gudsen crawls from the wreckage; she kicks him, slams him against the car, and presses the barrel of a gun into his mouth. She doesn't pull the trigger. Instead, a storm breaks—rain cascading in a moment of symbolic and literal cleansing. "[It's] as clean as Michelle's gonna get in that moment," Lehane says. "She's pushed this all the way, and there's nothing left to do. Because if it didn't rain at that moment, something bad could have happened to Dave." The downpour pulls her back from crossing an irreversible line. As rain drenches them both, she reads him his rights. For Lehane, the scene's tension lies partly in its soundtrack. Many of the show's song selections were his. ("That's where I really do feel a bit like an auteur," he adds.) He crafted the entire sequence around Nilsson's drum solo, playing it endlessly in the writers room. "When I shot that, I said to the creative team, 'Look, guys, we are doing this to Harry Nilsson's 'Jump Into the Fire,'' Lehane recalls. When the initial cut used different music, he personally recut the scene to match Nilsson's rhythm, and the editor ultimately agreed it was the right move. "We worked that to the bone to get it exactly where I wanted it." It's a primal, visual crescendo he conceived during what he calls a "mad scientist" burst in the Los Angeles writers' room, scribbling notes while listening to the Oppenheimer soundtrack. "I love 'Go Big or Go Home' moments," he says. "I don't do them much... I like to twist, twist, and twist. But this was a big moment." A battle of damaged wills After their confrontation in the woods, Michelle delivers Gudsen to a waiting Jeep, where Esposito (John Leguizamo) greets her with an air of triumph. Back at Columbia Metro Police Headquarters, the station falls silent as officers watch Gudsen enter, their contempt palpable. In the station bathroom, Michelle catches her reflection, and then sees him—Burke—not in the mirror, but in her mind, planting a warning that if anyone discovers their affair, the truth could unravel everything she's accomplished. In the interrogation room, things shift to psychological warfare. Gudsen weaves stories, reframes evidence, accuses Michelle of bias, and dismisses the glove bearing his DNA as circumstantial. He maintains he was merely investigating, but Michelle counters with his manuscript, cross-referencing it with actual unsolved arson cases and highlighting details only the perpetrator, or someone with access to classified files, could possess. Still, he deflects. Perhaps a lawyer leaked the report. Maybe a private investigator shared too much. Then Esposito sends Michelle a photograph: the disguise Gudsen wore during the hardware store attack, discovered in a hidden compartment of his impounded car. Even confronted with this evidence, he refuses to confess. It's a standoff Lehane and Smollett dissected at length during filming. "I call [Jurnee] my thespian queen," he says. "At this point, Michelle is desperate. Let's call a spade a spade—she started the incident that caused all this. Her morality is compromised by the end. She's interrogating Dave for a murder she committed and destruction she caused. Yet she's pursuing justice, which we all want. We all want Dave brought to justice." Gudsen's strategy remains unchanged. "He will deny, deny, deny, and attack, attack, attack," Lehane explains. "He refuses to let truth penetrate, but when it slips through, when she extracts it from him, he glimpses himself. Then he turns away." During their final exchange in the interrogation room, Gudsen stares at Michelle. "I know who I am," he declares. She meets his gaze, responding simply, "So do I." The shape of denial The closing montage delivers quiet devastation. Gudsen's ex-wife and son pack away photographs, including one showing a heavier, balder version of the man—a face both foreign and unmistakably his. In a single frame, the myth of the chiseled, commanding investigator collapses, revealing the ordinary figure he's spent years trying to erase. Over Thelma Houston's "Don't Leave Me This Way," the moment turns contemplative—Lehane's final musical choice, selected to underscore the magnetic pull between Michelle and Gudsen, two people unable to fully break free from each other. Whether he'll ever be convicted remains uncertain, the unanswered question hanging over the finale, which ends before a trial. Gudsen's fractured identity—swaggering machismo versus devoted family man—might suggest dissociative identity disorder, but Lehane resists reducing him to a clinical label. For him, Dave represents a broader cultural pathology. "I think of it the same way I think of all these performative males in our culture right now: macho dweebs hiding behind their keyboards," he explains. "If you saw them in person, you'd see some little 5'-6" guy who lives with his mom." Dave's psychology, Lehane argues, stems from denial, particularly regarding his desires and the transgressive aspects of his personal life. The writers explored how his relationships diverge from those of what Lehane calls a "healthy heterosexual American male," suggesting truths Dave cannot acknowledge. "We're all constructing these personas, and it's damaging the world," he observes. That critique carries personal weight. Like Egerton's character Jimmy Keene in Lehane's previous Apple TV+ series Black Bird, Gudsen functions as a cultural stand-in. Lehane was raised in what he describes as an "extremely masculine culture"; his immigrant father and uncles worked with their hands. But authenticity, not posturing, defined their masculinity. "My father had nothing but contempt for posing," Lehane recalls. "If my brothers got a weight set, he'd say, 'Why do you need to push a bar up and down? You can just do hard work.'" Lehane often considers how that generation would view today's performative masculinity. "I think he would be befuddled and appalled," he says. "A lot of the great-grandfathers and grandfathers of the men polluting our culture right now would be appalled." In that sense, Dave is his embodiment of "toxic masculinity,' a man whose identity rests on performance and concealment, whose carefully crafted armor masks profound emptiness. Living with the aftermath Lehane never set out to create a simple morality tale with clear heroes and villains. The ambiguity is deliberate, with Gudsen and Michelle shaped by their compromises, each capable of inflicting harm. Gudsen's intelligence and charm form part of his protective façade, a narrative he's repeated until it feels almost genuine. In his final moments, he approaches self-recognition before retreating, leaving both audience and characters suspended in uncertainty. Michelle, meanwhile, is steadied by duty and singed by guilt, hunting the truth even as the secret she carries could undo her. That deliberate inconclusiveness places Smoke alongside other works that resist easy answers. Lehane draws parallels to The Sopranos' contentious finale. "Whether you liked it or not, you're still talking about it," he notes. He's witnessed similar reactions to the conclusion of Shutter Island, the 2010 Martin Scorsese psychological thriller he wrote. "It's the question I get more than any other. I got it from my 16-year-old daughter yesterday. She said, 'Dad, my friends really want to know.' I was like, 'Honey, I'm not telling you.'" Dave and Michelle constructed identities around control and performance, and now both stand exposed: raw, unstable, unmoored. "What do they have in their lives, really, without each other?" Lehane asks. "They let their ids run so completely amok that there is no way to get half the horses back in the barn. So that is the big final dramatic question: Where are these people going to go now?"Smoke concludes without resolution, offering only consequence. The greatest damage isn't physical destruction but exposure itself: the compromises and deceptions that prove too painful to confront. What lingers isn't closure, but the mental heft of choices that cannot be undone—and the knowledge that carrying them is the only path forward.
