When LEGO joined forces with Time magazine for the Girls of the Year list, it wasn’t just about recognizing talent. It was about building new role models—one colorful brick at a time.
This collaboration shines a spotlight on ten extraordinary girls who are breaking molds and solving real-world problems. Creativity and courage come in all sizes, and sometimes with a pile of plastic bricks.
The list features trailblazers like Rebecca Young, a 12-year-old Scottish engineer who designed a solar-powered backpack with an electric blanket to help homeless people. Talk about inventing your way out of a cold night!
From science to sports, these girls make it clear that building the future doesn’t need an instruction manual. All it really takes is passion and a bit of imagination.
The First Girls of the Year List
TIME Magazine took a leap in 2025 by debuting its first-ever Girls of the Year list. It honors ten incredible girls aged 12 to 17 who are already leaving their mark in fields from science to sports.
The list isn’t just a trophy case; it’s a megaphone for these young change-makers. The idea? To inspire communities by showing how these girls aren’t waiting for adulthood to make an impact.
TIME’s Senior Editor Dayana Sarkisova summed it up: leadership doesn’t require waiting—it demands action now.
Expect to see young scientists, athletes, musicians, and racers all grabbing the spotlight with no adult supervision needed.
LEGO Group’s Role: Empowering Young Female Builders
Enter the LEGO Group. They decided it was time girls got better access to the “build the world” toolkit.
LEGO’s “She Built That” campaign aims to bust stereotypes about who gets to build and create. A survey showed 72% of parents think their daughters lack visible female role models. So LEGO went on a mission.
By partnering with TIME, they amplified girls who are building real futures—both literally and metaphorically.
It’s not just about plastic bricks; it’s about empowering minds to imagine, construct, and lead worlds beyond the toy box.
The LEGO Group doesn’t just want girls to play. They want them to lead.
The Animated TIME Cover: Girls as LEGO Minifigures
For the first time, TIME’s Girls of the Year appeared as animated LEGO minifigures on the cover. This playful but powerful visual highlights the creative potential of these young honorees.
Illustrator Jessica Sibley brought these figures to life, blending TIME’s iconic style with LEGO’s unmistakable charm. The animated cover shows how these girls piece together their ambitions like bricks stacking toward something bigger.
Seeing a fierce F1 racing driver and a gold-medal-winning skateboarder as LEGO minifigs? That’s instant inspiration—and honestly, it’s very Instagram-worthy.
For more, see the TIME Magazine honours 10 young girls in first-ever Girls of the Year list.
Meet the Inspiring Honorees
Rebecca Young is just 12 years old and lives in Glasgow. As a student at Kelvinside Academy, she came up with a solar-powered backpack that has an electric blanket inside.
It’s honestly perfect for those freezing Scottish winters. Her invention is already helping homeless people stay warm in shelters around the city.
That’s one way to warm both hearts and toes, right?
Across Europe, Clara Proksch in Germany is turning science into something practical. She’s focused on making things safer for kids.
Meanwhile, Zoé Clauzure in France is fighting bullying with a kind of fierce determination that’s honestly inspiring. Over in Turkey, Defne Özcan is breaking barriers as a young pilot.
There’s also Ivanna Richards, a racing driver from Mexico who’s not letting stereotypes slow her down. Kornelia Wieczorek in Poland is deep into biotech and seems ready to shake up medicine.
Japan’s got Coco Yoshizawa, an Olympic gold medalist who’s shining in sports. It’s a pretty wild mix—young women from all over, building the future with the kind of creativity you’d expect from a LEGO master.
If you’re curious, you can read more about these leaders on the TIME Girls of the Year list.