Who run the world? Girls.

October 11th is International Day of the Girl and Verizon is celebrating two young women who are hoping to make a big change in the world. Built by Girls partnered with Verizon and Speck to design a phone case competition that showcased the creativity and talent of the Gen Z community. 

Winners of the contest receive a $5,000 prize and their design printed on Speck phone cases. The cases will be sold in Verizon stores nationwide. 

The winners

Hi, I’m Dyllen Nellis. I am a female-identifying artist, performer, and innovator. I recently graduated high school from Ramon C. Cortines School of Visual and Performing Arts as class valedictorian. 

The meaning behind the design: My design has a strong theme of sisterhood, diversity, and empowerment. I wanted to create an artwork that would inspire positivity and collaboration in others. Like the values of BUILT BY GIRLS, it needed to show that girls are fully capable of being leaders and makers of change. So in my design, women of all ethnicities, shapes, and sizes are happily interacting with one another.  

My name is Shannon Li, and I am from Brooklyn New York. I am currently a rising sophomore at the University of Michigan studying to become a software engineer, UX Designer, or creative technologist. 

The meaning behind the design: I strongly believe young women, women of color, women of the LGBTQ+ community, and of any marginalized community should feel empowered to break barriers, by not only striving to fight for their seat at the table, but by building their own table. We should not be taught to fit a mold, but to build and create our own future, where we invite individuals with similar backgrounds to find their potential and thrive.

Cases are available now on verizonwireless.com/products/speck