From actors to artists, and athletes to activists, TIME announced their 13 women of the year on Thursday.
Each honoree, the magazine said, is "in their own way, working toward creating a better, more equitable world."
This year's women of the year include actor and producer Nicole Kidman, WNBA star A'ja Wilson, Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles, artist Laufey, actor Anna Sawai, reproductive rights activist Amanda Zurawski, Feeding America CEO Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, Gambian women's rights activist Fatou Baldeh, activist and author Raquel Willis, actor and breast cancer awareness advocate Olivia Munn, co-founder and CEO of Bobbie Laura Modi, conservationist Purnima Devi Barman, and Gisèle Pelicot, a voice for survivors of sexual violence.
The honorary issue will include three magazine covers featuring Kidman, Wilson and Chiles, respectively.
TIME's 2025 Women of the Year: Nicole Kidman, A'ja Wilson, Jordan Chiles, and 10 other leaders creating a more equal world https://t.co/DCts5YFm8M pic.twitter.com/jOgwA12YgQ
— TIME (@TIME) February 20, 2025
Kidman was celebrated for initiating change in a male-dominated Hollywood industry by vowing to work with at least one female director every 18 months.
"Thank you so much, @time for this incredible honor," Kidman posted on her Instagram story with a photo of her magazine cover.
Wilson won her third WNBA MVP award and also helped lead the U.S. women's basketball team to an eighth straight Olympic gold medal. The 28-year-old also published a best-selling book, "Dear Black Girls," and became the first Black WNBA player since 2010 to have a signature shoe.
"Top tier blessings," Wilson wrote on Instagram of her TIME honor.
Chiles helped the U.S. women's gymnastics team regain gold in the team final during the Paris Olympics. She then took bronze in the individual floor exercise competition after her coach appealed the calculation of Biles' difficulty score, a move that catapulted the gymnast from fifth place to third. Her bronze medal has since been stripped, with Chiles and USA Gymnastics continuing to contest the ruling.
"Words can't describe how blessed I am!!" Chiles wrote of her TIME honor. "Women of the Year is crazy!!! Thank you God!!"
Others were honored for their achievements that took place far from the Olympic or Hollywood spotlight.
Pelicot led a movement for survivors of sexual violence after waiving her legal right to anonymity amid a horrific rape case, in which her husband was found guilty of drugging her and inviting more than 70 men to have sex with her without her knowledge.
Zurawski had a complication with her pregnancy that required an abortion. Living in Texas, a state with a ban on nearly all abortions, she was unable to get treatment until her reproductive organs were left permanently compromised. Zurawski sued the state of Texas in 2023 and continues to fight for reproductive rights.
Munn, an actor who was diagnosed with breast cancer, raised awareness by encouraging women to utilize further screenings even after having a clean mammogram, as she did.
"I'm speechless," Munn wrote. "Thank you @time for this incredible honor as one of TIME's 2025 Women of the Year."
The TIME Women of the Year Gala will be held on Feb. 25 in Los Angeles.
