By Trish Svoboda/Images courtesy BGCA and COX Mobile

The Boys and Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) and COX Mobile have partnered for COX’s second annual Phone Case Design Contest. High school BGCA members were able to participate by designing a phone case representing this year’s theme, “A World Within Reach-Future Icons.” The 22 finalists from across the U.S. were announced, including A’mya, a member of the South Central Kansas BGCA.

A panel of judges, featuring leaders from Cox Communications and BGCA, Club alumnus Mario Lopez, and 2025-2026 National Youth of the Year, Ximena, will select the winner later this spring, who will receive a $25,000 scholarship and a $25,000 technology grant for their local club. The public is also invited to vote on its Fan Favorite winner, who will also receive a $25,000 scholarship and $10,000 for their local club.

Ximena, who’s been a member for 9 years, said BGCA “truly served as a launch pad” for her. “It was at the club where I found my community and my mentors that allowed me to find my voice and step into leadership, as well as turning my personal experience into community advocacy.” She credits the resources and opportunities provided for her for allowing her to find her passion for public policy and law, which is what she plans to study in college.

“I now have scholarship support to pursue my dream,” said Ximena. “I truly am so grateful for the Boys and Girls Club and all of the opportunities it has given me. I’m really excited for these finalists to also have those life changing opportunities.”

Alumnus Lopez has been a longtime supporter of Boys and Girls Club. He said it helped expose him to things like theater and wrestling. “I can’t say enough great things about the organization. I always want to try to lend my time and support, especially for great programs like this,” he said.

Ximena encourages young people to get involved in their communities and said the Boys and Girls Club is an amazing resource to get started. “There’s a lot of community involvement that can be attained. It opens doors to a lot of opportunities for a lot of kids, as well as folks that are wanting to contribute through donations and volunteering,” she said. “Getting as much engagement as we can get for the voting would be amazing. At the end of the day, this is a $25,000 scholarship and it is life changing for whoever the winner is.”

The public can cast its vote for its fan favorite design daily by visiting cox.com/phonecasecontest. Voting is open through February 28.