DAPHNE, Ala. — Not many girls under age 13 can say they have seen their name and photograph in print, but even fewer can say their name, photograph and ideas were printed in a nationally distributed magazine.

Three Baldwin County girls who can say just that are Anna McVay, 11, and Jordan Dyess, 10, both of Daphne, and Isabella Alberti, 11, of Gulf Shores. They join nine Alabama girls — chosen from Owens Cross, Decatur, Trussville, Montgomery, Wilmer and Auburn — who will appear in the August/September issue of Discovery Girls magazine. The magazine — which prints every other month and focuses on situations and stories relevant to young girls — annually selects girls from six states, but eventually all states are featured.

“In searching for girls and choosing 12 from each state, we’re looking for girls who have the ability to inspire and motivate their peers and our readers with their personal stories, interests and how they deal with tough situations,” Tatiana Guertin with Discovery Girls Magazine said. The selection process involves girls filling in a questionnaire that asked “What are your dreams for the future?” and “What do you think is the best thing about being a girl today? The hardest thing?”

After a state’s questionnaires are received, magazine staffers read each before selecting 12 finalists.

The San Jose, Calif.-based magazine chose the girls for their “creative and heartfelt answers to the magazine’s questionnaire,” which sought girls’ embarrassing moments, passions, personal qualities and pressures to grow up, a news release stated.

“Girls fill the questionnaires out in a variety of different ways. Some thoughtfully answer the questions and send them in, some compile scrapbooks and others come up with imaginative and wildly creative ways to display their questions,” Guertin said.

“I made it a big keychain … with my answers on different keys,” Anna said.

“I wrote everything about myself that I thought the magazine might would find interesting, like I play golf and I have an older sister and a younger sister so it is hard sometimes to be in the middle,” Jordan said.

“I did a diary format,” Isabella said. “I was very creative with a lot of pictures in there and stickers. I tried to make it as interesting as possible.

“I really hoped that I would be picked as a Discovery Girl because they are real role models. Being selected meant a lot to me. It makes me feel special. It makes me feel like I inspire other girls and it makes me feel like an everyday girl can be a star.”

In Februrary, all of the Alabama girls chosen to appear in the magazine traveled to New Orleans for a magazine photo shoot and planning session. The girls got a sneak peek at some of the magazine’s upcoming articles and were asked to share their opinions and contribute to the magazine’s overall editorial content.

“We had to write opinions of the new articles they were putting in here and stuff,” Anna said.

The trip wasn’t all work and no play; in fact, it mixed both.

“The girls visited the Audubon Aquarium with our staff and the rest of the Alabama Discovery Girls. They spent the day getting to know each other and exploring the aquarium, while also participating in a behind-the-scenes photo shoot, which will be featured in the magazine,” Guertin said.

The Alabama Discovery Girls will have their photos and bios featured in the magazine in a “Meet the Girls” section, Guertin said. The section will spotlight each girl with information about her hobbies, favorite subject, dream job and other facts. The girls’ opinions will also be featured in topics or answers to questions in the magazine.

“We feature real girls on the cover and in the magazine, not models or celebrities and our content is written by girls, for girls,” Guertin said.  The magazine steers clear of popular magazine topics like health, fashion and gossip and instead focuses on content to make girls stronger individuals.

The magazine routinely covers situations many young girls face including: losing friends, dealing with bullies, being embarrassed, feeling left out, dealing with difficult hair and environmentally green living.