The Young Artist Award (originally known as the Youth in Film Award) is an accolade presented by the Young Artist Foundation, an American nonprofit organization founded in 1978 to honor excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young artists who may be physically disabled or financially unstable.

First presented in 1979, the Young Artist Awards was the first organization established to specifically recognize and award the contributions of performers under the age of 18 in the fields of film, television, theater, and music.

Young Artist Association

The Young Artist Association (originally known as the Hollywood Women's Photo and Press Club, and later, the Youth in Film Association) is a non-profit organization founded in 1978 to recognize and award excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young artists who may be physically or financially challenged. The Young Artist Association was the first organization to establish an awards ceremony specifically set to recognize and award the contributions of performers under the age of 21 in the fields of film, television, theater, and music.

Young Artist Foundation

The Young Artist Foundation is a non-profit 501(c) organization founded in 1978 by long-standing Hollywood Foreign Press (Golden Globes) member Maureen Dragone and dedicated to presenting scholarships to physically or financially challenged aspiring young artists, allowing them to pursue a career in entertainment by attending a performing arts school of their choice.

Awards

History

The Young Artist Awards are presented annually by the Young Artist Association. Originally known as the Youth In Film Awards for the first 20 years, the name was officially changed to the Young Artist Awards for the 21st annual awards ceremony in March 2000. Playfully referred to as the "Kiddie Oscars", the Young Artist Awards are regarded as young Hollywood's answer to the Academy Awards, recognizing children for their work within the entertainment industry.

First presented for the 1978–1979 entertainment season, the awards were envisioned by Maureen Dragone, as a way to honor talented young people in film, television, and music who might otherwise be eclipsed by their adult co-stars.

Statuette

The original Youth In Film Award was a statuette was similar to a miniature Oscar. A gilded figure of a man holding a laurel wreath instead of a sword and standing upon a relatively large "trophy" style base. In addition to the Young Artist Award statuette presented to the winners, all nominees are presented with a special nomination plaque at the ceremony, commemorating their nominations in their respective categories.

Voting

Candidates considered for nomination must be between the ages of 5 and 21 and are usually submitted for consideration by producers or by the young artist's agent or manager. Today, the Young Artist Association has a voting board of over 125 members composed of journalists, agents, and former child performers. In addition to its well-known film and television awards, the association has also recognized the achievements of youth in other fields of the performing arts over the years, including theater, dance, commercials, journalism, radio, and stand-up comedy.

Special awards

While many of the acting categories have been expanded over time, some early competitive categories such as "Best Juvenile Recording Artist", "Best Family Motion Picture", and "Best Family TV Series" have been phased out over the years, with accolades for those achievements now being bestowed in the form of special "Honorary" awards.

Ceremony

The ceremony is held annually in Hollywood and has traditionally been considered one of the more formal children's awards ceremonies, with honorees and their chaperones "dressing-up" for the occasion and arriving in limousines. All members of the press are invited to attend the pre-show red carpet arrivals as young celebrity attendees make their entrances and sign autographs, and each year's presenters are often selected from the previous year's young winners or from that year's list of nominees. || Online || November 24, 2020

|-

| 42nd Young Artist Awards || 2020 || Virtual || Online || November 6, 2021

|-

| 43rd Young Artist Awards || 2021 || Directors Guild of America || Los Angeles || October 2, 2022

|-

| 44th Young Artist Awards || 2022 || Directors Guild of America || Los Angeles || July 21, 2024

|-

| 45th Young Artist Awards || 2023 || Directors Guild of America || Los Angeles || July 21, 2024

|-

| 46th Young Artist Awards || 2024 || Directors Guild of America || Los Angeles || July 19, 2025

|}

See also

  • List of American television awards
  • Academy Juvenile Award
  • Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Young Performer
  • Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor

References

  • Young Artist Awards photographs at LIFE.com