Nickelodeon, TIME and TIME for Kids today announced the top 20 finalists for the first-ever Kid of the Year honor, a multiplatform initiative recognizing extraordinary young leaders who are making a positive impact in their communities. The top five honorees from the list will be featured in a TV special hosted by Trevor Noah (The Daily Show with Trevor Noah), with one kid ultimately being recognized as Kid of the Year and featured on a cover of TIME with a companion story in TIME for Kids. The special will simulcast across Nickelodeon, CBS Television Network, TeenNick and Nicktoons on Saturday, Dec. 5, at 8 p.m. (ET/PT).
The Kid of the Year TV special will introduce the top five honorees ahead of the ultimate Kid of the Year being named, and feature guests stars from entertainment, sports and pop culture to help surprise them and celebrate their work. Celebrity guests scheduled to make appearances throughout the special include Kristen Bell, Simone Biles, Brie Larson, Zachary Levi and Russell Westbrook, among others.
The top 20 Kid of the Year finalists were selected following a nationwide search that received over 5,000 inspirational kids being nominated. The top 50 were presented to an Advisory Board made up of representatives from Nickelodeon, TIME, Special Olympics, Rosie’s Theater Kids and Laureus Sport for Good Foundation USA to help narrow down the top 20 finalists. Of the 20, the five honorees were selected with the help of an influential kid committee comprised of Dylan Gilmer (Tyler Perry’s Young Dylan), Chinguun Sergelen (All That), Little Chef Ivy (MasterChef Junior), Sky Katz (Raven’s Home), and TIME for Kids Kid Reporters Raunak Singh and Tiana Sirmans, and will be revealed during the special.
Click HERE for a list of the top 20 Kid of the Year finalists.
Each of the five Kid of the Year honorees will receive a cash prize and have the opportunity to serve as a Kid Reporter for TIME for Kids with exclusive access to a Nickelodeon event. For additional information about the initiative, visit KidoftheYear2020.com.
Nickelodeon’s Kid of the Year TV special is a co-production of TIME Studios, Day Zero Productions, Mainstay Entertainment and Nickelodeon, with Rebecca Gitlitz and Jeff Smith serving as Showrunners. Executive Producers include Andrea Delbanco (TIME for Kids), Ian Orefice and Mike Beck (TIME Studios), Trevor Noah and Haroon Saleem (Day Zero Productions), Norm Aladjem, Derek Van Pelt and Sanaz Yamin (Mainstay Entertainment) and Rob Bagshaw, Stacey Carr and Paul J Medford (Nickelodeon). Production of Nickelodeon’s Kid of the Year is overseen by Rob Bagshaw, Executive Vice President, Unscripted Content.
