The Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, also known as the KCAs or Kids' Choice, is an American annual awards ceremony show produced by Nickelodeon. Usually held on a Saturday night in March or early April, the show honors the year's biggest in television, film, music, and sports as voted by viewers worldwide of Nickelodeon networks. Winners receive a hollow orange blimp figurine, a logo outline for much of the network's 1984–2009 era, which also functions as a kaleidoscope.
The show features numerous celebrity guests and musical acts, including live acts. It has also been known to cover people with the network's trademark green slime: since 2002, slime stunts have been incorporated into the show. The animated series SpongeBob SquarePants has won the most KCA awards, with twenty-two overall through the series' run. Individually, Selena Gomez won the most trophies (with 13), followed by Adam Sandler (with 12), Will Smith, Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande (each with 11), and Justin Bieber (with 9). Whoopi Goldberg and Steven Spielberg are the only people to have won a Kids' Choice Award alongside the prevailing "EGOT" combination of an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony. Rosie O'Donnell has hosted the show eight times, followed by Jack Black (three times), as well as Candace Cameron, Whitney Houston, and John Cena (twice each).
History Alan Goodman, Albie Hecht, and Fred Seibert created the awards show after Nickelodeon produced a segment called The Big Ballot for the movie review show Rated K: For Kids by Kids in 1987, named for the ballots kids voted with. To vote, the viewers would send in ballots and then before the show, the ballots would be counted and the winners would tape a "thank you" video that would be shown during the program. Goodman, Hecht, and Seibert felt that the network needed a bigger, more exciting platform.
Hecht selected the awards logo from a series of network designs created by original logo designers Tom Corey and Scott Nash (Corey McPherson Nash, Boston), overseen by Goodman and Seibert (Fred/Alan, Inc., New York). The award was configured into the current blimp shape/kaleidoscope in 1990. The only change to the award since then has been a change to the embossed logotype on the side of the trophy for 2010 to fit the network's new logo typeface.
As the Internet came into widespread use, the voting finally moved from a combination of 900 number telephone voting and filling paper ballots that were either mailed or completed at Pizza Hut locations, to being conducted exclusively on the network's website, and included text messaging by 2007. During the early years of Internet voting, there were several issues, including the digital equivalent of ballot stuffing and adult voting. As a result, a new system was put into place where one vote per Nick.com account is allowed (although it is probable adults still cast votes via the texting option, which is connected to a phone number only instead of a screen name, by creating an account with a false age, or by having their children vote for a chosen subject instead). In 2010, an iPhone application and mobile browser voting were also added.
The 2009 Kids' Choice Awards featured a new award called "The Big Green Help Award" which goes to the celebrity who goes above and beyond to help the Earth. The inaugural award was presented to Leonardo DiCaprio. For the 2010 awards, "The Big Green Help" award was renamed "The Big Help" award, with First Lady Michelle Obama winning the first award under the rename.
Unlike traditional awards shows, the Kids' Choice Awards uses other items to announce an award winner instead of a traditional envelope. The show sometimes uses balloons, T-shirts, models, giant letters, stickers, and even a foot.
Voting became available for Canadian people in time for the 2010 ceremony, owing to the inauguration of Nickelodeon's Canadian service in November 2009.
The 2020 ceremony was held in a virtual format in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2024 ceremony was the first to not air in March or April since 2020; it was hosted on July 13 and was the first ceremony hosted by animated characters, SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star, to honor the 25th anniversary of SpongeBob SquarePants.
The 2026 ceremony, to be held on November 14 (the first time since 1992 that a ceremony was held late into the year), will simulcast on CBS for the first time.
International history In June 2010, Nickelodeon Latin America announced a Kids' Choice Awards for Mexico. Other countries with their own Kids' Choice Awards include Brazil, United Kingdom, Australia, and Indonesia, which are either fully original local productions, or inserted as continuity during their broadcast of the U.S. ceremony. The Australian Kids' Choice Awards had its final local ceremony in 2012.
In August 2011, Nickelodeon Latin America announced a Kids' Choice Awards event for Argentina.
In June 2014, Nickelodeon Latin America announced a Kids' Choice Awards event for Colombia.
Awards
This table shows the awards that were presented over the years. An asterisk next to a category indicates an award has been presented in that particular category every year since the inception of the Kids' Choice Awards in 1988. 1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s1988198919901991199219941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025Favorite Movie* Favorite Movie Actor* Favorite Movie Actress* Favorite TV Show Favorite Male TV Star Favorite Female TV Star Favorite Music Group Favorite Male Athlete Favorite Female Athlete Most Enthusiastic Athlete Favorite Video Game Favorite Sports Team Hall of Fame Award Wannabe Award Big Help/Big Green Help Award Favorite Animal Star Cutest Couple Favorite Book Favorite Reality Show Favorite TV Sidekick Favorite Animated Animal Sidekick Favorite Cartoon Favorite Animated Movie Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie Favorite Buttkicker Favorite Male Buttkicker Favorite Female Buttkicker Favorite Male Artist Favorite Female Artist Favorite Song* Favorite App Favorite Funny Star Lifetime Achievement Award Favorite Kids TV Show Favorite Family TV Show Most Addicting Game Favorite Villain Favorite Talent Competition Show Favorite Male Action Star Favorite Female Action Star Favorite New Artist Favorite Cooking Show Favorite Collaboration Favorite Male TV Star – Kids' Show Favorite Male TV Star – Family Show Favorite Female TV Star – Kids' Show Favorite Female TV Star – Family Show Favorite Global Music Star Favorite Social Music Star BFFs (Best Friends Forever) Favorite Frenemies Most Wanted Pet #Squad Favorite Music Video Favorite DJ/EDM Artist Favorite Soundtrack Favorite Viral Music Artist Favorite Dance Trend Favorite Funny YouTube Creator Favorite Musical YouTube Creator Favorite Instagram Pet Favorite TV Host Favorite TV Judges Favorite Superhero Favorite Gamer How Do You Want to Help? Favorite Social Star
Ceremonies + Kids' Choice Awards ceremonies Date Venue City Host(s) Ref. 1st March 28April 18, 1987 Rated K: For Kids by Kids studio New York City, New York 2nd April 18, 1988 Universal Studios Hollywood Universal City, California 3rd June 25, 1989 4th April 23, 1990 5th April 22, 1991 Corin Nemec 6th November 14, 1992 Universal Studios Hollywood Universal City, California 7th May 7, 1994 Pantages Theatre Los Angeles, California Universal Studios Florida Orlando, Florida Marc Weiner 8th May 20, 1995 Barker Hangar Santa Monica, California Whitney Houston 9th May 11, 1996 Universal Studios Hollywood Universal City, California New York Harbor cruise New York City, New York Rosie O'Donnell 10th April 19, 1997 Grand Olympic AuditoriumLos Angeles, California 11th April 4, 1998 Pauley Pavilion 12th May 1, 1999 13th April 15, 2000 Hollywood Bowl 14th April 21, 2001 Barker Hangar Santa Monica, California Rosie O'Donnell 15th April 20, 2002 16th April 12, 2003 17th April 3, 2004 Pauley Pavilion Los Angeles, California 18th April 2, 2005 Ben Stiller 19th April 1, 2006 Jack Black 20th March 31, 2007 Justin Timberlake 21st March 29, 2008 Jack Black 22nd March 28, 2009 Dwayne Johnson 23rd March 27, 2010 Kevin James 24th April 2, 2011 Galen Center Jack Black 25th March 31, 2012 Will Smith 26th March 23, 2013 Josh Duhamel 27th March 29, 2014 Mark Wahlberg 28th March 28, 2015 The Forum Inglewood, California Nick Jonas 29th March 12, 2016 Blake Shelton 30th March 11, 2017 Galen Center Los Angeles, California John Cena 31st March 24, 2018 The Forum Inglewood, California 32nd March 23, 2019 Galen Center Los Angeles, California DJ Khaled 33rd May 2, 2020 Virtual show Victoria Justice 34th March 13, 2021 Barker Hangar Santa Monica, California Kenan Thompson 35th April 9, 2022 36th March 4, 2023 Microsoft Theater Los Angeles, California 37th July 13, 2024 Barker Hangar Santa Monica, California 38th June 21, 2025 Tyla 39th November 14, 2026 Los Angeles, California
Notes
Venues
The Kids' Choice Awards are typically held in and around Southern California. Past ceremonies have been held at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California, the Hollywood Bowl, the Grand Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles, and Universal Studios Hollywood in Universal City, but mostly at Pauley Pavilion on the UCLA campus. After renovations to Pauley beginning in 2011, the show was moved to the Galen Center at USC; it was expected to be a temporary home, but the network retained Galen for the 2012–2014 ceremonies due to the construction of the Meyer and Renee Luskin Conference and Guest Center, making it difficult to have the "Orange Carpet"; the smaller Kids' Choice Sports had its first ceremony in 2014 at Pauley. For the 2015 and 2016 shows, the ceremony occurred at the remodeled Forum in Inglewood, California. Between the 2017 and 2019 shows, the venue alternated between the Galen Center and The Forum. The 2023 ceremony was held at the Microsoft Theater.
The 2020 awards, previously scheduled for March 22, were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic; the ceremony was later moved to May 2 to be held virtually. The 2020 show was originally planned to serve as a tie-in with Nickelodeon's SlimeFest event.
Multiple year hosts The ceremony has been hosted multiple times by five individuals: Candace Cameron who hosted in 1990 and 1994, Whitney Houston who hosted consecutively in 1995 and 1996, Rosie O'Donnell who hosted consecutively from 1996 through 2003 (co-hosted with Houston in 1996 and with four co-hosts in 2000), Jack Black who hosted in 2006, 2008 and 2011, and John Cena who hosted consecutively in 2017 and 2018.
Special awards For these awards, the trophy awarded to the recipient may be a different color than Nickelodeon orange.
The Hall of Fame Award The Hall of Fame Award was a gold version of the blimp award from 1991 to 2000, and was presented to those whose accomplishments, fame, and popularity set them above everyone else. Initially, the award was chosen by the kids from a slate of nominees. Actors, athletes, and singers were all eligible for the award, with ballots containing nominees from multiple categories.
Year Winner(s)1991Paula Abdul1992Arnold Schwarzenegger1994Michael Jordan1995Boyz II Men1996Tim Allen1997Will Smith1998Tia & Tamera Mowry1999Jonathan Taylor Thomas2000Rosie O'Donnell
The Wannabe Award The Wannabe Award was a silver version of the blimp award from 2001 to 2008, and was presented to the best celebrity role model or inspiration (or the person whom the kids want to be like). The winner was determined prior to the awards without voter input. The only person to have won the Wannabe award and the Hall of Fame award is Will Smith.
Year Winner2001Tom Cruise2002Janet Jackson2003Will Smith2004Adam Sandler2005Queen Latifah2006Chris Rock2007Ben Stiller2008Cameron Diaz
The Big Help Award