Best Young Actor AACTA Award | |
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Country | Australia |
Presented by | Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) |
Formerly called | AFI Young Actors Award |
First awarded | 1991 |
Currently held by | Lara Robinson, Cloudstreet (2011) |
Website | http://www.aacta.org |
The AACTA Award for Best Young Actor is an award presented by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA), a non-profit organisation whose aim is to "identify, award, promote and celebrate Australia's greatest achievements in film and television."[1] The award is presented at the annual AACTA Awards, which hand out accolades for achievements in feature film, television, documentaries and short films.[2] From 1991 to 2010, the category was presented by the Australian Film Institute (AFI), the Academy's parent organisation, at the annual Australian Film Institute Awards (known as the AFI Awards).[3] When the AFI launched the Academy in 2011, it changed the annual ceremony to the AACTA Awards, with the current award being a continuum of the AFI Young Actors Award.[3]
The award was first presented in 1991 as "Best Juvenile Performance".[4] It was handed out as a special award from 1991 to 2001, before it became a competitive award from 2002, onwards. Additionally, a cash prize of A$20,000 was given to the winner from 2006 to 2008.[4]
The award is presented at the discretion of the Academy, and is eligible to an actor or actress who is under the age of eighteen. It is given to an individual who has performed in a lead, supporting or guest role of television, feature film and short film categories.[5]