The Young Artist Award (originally known as the Youth in Film Award) is an accolade bestowed by the Young Artist Association, a non-profit organization founded in 1978 to honor excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young artists who may be physically and/or financially challenged. 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 21 in the fields of film, television, theater and music.