The Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards is an annual televised event for the young and the young at heart that celebrates various aspects of entertainment and pop culture. This year the awards will go live on Saturday, March 27th at 8 PM. Visitors to the nick.com Web site have the opportunity to vote for their favorite nominees in a variety of categories.
Among these categories are Favorite Music Group, Favorite Cartoon, Favorite Book, Favorite Male and Female Athlete, and a host of other choices as well. The landing page offers up Favorite Couple, which has historically featured fictional pair-ups, and this year’s offerings are similar: “New Moon’s” Edward and Bella, Jacob and Bella, and “Avatar’s” Neytiri and Jake. However, President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle are also on the ballot, an interesting change from standard form.
Though the Web site does not specifically state when the voting will shut down, because it’s an online submission, presumably voters will retain the opportunity to make their choices right up until the moment the show airs; there is a countdown timer on the site to remind visitors when that will commence.
While some may deride the Kids’ Choice Awards vote as being merely populist and twee, and despite some controversy over other show’s awards, there is real value in introducing kids to the power of casting their vote. Though it’s likely that not every choice of theirs will win, there’s a good chance that at least one of them will. Once a kid sees that her vote helped her choice to win, she will feel a surge of empowerment, and that’s a significant feeling for a child. It sends the message that individual voices matter, and that can lead to a lifetime habit of voting, which can only benefit us all. So vote early, vote often, kids and adults! Check out the Kids’ Choice Awards website and make your voices heard!
