Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards
The Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards is an annual American children's awards ceremony show that is produced by Nickelodeon. Usually held on a Saturday night in late March or early April, the show honors the year's biggest television, movie, and music acts 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. Since 2002, slime stunts have been incorporated into the show. The KCAs also host live entertainment. It has also been known to overwhelmingly cover people with the network's trademark green slime. The series SpongeBob SquarePants has won the most KCA awards, with seventeen overall through the series' run. Individually, Selena Gomez has won the most trophies with eleven, followed by Will Smith and Adam Sandler. Whoopi Goldberg is the only person to have won a Kids' Choice Award, along with the mainstream "EGOT" combination of an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony. Rosie O'Donnell has hosted the show most times, followed by Jack Black, and John Cena.
History
, Albie Hecht, and Fred Seibert created the awards show after Nickelodeon produced a show called The Big Ballot 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, overseen by Goodman and Seibert. 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 eventually 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 problems, 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. 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 rather than a traditional envelope. The show sometimes uses balloons, T-shirts, models, giant letters, stickers, and even a foot.
Voting became available for Canadians in time for the 2010 ceremony, owing to the inauguration of Nickelodeon's Canadian service in November 2009.
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 American ceremony. The Australian Kids' Choice Awards had its last 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.
The 2020 ceremony was the first ceremony to be held in a virtual format, a change that was necessary in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Awards
This table shows the awards from the past. 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.Locations
The Kids' Choice Awards are typically held in and around Southern California. Previous 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 2012-14 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 2020 awards, previously scheduled for March 22, were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic; a spokesperson said that Nickelodeon "will have further information about a new date in the future." The ceremony was later moved to May 2 to be held virtually. The 2020 show was planned to serve as a tie-in with Nickelodeon's Slimefest event.
| Year | Location |
| 1988 | Universal Studios Hollywood |
| 1989 | Universal Studios Hollywood |
| 1990 | Universal Studios Hollywood |
| 1991 | Pauley Pavilion |
| 1992 | Universal Studios Hollywood |
| 1994 | Pantages Theatre Universal Studios Florida |
| 1995 | Barker Hangar |
| 1996 | Universal Pictures |
| 1997 | Grand Olympic Auditorium |
| 1998 | Pauley Pavilion |
| 1999 | Pauley Pavilion |
| 2000 | Hollywood Bowl |
| 2001 | Barker Hangar |
| 2002 | Barker Hangar |
| 2003 | Barker Hangar |
| 2004 | Pauley Pavilion |
| 2005 | Pauley Pavilion |
| 2006 | Pauley Pavilion |
| 2007 | Pauley Pavilion |
| 2008 | Pauley Pavilion |
| 2009 | Pauley Pavilion |
| 2010 | Pauley Pavilion |
| 2011 | Galen Center |
| 2012 | Galen Center |
| 2013 | Galen Center |
| 2014 | Galen Center |
| 2015 | The Forum |
| 2016 | The Forum |
| 2017 | Galen Center |
| 2018 | The Forum |
| 2019 | Galen Center |
| 2020 | Virtual show |
Note
Ceremony hosts
The 1987 Big Ballot studio show was unhosted.| Year | Host |
| 1988 | Tony Danza Debbie Gibson Brian Robbins Dan Schneider |
| 1989 | Nicole Eggert Wil Wheaton |
| 1990 | Dave Coulier Candace Cameron David Faustino |
| 1991 | Corin Nemec |
| 1992 | Holly Robinson Brian Austin Green Tori Spelling |
| 1994 | Joey Lawrence Candace Cameron Marc Weiner |
| 1995 | Whitney Houston |
| 1996 | Whitney Houston Rosie O'Donnell |
| 1997 | Rosie O'Donnell |
| 1998 | Rosie O'Donnell |
| 1999 | Rosie O'Donnell |
| 2000 | Rosie O'Donnell LL Cool J David Arquette Mandy Moore Frankie Muniz |
| 2001 | Rosie O'Donnell |
| 2002 | Rosie O'Donnell |
| 2003 | Rosie O'Donnell |
| 2004 | Cameron Diaz Mike Myers |
| 2005 | Ben Stiller |
| 2006 | Jack Black |
| 2007 | Justin Timberlake |
| 2008 | Jack Black |
| 2009 | Dwayne Johnson |
| 2010 | Kevin James |
| 2011 | Jack Black |
| 2012 | Will Smith |
| 2013 | Josh Duhamel |
| 2014 | Mark Wahlberg |
| 2015 | Nick Jonas |
| 2016 | Blake Shelton |
| 2017 | John Cena |
| 2018 | John Cena |
| 2019 | DJ Khaled |
| 2020 | Victoria Justice |
Note
Multiple year hosts
The ceremony has been hosted multiple times by four individuals, with Candace Cameron Bure hosting in 1990 and 1994, Whitney Houston consecutively in 1995 and 1996, then Rosie O'Donnell alone from 1997 until 2003. This was followed by Jack Black in 2006, 2008 and 2011, and then John Cena, who has hosted consecutively for 2017 and 2018.Special colored awards
These blimps are not orange like the regular blimps and the winners are chosen by the Nickelodeon staff, not the viewers. There is the gold Hall of Fame Award, the silver Wannabe Award, the green Big Green Help Award, the silver glitter Big Help Award, and the Lifetime Achievement Award.The Hall of Fame Award
The Hall of Fame Award 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.Hall of Fame Award winners
The Wannabe Award
The Wannabe Award is presented to the best celebrity role model or inspiration. The winner is determined prior to the awards without voter input. As of 2009, the only person to have won the Wannabe award and the Hall of Fame award is Will Smith. These awards replaced the Hall of Fame awards following the show in 2000.Wannabe Award winners
The Big Help Award
The Big Green Help Award is presented to a person who goes above and beyond to help the environment. It is based on Nickelodeon's The Big Help initiative.Big Green Help (The Big Help) Award winners
Lifetime Achievement Award
The Nickelodeon Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to a network employee on or off camera that has contributed heavily to the network's success and entertained children with their work.Lifetime Achievement Award Winners
Kids' Choice Sports
In July 2014, Nickelodeon presented the first annual Kids' Choice Sports, honoring kids' favorite athletes, teams, and sports moments from the year. Michael Strahan produced and hosted the inaugural ceremony.Ceremonies
Slimed celebrities
During a ceremony, sometimes a celebrity presenter or award winner might not know when they are going to be slimed onstage or offstage, though as the years went on, getting slimed became more of an honor, and less of a comedic humiliation akin to the early Nickelodeon series You Can't Do That on Television, from whence the concept originated.Hosts of the show have also been slimed, and occasionally celebrities not attending the awards have been slimed via video segment, such as when Rosie O'Donnell tricked Melissa Joan Hart into getting slimed on the set of Sabrina the Teenage Witch in 2001, or when Amanda Seyfried and Josh Hutcherson were slimed at a KCA watch party in 2013. Celebrities sitting in the audience are also fair game for being slimed, as Mandy Moore first learned in 2007, and Halle Berry later found out in 2012.
Although Les Lye was the only celebrity to be slimed at the 1988 awards, a video was shown during the show of then Nickelodeon president Geraldine Laybourne saying the magic words and getting slimed with the original YCDTOTV recipe, much to her dismay, proving that not even the network president was safe from the slime.
Below is a list of all the celebrities that have been slimed over the past years at the Kids' Choice Awards.
| Year | Slimed Celebrity |
| 1988 | Les Lye |
| 1989 | Bill Kirchenbauer |
| 1990 | Wil Wheaton |
| 1991 | Corin Nemec Bart Simpson |
| 1992 | Jonathan Taylor Thomas Zachery Ty Bryan Taran Noah Smith |
| 1994 | James Earl Jones |
| 1995 | Mark Curry |
| 1996 | Queen Latifah |
| 1997 | Rosie O'Donnell |
| 1998 | Sean "Diddy" Combs |
| 1999 | Randy Savage Chilli Stephanie Bellars |
| 2000 | Will Smith |
| 2001 | Tom Cruise
Rosie O'Donnell |
| 2002 | Adam Sandler Pink |
| 2003 | Jim Carrey Rosie O'Donnell |
| 2004 | Mike Myers Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen |
| 2005 | Will Ferrell Johnny Depp Ben Stiller |
| 2006 | Robin Williams Jack Black |
| 2007 | Chris Tucker Jackie Chan Mandy Moore Steve Carell Tobey Maguire Vince Vaughn Justin Timberlake |
| 2008 | Orlando Bloom Brendan Fraser Harrison Ford Jack Black |
| 2009 | Jesse McCartney Hugh Jackman Sandra Bullock Dwayne Johnson Jonas Brothers |
| 2010 | Jackson Rathbone Jerry Trainor Katy Perry Fred Figglehorn Tina Fey Steve Carell Kevin James |
| 2011 | Russell Brand Rico Rodriguez Snoop Dogg Kaley Cuoco Heidi Klum Jason Segel Josh Duhamel Jim Carrey Jack Black Po Jewel and Blu |
| 2012 | Halle Berry Chris Colfer Taylor Lautner The Miz The Big Show Jeff Sutphen Santino Marella Justin Bieber Will Smith |
| 2013 | Pitbull Dwight Howard Neil Patrick Harris Sandra Bullock Amanda Seyfried Josh Hutcherson Josh Duhamel Nick Cannon |
| 2014 | Pharrell Williams Kaley Cuoco Jack Reynor Austin Mahone Cody Simpson David Blaine Shaun White Jukka Hildén Dave England Mark Wahlberg |
| 2015 | Jesse Tyler Ferguson Sarah Hyland Ariel Winter Nolan Gould Rico Rodriguez Shawn Mendes Jack Griffo Kira Kosarin Diego Velazquez Addison Riecke Josh Gad Nick Jonas 5 Seconds of Summer |
| 2016 | John Stamos Fifth Harmony Jason Sudeikis Josh Gad Cameron Dallas Blake Shelton |
| 2017 | Demi Lovato Chris Pratt Kevin Hart John Cena |
| 2018 | Liza Koshy Heidi Klum Mel B JoJo Siwa Laurie Hernandez Barbie Shawn Mendes John Cena |
| 2019 | Chris Pratt Will Smith David Dobrik Josh Peck Janelle Monáe Adam Sandler DJ Khaled |
| 2020 | JoJo Siwa David Dobrik Victoria Justice |
Slime stunts
Beginning in 2002, the show began its annual World Record Slime Stunts. Olympians, extreme sports stars and daredevils participated in special stunts performed live on national television—often landing into the trademark green slime.| Year | Celebrity | Stunt synopsis |
| 2002 | Dave Mirra | The BMX pro-biker broke his own record for a double back flip on a BMX bike and landed in a 5,000 gallon tank of green slime. |
| 2003 | Tony Hawk | The skateboarding champion skateboarded into an 11,000 gallon tank of green slime. |
| 2004 | Mat Hoffman | The BMX pro performed the "World Record Skydiving Bike Jump" landing in a lakefull of green slime. |
| 2005 | Donald Trump | The billionaire, at the time enjoying a resurgence of popularity with his TV series The Apprentice, "fired" a human cannonball into the air, landing in a net laced with green slime. |
| 2006 | Ryan St. Onge | In a live remote from the Utah Olympic Park in Park City, Utah, the U.S. Olympic Freestyle Aerial Skier skied into 10,000 gallons of green slime. |
| 2007 | Ron Jones | Bungee jumping into a pool of slime. |
| 2008 | Jack Black Orlando Bloom | Kids Choice 2008 had many slime stunts all hosted by professional boxer Laila Ali. Depending on the outcome of the stunt, a certain amount of green slime was added to a slime vat backstage which was referred to throughout as the "Slime Meter". The slime was used later on at the end of the show, in what was supposedly the "World's Longest Celebrity Sliming," in which Orlando Bloom joined host Jack Black to be slimed for one solid minute. Host Black even made a remark about how the grand total of 27 tons of slime could fit in a vat that only held 25 tons. |
| 2008 | Akon | In the first stunt, affectionately called the "Slime-o-Lition Derby", the pop star had 45 seconds to ride the Kids' Choice Bobble Head Kart. The choices were the shark-themed "Jaws Jalopy", a hot dog-shaped "Weiner Wagon" and the winner, the Jack Black Bobble Head Kart which was essentially a go-kart with a giant Jack Black head on the top. Akon successfully completed the course adding 10 tons of slime to the vat, "plus 5 for finishing" bringing the total to 15 tons. |
| 2008 | Usher | The famous R&B singer performed the second stunt manning a "slime hose," firing at a sumo wrestler and propelling him in costume along a long platform. The amount of slime added to the vat was determined by how far the "human target" was propelled by the spray of slime. Viewers voting online picked the sumo wrestler over his competitor, the Scuba diver. The "human target" was launched all the way to the 5-ton mark bringing the total of slime in the vat to 20 tons. |
| 2008 | Heidi Klum | The last stunt was performed by the supermodel or as host Black called her "Heidi the Human Dart". Klum was attached by a harness to a long cable, allowing her to swing freely in which she did. Armed with a pad of spikes, she swung between her platform and what was a trampoline-like wall covered in slime balloons. For every slime balloon Klum popped in 30 seconds, one more ton of slime was added to the vat. Kids voted online to determine exactly what type of spike pad Klum would use to pop the balloons. The choices were the hand-worn "mittens" and the winner the "butt pad" which unanimously beat out the mittens. Klum popped 7 balloons on the wall, adding 7 more tons of slime to the vat and bringing the total of slime in the vat to 27 tons. |
| 2009 | Will Ferrell | The comedian-actor slid down a slime-covered slide that was placed on top of Janss Steps on the UCLA campus, on a luge head first into a pool of slime. |
| 2010 | Apolo Anton Ohno | Two stunts were featured at the 2010 awards. First, eight-time Olympic medalist Ohno was catapulted into slime by sling shot with the help of WWE wrestler John Cena. |
| 2010 | Jerry Trainor Jackson Rathbone Nicola Peltz | For the second stunt, to promote The Last Airbender stars Peltz and Rathbone along with iCarly star Trainor were featured in a bending-slime event. Since Peltz's character is a "water-bender", she bent the slime towards Trainor and Rathbone. |
| 2011 | Kelvin Ramer | Ramer's monster truck, rebodied and relivered for the event, jumps over a 50-foot Nickelodeon blimp award into a pool of slime. It was hosted by Paul "The Big Show" Wight who said that it was the most dangerous Kids' Choice slime stunt ever. |
| 2012 | Big Show and The Miz | A slime themed wrestling match between Big Show and The Miz. When either The Big Show or The Miz hits the special cannons on each corner of the ring, slime shoots out and covers the audience. The Big Show defeated The Miz when he threw him over the ring and into a pool of slime. Afterwards, The Big Show was slimed for his ultimate reward. |
| 2014 | Dave England & Jukka Hilden | Kids got to pick between three slime stunts and the one with the highest number of votes would win. It was between an Ultimate Slime Rodeo, a High Speed Bathtub Race, or a Slippery Obstacle Course. The Ultimate Slime Rodeo won as both Dave and Jukka rode on electronic riding horses that had slime hoses in their mouths and whoever held on the longest would win. Dave eventually held on the longest and won. |
| 2015 | Cast of The Thundermans | An online vote was held during the show, in which kids chose between The Thundermans, Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn, and Bella and the Bulldogs. The cast of the show with the most votes would go through a car wash with slime being fired at every direction. |
| 2016 | Bethany Mota & Cameron Dallas | As part of the ceremony's website/app voting system set up for the show, kids voted for the best internet personality. They had to choose between YouTuber Bethany Mota and YouTuber, Vine star, TikTok star, and Netflix actor Cameron Dallas. Both of them went on to partake in the Slime Soakers stunt but only one of them was to get slimed, which the kids had to vote for on Nick.com and in the Nick app. Towards the end of the show, the winner, Cameron Dallas, was revealed and proceeded to get slimed. |
| 2020 | Astronauts | European Space Agency Astronaut Col. Luca Parmitano and NASA Astronaut Christina Koch opened and played with the first ever slime in space inside the International Space Station. |