Daytime Emmys Consider Combining Younger Actor and Actress Awards

Kyle Pettis accepts the younger actor award at the 2019 Daytime Emmys.

The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) is discussing the possibility that the Daytime Emmy Awards will combine its outstanding younger actor and actress categories into one, according to a report in Variety.

The organization already has a guest performer category that combines both genders. Now, the Daytime Emmys is looking at single young performer category, open to all. As part of the change, the newly merged category would also combine broadcast drama and digital drama performers in the same category.

The categories for younger actor in a drama series and younger actress in a drama series were first presented in 1985 when there were many more daytime soap operas in production. With just four major network soaps remaining, it may make sense to combine the younger performer categories into one (or eliminate it altogether).

The consideration of this change was discussed at an Academy advisory meeting last week. No final consensus was reached in the room, according to NATAS CEO Adam Sharp. Final decisions on categories and criteria will be announced when the call for the next Daytime Emmy entries go out in the fall.

In the past, the Daytime Emmy awards for younger actor and younger actress in a drama series have recognized the work of the performers age 25 and under. This year’s winners in the categories were Hayley Erin (ex-Kiki, General Hospital) for younger actress in a drama series, and Kyler Pettis (ex-Theo, Days of our Lives) for younger actor in a drama series.