3rd Youth in Film Awards

The 3rd Youth in Film Awards ceremony (now known as the Young Artist Awards), presented by the Youth in Film Association, honored outstanding youth performers in the fields of film, television and music for the 1980-1981 season, and took place in December 1981 in Hollywood, California.

Established in 1978 by long-standing Hollywood Foreign Press Association member, Maureen Dragone, the Youth in Film Association was the first organization to establish an awards ceremony specifically set to recognize and award the contributions of performers under the age of 18 in the fields of film, television, theater and music.

Although the Youth in Film Awards were conceived as a way to primarily recognize youth performers under the age of 21, the eldest winner in a competitive category at the 3rd annual ceremony was Lionel Richie who was 32 years old on the night he won as "Best Young Musical Recording Artist - Male" for his song "Endless Love" from the soundtrack for the motion picture Endless Love.

The 3rd annual ceremony also marked the first and only time in the history of the Youth in Film Awards that a fictional character would be nominated in a competitive category, with "Little Miss Piggy" winning as "Best Young Musical Recording Artist - Female" for her song "The First Time It Happens" from the soundtrack for the motion picture The Great Muppet Caper.

Categories
★ Bold indicates the winner in each category.

Best Young Motion Picture Actor
★ Ricky Schroder - The Earthling - Filmways
 * Martin Hewitt - Endless Love - Columbia
 * Otto Rechenberg - Amy - Disney
 * Paul Schoeman - Child's Play - AFI
 * Gabriel Swann - Why Would I Lie? - M.G.M.
 * Henry Thomas - Raggedy Man - Universal

Best Young Motion Picture Actress
★ Kristy McNichol - Only When I Laugh - Columbia
 * Melissa Sue Anderson - Happy Birthday to Me - Columbia
 * Shelby Balik - The Incredible Shrinking Woman - Universal
 * Mara Hobel - Mommie Dearest - Paramount
 * Kyle Richards - The Watcher in the Woods - Disney
 * Brooke Shields - Endless Love - Columbia

Best Young Actor in a Television Special
★ Scott Baio - Stoned - ABC
 * Adam Gunn - Fallen Angel - CBS
 * Lance Kerwin - Circus Picture
 * Ralph Macchio - Eight is Enough - ABC
 * Doug McKeon - The Comeback Kid - ABC
 * Shane Sinutko - CBS Afternoon Playhouse: I Think I'm Having a Baby - CBS

Best Young Actress in a Television Special
★ Dana Hill - Fallen Angel - CBS
 * Tonya Crowe - Dark Night of the Scarecrow - CBS
 * Melissa Gilbert - Splendor in the Grass - NBC
 * Dana Plato - A Step in Time - KCET
 * Melissa Michaelsen - Broken Promises - CBS
 * Lisa Whelchel - Twirl - NBC

Best Young Actor in a Television Series
★ Timothy Gibbs - Father Murphy - NBC
 * Scott Baio - Happy Days - ABC
 * Philip McKeon - Alice - ABC
 * Glenn Scarpelli - One Day at a Time - CBS

Best Young Actress in a Television Series
★ Danielle Brisebois - Archie Bunker's Place - CBS
 * Olivia Barash - Little House on the Prairie ("Sylvia" segment) - NBC
 * Missy Francis - Little House on the Prairie - NBC
 * Dana Hill - The Two of Us - CBS
 * Katy Kurtzman - Dynasty - ABC
 * Jill Whelan - The Love Boat - ABC

Best Young Actor in a Daytime Series
★ Michael Damian - The Young and the Restless - CBS
 * Dick Billingsley - Days of Our Lives - NBC
 * Marc Bentley - The Young and the Restless - CBS
 * Damien Miller - Texas - ABC
 * Philip Tanzini - General Hospital - ABC

Best Young Actress in a Daytime Series
★ Becky Perle - The Kid Super Power Hour with Shazam! - NBC
 * Genie Francis - General Hospital - ABC
 * Dana Klaboe - Another World - NBC

Best Young Comedian: Motion Picture or Television
★ Scott Baio - Happy Days - ABC
 * Gary Coleman - Diff'rent Strokes - NBC
 * Peter Billingsley - Paternity - Paramount
 * Glenn Scarpelli - One Day at a Time - CBS

Best Young Comedienne: Motion Picture or Television
★ Kim Fields - The Facts of Life - NBC
 * Mindy Cohn - The Facts of Life - NBC
 * Rori King - I'm a Big Girl Now - ABC
 * Nancy McKeon - The Facts of Life - NBC
 * Natasha Ryan - Ladies Man - CBS
 * Lisa Whelchel - The Facts of Life - NBC

Best Young Musical Recording Artist - Male
★ Lionel Richie - Endless Love - Mercury
 * Jim Photoglo - Fool in Love with You - 20th Century Fox
 * Russell Smith - Honky Tonk Freeway - Capitol

Best Young Musical Recording Artist - Female
★ Little Miss Piggy - The First Time It Happens - Atlantic
 * Stephanie Mills - Two Hearts - 20th Century Fox
 * Pia Zadora - Those Eyes - Curb Warner Records Corp.

Best Motion Picture - Family Enjoyment
★ Raiders of the Lost Ark - Paramount
 * Amy - Disney
 * Mommie Dearest - Paramount
 * Only When I Laugh - Columbia
 * The Earthling - Filmways

Best Motion Picture: Fantasy or Comedy - Family Enjoyment
★ Clash of the Titans - M.G.M.
 * The Fox and the Hound - Disney
 * The Great Muppet Caper - Universal
 * The Incredible Shrinking Woman - Universal
 * Why Would I Lie? - M.G.M.

Best Television Special - Family Enjoyment
★ The Wave - T.A.T. Communications / ABC
 * Broken Promises - CBS
 * Fallen Angel - CBS
 * Leave 'Em Laughing - CBS
 * A Step in Time - KCET
 * Twirl - NBC

Best Television Series - Family Enjoyment
★ Father Murphy - NBC
 * Diff'rent Strokes - NBC
 * The Facts of Life - NBC
 * Little House on the Prairie - NBC
 * Happy Days - ABC

Best Children's Television Series
★ ABC Weekend Special: The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County - ABC
 * Captain Kangaroo - CBS
 * The Kid Super Power Hour with Shazam! - NBC
 * Superman and His Amazing Friends - NBC (possibly Super Friends - ABC)
 * 30 Minutes - CBS

Former Great Child Star Award
★ Patsy Garrett