Honestly, the Critics Choice Movie Award for Best Young Performer is the one category that actually makes the January awards grind feel human. While the grown-ups are busy doing the usual political dance for a Best Actor statue, this category feels like a pure "I saw this kid on screen and they blew my mind" moment. It's basically the industry’s way of saying, "Hey, we just found a future legend."
Look at the 2026 results that just dropped. Miles Caton took home the trophy for his role in Ryan Coogler's vampire flick, Sinners. If you haven't seen it, the kid is magnetic. He was up against some serious heavy hitters like Everett Blunck (The Plague) and Nina Ye (Left-Handed Girl), but Caton had this raw, unpolished energy that just cut through everything else. It’s a win that feels right, mostly because the Critics Choice Association (CCA) has a weirdly good track record of picking kids who actually stay in the game.
A History of Betting on the Right Kids
The CCA started this back in 1996. The first winner? Jonathan Lipnicki for Jerry Maguire. You remember him—the kid with the glasses who knew how much the human head weighed. Since then, the award has changed names a few times. It was "Best Child Performance" for a bit, then it split into "Best Young Actor" and "Best Young Actress" for a few years in the mid-2000s, before finally settling back into the gender-neutral "Best Young Performer" we have today.
This award isn't just a "participation trophy" for being cute. It’s often the first major industry nod for people who become household names.
🔗 Read more: Shamea Morton and the Real Housewives of Atlanta: What Really Happened to Her Peach
- Dakota Fanning won it twice.
- Saoirse Ronan got her start here for The Lovely Bones.
- Hailee Steinfeld won for True Grit before she was even a teenager.
- Timothée Chalamet? He was a nominee back in the day.
When you look at the list of past winners, it’s like a "Who's Who" of Hollywood's current A-list. Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire), Jacob Tremblay (Room), and Quvenzhané Wallis (Beasts of the Southern Wild) all used this win as a springboard.
The "Oscar Bellwether" Myth
There’s this idea that if a kid wins the Critics Choice, they’re a lock for an Oscar nomination. Not quite. While the CCA is great at spotting talent, the Academy is notoriously stingy with nominating anyone under 18.
Take Brooklynn Prince from The Florida Project. She won the Critics Choice in 2017 and gave that heartbreaking, tear-filled speech that went viral. Everyone thought she was headed for the Oscars. She didn't get the nomination. The same thing happened with Elsie Fisher for Eighth Grade.
💡 You might also like: Who is Really in the Enola Holmes 2 Cast? A Look at the Faces Behind the Mystery
Actually, the CCA is often ahead of the curve. They recognize the work when it's fresh. The Academy usually waits until these actors are in their 20s or 30s to give them "real" recognition. But for the actors themselves, this award is the one that proves they can carry a movie just as well as the veterans.
What Sets 2025 and 2026 Apart?
The last couple of years have been wild for young talent. In 2025, we saw Miles Caton dominate. But we also have to talk about the shift in where these performances are coming from. It’s not just indie darlings anymore. We’re seeing young performers in massive genre films and high-concept sci-fi getting the same respect as those in gritty dramas.
Recent Standouts
- Miles Caton (2026 Winner): His performance in Sinners was a masterclass in subtlety. For a movie about vampires, he kept it grounded in a way that most adults struggle to do.
- Maisy Stella (2025 Winner): She won for My Old Ass, showing that a comedic performance can be just as "award-worthy" as a dramatic one.
- Dominic Sessa (2024 Winner): The guy came out of nowhere for The Holdovers. It was his first movie ever. He was literally a student at the school where they filmed. That's the magic of this category—it finds the "needle in the haystack."
The Pressure of the Win
Let’s be real for a second: winning a major award at 10 or 12 years old is a lot. Some kids thrive; others step away. The Critics Choice Award is a massive ego boost, but it also puts a target on these kids.
📖 Related: Priyanka Chopra Latest Movies: Why Her 2026 Slate Is Riskier Than You Think
Interestingly, the CCA seems to value "naturalism" over "stage kid" energy. They rarely go for the over-rehearsed, Broadway-style performances. They want the kids who feel like actual human beings. That’s why Alan Kim won for Minari in 2020. He wasn't "acting" in the traditional sense; he was just existing on screen in a way that felt profoundly true.
Why You Should Keep Watching
If you want to know who is going to be winning Best Actor or Best Actress in 2035, you just have to look at this year's nominees. The Critics Choice Movie Award for Best Young Performer is basically a crystal ball for the film industry.
While the "Best Picture" race is usually a battle between studios and PR machines, this category is about the future. It’s about that moment when a kid forgets the cameras are there and just lives the character.
Next Steps for Film Fans:
Check out the film Sinners to see Miles Caton's winning performance—it’s a great example of why the CCA chooses the winners they do. If you're interested in the history of the category, go back and watch Room (Jacob Tremblay) or True Grit (Hailee Steinfeld) to see how these young actors handled roles that would be difficult for most veterans. Keeping an eye on the CCA nominees each December is the easiest way to find the best performances you might have missed in smaller, independent releases throughout the year.