# Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor

The Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor is one of the annual awards given by the American professional organization the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The Saturn Awards are the oldest film-specialized awards to reward science fiction, fantasy, and horror achievements (the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, awarded by the World Science Fiction Society who reward science fiction and fantasy in various media, is the oldest award for science fiction and fantasy films).
The category was first introduced for the 1984 film year, specifically to reward young actors and actresses in films, and was the first acting award of the Academy to reward both males and females. Tom Holland is the only actor to have won it three times, to have won it three years in a row, and to have won three times for the same role. Haley Joel Osment and Chloë Grace Moretz have each won the award twice. Moretz and Daniel Radcliffe have received the most nominations, with 5 each. Christina Ricci, Elijah Wood, Kirsten Dunst, and Tobey Maguire are the only actors to have won both Best Performance by a Younger Actor and later a Saturn Award for adults.

## Winners and nominees
### 1980s

| Year | Actor | Motion Picture | Character |
| 1984 (12th) | Noah Hathaway | The NeverEnding Story | Atreyu |
| 1984 (12th) | Drew Barrymore | Firestarter | Charlene "Charlie" McGee |
| 1984 (12th) | Nick Corri | A Nightmare on Elm Street | Rod Lane |
| 1984 (12th) | Corey Feldman | Gremlins | Pete Fountaine |
| 1984 (12th) | Ke Huy Quan | Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom | Short Round |
| 1985 (13th) | Barret Oliver | D.A.R.Y.L. | Daryl |
| 1985 (13th) | Fairuza Balk | Return to Oz | Dorothy Gale |
| 1985 (13th) | Jeff Cohen | The Goonies | Lawrence "Chunk" Cohen |
| 1985 (13th) | Ilan Mitchell-Smith | Weird Science | Wyatt O'Donnelly |
| 1985 (13th) | Amelia Shankley | Dreamchild | Young Alice |
| 1986 (14th) | Carrie Henn | Aliens | Rebecca "Newt" Jorden |
| 1986 (14th) | Joey Cramer | Flight of the Navigator | David Freeman |
| 1986 (14th) | Lucy Deakins | The Boy Who Could Fly | Amelia "Milly" Michaelson |
| 1986 (14th) | Scott Grimes | Critters | Brad Brown |
| 1986 (14th) | Jay Underwood | The Boy Who Could Fly | Eric Gibb |
| 1987 (15th) | Kirk Cameron | Like Father Like Son | Chris Hammond / Dr. Jack Hammond |
| 1987 (15th) | Scott Curtis | Cameron's Closet | Cameron Lansing |
| 1987 (15th) | Stephen Dorff | The Gate | Glen |
| 1987 (15th) | Andre Gower | The Monster Squad | Sean Crenshaw |
| 1987 (15th) | Corey Haim | The Lost Boys | Sam Emerson |
| 1987 (15th) | Joshua John Miller | Near Dark | Homer |
| 1988 (16th) | Fred Savage | Vice Versa | Charlie Seymour / Marshall Seymour |
| 1988 (16th) | Warwick Davis | Willow | Willow Ufgood |
| 1988 (16th) | Rodney Eastman | Deadly Weapon | Zeke |
| 1988 (16th) | Lukas Haas | Lady in White | Frankie Scarlatti |
| 1988 (16th) | Corey Haim | Watchers | Travis Cornell |
| 1988 (16th) | Jared Rushton | Big | Billy |
| 1988 (16th) | Alex Vincent | Child's Play | Andy Barclay |
| 1989/1990 (17th) | Adan Jodorowsky | Santa Sangre | Young Fenix |
| 1989/1990 (17th) | Thomas Wilson Brown | Honey, I Shrunk the Kids | Russ Thompson, Jr. |
| 1989/1990 (17th) | Gabriel Damon | RoboCop 2 | Hob |
| 1989/1990 (17th) | Jasen Fisher | The Witches | Luke Eveshim |
| 1989/1990 (17th) | Charlie Korsmo | Dick Tracy | Kid |
| 1989/1990 (17th) | Bryan Madorsky | Parents | Michael Laemle |
| 1989/1990 (17th) | Robert Oliveri | Honey, I Shrunk the Kids | Nick Szalinski |
| 1989/1990 (17th) | Jared Rushton | Honey, I Shrunk the Kids | Ron Thompson |
| 1989/1990 (17th) | Faviola Elenka Tapia | Santa Sangre | Young Alma |

### 1990s

| Year | Actor / Actress | Motion Picture | Character |
| 1991 (18th) | Edward Furlong | Terminator 2: Judgment Day | John Connor |
| 1991 (18th) | Jonathan Brandis | The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter | Bastian Bux |
| 1991 (18th) | Chris Demetral | Dolly Dearest | Jimmy Wade |
| 1991 (18th) | Corey Haim | Prayer of the Rollerboys | Griffin |
| 1991 (18th) | Candace Hutson | Dolly Dearest | Jessica Wade |
| 1991 (18th) | Joshua John Miller | And You Thought Your Parents Were Weird | Josh Carson |
| 1991 (18th) | Justin Whalin | Child's Play 3 | Andy Barclay |
| 1992 (19th) | Scott Weinger | Aladdin | Aladdin (voice) |
| 1992 (19th) | Brandon Adams | The People Under the Stairs | Poindexter "Fool" Williams |
| 1992 (19th) | Edward Furlong | Pet Sematary Two | Jeff Matthews |
| 1992 (19th) | Robert Oliveri | Honey, I Blew Up the Kid | Nick Szalinski |
| 1992 (19th) | Christina Ricci | The Addams Family | Wednesday Addams |
| 1992 (19th) | Daniel Shalikar | Honey, I Blew Up the Kid | Adam Szalinski |
| 1992 (19th) | Joshua Shalikar | Honey, I Blew Up the Kid | Adam Szalinski |
| 1993 (20th) | Elijah Wood | The Good Son | Mark Evans |
| 1993 (20th) | Jesse Cameron-Glickenhaus | Slaughter of the Innocents | Jesse Broderick |
| 1993 (20th) | Manuel Colao | Flight of the Innocent | Vito |
| 1993 (20th) | Joseph Mazzello | Jurassic Park | Tim Murphy |
| 1993 (20th) | Austin O'Brien | Last Action Hero | Danny Madigan |
| 1993 (20th) | Christina Ricci | Addams Family Values | Wednesday Addams |
| 1993 (20th) | Ariana Richards | Jurassic Park | Lex Murphy |
| 1994 (21st) | Kirsten Dunst | Interview with the Vampire | Claudia |
| 1994 (21st) | Luke Edwards | Little Big League | Billy Heywood |
| 1994 (21st) | Joseph Gordon-Levitt | Angels in the Outfield | Roger Bomman |
| 1994 (21st) | Miko Hughes | Wes Craven's New Nightmare | Dylan Porter |
| 1994 (21st) | Jonathan Taylor Thomas | The Lion King | Young Simba (voice) |
| 1994 (21st) | Elijah Wood | North | North |
| 1995 (22nd) | Christina Ricci | Casper | Kathleen "Kat" Harvey |
| 1995 (22nd) | Kirsten Dunst | Jumanji | Judy Shepherd |
| 1995 (22nd) | Bradley Pierce | Jumanji | Peter Shepherd |
| 1995 (22nd) | Max Pomeranc | Fluke | Brian Johnson |
| 1995 (22nd) | Hal Scardino | The Indian in the Cupboard | Omri |
| 1995 (22nd) | Judith Vittet | The City of Lost Children | Miette |
| 1996 (23rd) | Lucas Black | Sling Blade | Frank Wheatley |
| 1996 (23rd) | Kevin Bishop | Muppet Treasure Island | Jim Hawkins |
| 1996 (23rd) | James Duval | Independence Day | Miguel Casse |
| 1996 (23rd) | Lukas Haas | Mars Attacks! | Richie Norris |
| 1996 (23rd) | Jonathan Taylor Thomas | The Adventures of Pinocchio | Pinocchio (voice) |
| 1996 (23rd) | Mara Wilson | Matilda | Matilda Wormwood |
| 1997 (24th) | Jena Malone | Contact | Young Ellie |
| 1997 (24th) | Vanessa Lee Chester | The Lost World: Jurassic Park | Kelly Curtis |
| 1997 (24th) | Alexander Goodwin | Mimic | Chuy |
| 1997 (24th) | Sam Huntington | Jungle 2 Jungle | Mimi-Siku |
| 1997 (24th) | Dominique Swain | Face/Off | Jamie Archer |
| 1997 (24th) | Mara Wilson | A Simple Wish | Anabel Greening |
| 1998 (25th) | Tobey Maguire | Pleasantville | David / Bud |
| 1998 (25th) | Josh Hartnett | The Faculty | Zeke Tyler |
| 1998 (25th) | Katie Holmes | Disturbing Behavior | Rachel Wagner |
| 1998 (25th) | Jack Johnson | Lost in Space | Will Robinson |
| 1998 (25th) | Brad Renfro | Apt Pupil | Todd Bowden |
| 1998 (25th) | Alicia Witt | Urban Legend | Natalie Simon |
| 1999 (26th) | Haley Joel Osment | The Sixth Sense | Cole Sear |
| 1999 (26th) | Emily Bergl | The Rage: Carrie 2 | Rachel Lang |
| 1999 (26th) | Jake Lloyd | Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace | Anakin Skywalker |
| 1999 (26th) | Justin Long | Galaxy Quest | Brandon |
| 1999 (26th) | Natalie Portman | Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace | Queen Padmé Amidala |
| 1999 (26th) | Devon Sawa | Idle Hands | Anton Tobias |

### 2000s

| Year | Actor / Actress | Motion Picture | Character |
| 2000 (27th) | Devon Sawa | Final Destination | Alex Browning |
| 2000 (27th) | Spencer Breslin | Disney's The Kid | Rusty Duritz |
| 2000 (27th) | Holliston Coleman | Bless the Child | Cody O'Connor |
| 2000 (27th) | Jonathan Lipnicki | The Little Vampire | Tony Thompson |
| 2000 (27th) | Taylor Momsen | How the Grinch Stole Christmas | Cindy Lou Who |
| 2000 (27th) | Anna Paquin | X-Men | Marie D'Ancanto / Rogue |
| 2001 (28th) | Haley Joel Osment | A.I. Artificial Intelligence | David |
| 2001 (28th) | Freddie Boath | The Mummy Returns | Alex O'Connell |
| 2001 (28th) | Justin Long | Jeepers Creepers | Darry Jenner |
| 2001 (28th) | Alakina Mann | The Others | Anne Stewart |
| 2001 (28th) | Daniel Radcliffe | Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone | Harry Potter |
| 2001 (28th) | Emma Watson | Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone | Hermione Granger |
| 2002 (29th) | Tyler Hoechlin | Road to Perdition | Michael Sullivan Jr. |
| 2002 (29th) | Alexis Bledel | Tuck Everlasting | Winnie Foster |
| 2002 (29th) | Hayden Christensen | Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones | Anakin Skywalker |
| 2002 (29th) | Daniel Radcliffe | Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets | Harry Potter |
| 2002 (29th) | Jeremy Sumpter | Frailty | Young Adam |
| 2002 (29th) | Elijah Wood | The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers | Frodo Baggins |
| 2003 (30th) | Jeremy Sumpter | Peter Pan | Peter Pan |
| 2003 (30th) | Jenna Boyd | The Missing | Dot Gilkeson |
| 2003 (30th) | Rachel Hurd-Wood | Peter Pan | Wendy Darling |
| 2003 (30th) | Sosuke Ikematsu | The Last Samurai | Higen |
| 2003 (30th) | Lindsay Lohan | Freaky Friday | Anna Coleman / Tess Coleman |
| 2003 (30th) | Frankie Muniz | Agent Cody Banks | Cody Banks |
| 2004 (31st) | Emmy Rossum | The Phantom of the Opera | Christine Daaé |
| 2004 (31st) | Cameron Bright | Birth | Young Sean |
| 2004 (31st) | Perla Haney-Jardine | Kill Bill: Volume 2 | B.B |
| 2004 (31st) | Freddie Highmore | Finding Neverland | Peter Llewelyn Davies |
| 2004 (31st) | Jonathan Jackson | Riding the Bullet | Alan Parker |
| 2004 (31st) | Daniel Radcliffe | Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban | Harry Potter |
| 2005 (32nd) | Dakota Fanning | War of the Worlds | Rachel Ferrier |
| 2005 (32nd) | Alex Etel | Millions | Damian Cunningham |
| 2005 (32nd) | Freddie Highmore | Charlie and the Chocolate Factory | Charlie Bucket |
| 2005 (32nd) | Josh Hutcherson | Zathura: A Space Adventure | Walter Budwing |
| 2005 (32nd) | William Moseley | The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe | Peter Pevensie |
| 2005 (32nd) | Daniel Radcliffe | Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire | Harry Potter |
| 2006 (33rd) | Ivana Baquero | Pan's Labyrinth | Ofelia / Princess Moanna |
| 2006 (33rd) | Go Ah-sung | The Host | Park Hyun-seo |
| 2006 (33rd) | Jodelle Ferland | Tideland | Jeliza-Rose |
| 2006 (33rd) | Tristan Lake Leabu | Superman Returns | Jason White |
| 2006 (33rd) | Mitchel Musso | Monster House | DJ Walters (voice) |
| 2006 (33rd) | Ed Speleers | Eragon | Eragon |
| 2007 (34th) | Freddie Highmore | August Rush | Evan Taylor / August Rush |
| 2007 (34th) | Alex Etel | The Water Horse | Angus MacMorrow |
| 2007 (34th) | Josh Hutcherson | Bridge to Terabithia | Jesse Aarons |
| 2007 (34th) | Daniel Radcliffe | Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix | Harry Potter |
| 2007 (34th) | Dakota Blue Richards | The Golden Compass | Lyra Belacqua |
| 2007 (34th) | Rhiannon Leigh Wryn | The Last Mimzy | Emma Wilder |
| 2008 (35th) | Jaden Smith | The Day the Earth Stood Still | Jacob Benson |
| 2008 (35th) | Freddie Highmore | The Spiderwick Chronicles | Jared Grace / Simon Grace |
| 2008 (35th) | Lina Leandersson | Let the Right One In | Eli |
| 2008 (35th) | Dev Patel | Slumdog Millionaire | Jamal Malik |
| 2008 (35th) | Catinca Untaru | The Fall | Alexandria |
| 2008 (35th) | Brandon Walters | Australia | Nullah |
| 2009 (36th) | Saoirse Ronan | The Lovely Bones | Susie Salmon |
| 2009 (36th) | Taylor Lautner | The Twilight Saga: New Moon | Jacob Black |
| 2009 (36th) | Bailee Madison | Brothers | Isabelle Cahill |
| 2009 (36th) | Brooklynn Proulx | The Time Traveler's Wife | Young Clare Abshire (ages 6 and 8) |
| 2009 (36th) | Max Records | Where the Wild Things Are | Max |
| 2009 (36th) | Kodi Smit-McPhee | The Road | Boy |

### 2010s

| Year | Actor / Actress | Motion Picture | Character |
| 2010 (37th) | Chloë Grace Moretz | Let Me In | Abby |
| 2010 (37th) | Logan Lerman | Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief | Percy Jackson |
| 2010 (37th) | Frankie and George McLaren | Hereafter | Marcus and Jason |
| 2010 (37th) | Will Poulter | The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader | Eustace Scrubb |
| 2010 (37th) | Kodi Smit-McPhee | Let Me In | Owen |
| 2010 (37th) | Hailee Steinfeld | True Grit | Mattie Ross |
| 2010 (37th) | Charlie Tahan | Charlie St. Cloud | Sam St. Cloud |
| 2011 (38th) | Joel Courtney | Super 8 | Joe Lamb |
| 2011 (38th) | Asa Butterfield | Hugo | Hugo Cabret |
| 2011 (38th) | Elle Fanning | Super 8 | Alice Dainard |
| 2011 (38th) | Dakota Goyo | Real Steel | Max Kenton |
| 2011 (38th) | Chloë Grace Moretz | Hugo | Isabelle |
| 2011 (38th) | Saoirse Ronan | Hanna | Hanna Heller |
| 2012 (39th) | Suraj Sharma | Life of Pi | Pi Patel |
| 2012 (39th) | CJ Adams | The Odd Life of Timothy Green | Timothy Green |
| 2012 (39th) | Tom Holland | The Impossible | Lucas Bennett |
| 2012 (39th) | Daniel Huttlestone | Les Misérables | Gavroche |
| 2012 (39th) | Chloë Grace Moretz | Dark Shadows | Carolyn Stoddard |
| 2012 (39th) | Quvenzhané Wallis | Beasts of the Southern Wild | Hushpuppy |
| 2013 (40th) | Chloë Grace Moretz | Carrie | Carrie White |
| 2013 (40th) | Asa Butterfield | Ender's Game | Ender Wiggin |
| 2013 (40th) | Sophie Nélisse | The Book Thief | Liesel Meminger |
| 2013 (40th) | Saoirse Ronan | How I Live Now | Daisy |
| 2013 (40th) | Ty Simpkins | Iron Man 3 | Harley Keener |
| 2013 (40th) | Dylan Sprayberry | Man of Steel | Clark Kent (13 Years) |
| 2014 (41st) | Mackenzie Foy | Interstellar | Murph (10 Yrs.) |
| 2014 (41st) | Elle Fanning | Maleficent | Aurora |
| 2014 (41st) | Chloë Grace Moretz | The Equalizer | Teri |
| 2014 (41st) | Tony Revolori | The Grand Budapest Hotel | Young Zero Moustafa |
| 2014 (41st) | Kodi Smit-McPhee | Dawn of the Planet of the Apes | Alexander |
| 2014 (41st) | Noah Wiseman | The Babadook | Samuel Vannick |
| 2015 (42nd) | Ty Simpkins | Jurassic World | Gray Mitchell |
| 2015 (42nd) | Olivia DeJonge | The Visit | Becca |
| 2015 (42nd) | James Freedson-Jackson | Cop Car | Travis |
| 2015 (42nd) | Milo Parker | Mr. Holmes | Roger |
| 2015 (42nd) | Elias and Lukas Schwarz | Goodnight Mommy | Elias and Lukas |
| 2015 (42nd) | Jacob Tremblay | Room | Jack Newsome |
| 2016 (43nd) | Tom Holland | Captain America: Civil War | Peter Parker / Spider-Man |
| 2016 (43nd) | Ruby Barnhill | The BFG | Sophie |
| 2016 (43nd) | Julian Dennison | Hunt for the Wilderpeople | Ricky |
| 2016 (43nd) | Lewis MacDougall | A Monster Calls | Conor |
| 2016 (43nd) | Neel Sethi | The Jungle Book | Mowgli |
| 2016 (43nd) | Anya Taylor-Joy | The Witch | Thomasin |
| 2017 (44th) | Tom Holland | Spider-Man: Homecoming | Peter Parker / Spider-Man |
| 2017 (44th) | Dafne Keen | Logan | Laura Kinney / X-23 |
| 2017 (44th) | Sophia Lillis | It | Beverly Marsh |
| 2017 (44th) | Millicent Simmonds | Wonderstruck | Rose |
| 2017 (44th) | Jacob Tremblay | Wonder | August "Auggie" Pullman |
| 2017 (44th) | Letitia Wright | Black Panther | Shuri |
| 2017 (44th) | Zendaya | Spider-Man: Homecoming | Michelle |
| 2018/2019 (45th) | Tom Holland | Spider-Man: Far From Home | Peter Parker / Spider-Man |
| 2018/2019 (45th) | Evan Alex | Us | Jason Wilson and Pluto |
| 2018/2019 (45th) | Asher Angel | Shazam! | Billy Batson |
| 2018/2019 (45th) | Millie Bobby Brown | Godzilla: King of the Monsters | Madison Russell |
| 2018/2019 (45th) | Jack Dylan Grazer | Shazam! | Freddy Freeman |
| 2018/2019 (45th) | Shahadi Wright Joseph | Us | Zora Wilson and Umbrae |
| 2018/2019 (45th) | Millicent Simmonds | A Quiet Place | Regan Abbott |
| 2019/2020 (46th) |
| 2019/2020 (46th) | Kyliegh Curran | Doctor Sleep | Abra Stone |
| 2019/2020 (46th) | Ella Jay Basco | Birds of Prey | Cassandra Cain |
| 2019/2020 (46th) | Julia Butters | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | Trudi Frazer |
| 2019/2020 (46th) | Roman Griffin Davis | Jojo Rabbit | Jojo Bectzler |
| 2019/2020 (46th) | Lexy Kolker | Freaks | Chloe Lewis |
| 2019/2020 (46th) | JD McCrary | The Lion King | Young Simba (voice) |

### 2020s

| Year | Actor / Actress | Motion Picture | Character |
| 2021/2022 (50th) | Finn Wolfhard | Ghostbusters: Afterlife | Trevor Spengler |
| 2021/2022 (50th) | Noah Jupe | A Quiet Place Part II | Marcus Abbott |
| 2021/2022 (50th) | Madeleine McGraw | The Black Phone | Gwendolyn "Gwen" Blake |
| 2021/2022 (50th) | Millicent Simmonds | A Quiet Place Part II | Regan Abbott |
| 2021/2022 (50th) | Mason Thames | The Black Phone | Finney Blake |
| 2021/2022 (50th) | Jacob Tremblay | Luca | Luca (voice) |
| 2022/2023 (51st) | Xolo Maridueña | Blue Beetle | Jaime Reyes / Blue Beetle |
| 2022/2023 (51st) | Halle Bailey | The Little Mermaid | Ariel |
| 2022/2023 (51st) | Jack Champion | Avatar: The Way of Water | Miles "Spider" Socorro |
| 2022/2023 (51st) | Violet McGraw | M3GAN | Cady |
| 2022/2023 (51st) | Vivien Lyra Blair | The Boogeyman | Sawyer Harper |
| 2022/2023 (51st) | Noah Schnapp | The Tutor | Jackson |
| 2023/2024 (52nd) | Jenna Ortega | Beetlejuice Beetlejuice | Astrid Deetz |
| 2023/2024 (52nd) | Freya Allan | Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes | Mae |
| 2023/2024 (52nd) | Mckenna Grace | Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire | Phoebe Spengler |
| 2023/2024 (52nd) | Kaylee Hottle | Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire | Jia |
| 2023/2024 (52nd) | Calah Lane | Wonka | Noodle |
| 2023/2024 (52nd) | Alisha Weir | Abigail | Abigail Lazaar |
| 2023/2024 (52nd) | Rachel Zegler | The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes | Lucy Gray Baird |

## Multiple nominations
### 5 nominations

* Chloe Grace Moretz
* Daniel Radcliffe

### 4 nominations

* Freddie Highmore
* Tom Holland

### 3 nominations

* Corey Haim
* Christina Ricci
* Saoirse Ronan
* Millicent Simmonds
* Kodi Smit-McPhee
* Jacob Tremblay
* Elijah Wood

### 2 nominations

* Asa Butterfield
* Kirsten Dunst
* Alex Etel
* Elle Fanning
* Edward Furlong
* Lukas Haas
* Josh Hutcherson
* Justin Long
* Joshua John Miller
* Robert Oliveri
* Haley Joel Osment
* Jared Rushton
* Devon Sawa
* Ty Simpkins
* Jeremy Sumpter
* Jonathan Taylor Thomas
* Mara Wilson

## Multiple wins
### 3 wins

* Tom Holland

### 2 wins

* Chloe Grace Moretz
* Haley Joel Osment