The Academy Awards, first presented on May 16, 1929, did not initially present a Special Award for juvenile actors. The very first child actor to be nominated for an Oscar was 9-year-old Jackie Cooper, who was nominated as Best Actor in 1931 for his work in the film "Skippy". Cooper, however, lost that year to Lionel Barrymore. Recognizing that children could be placed at a disadvantage in the hearts and minds of Academy voters when nominated alongside their adult counterparts in the competitive Best Actor and Best Actress categories and with no categories for Best Supporting Actor or Supporting Actress having yet been created the Academy saw the need to establish an Honorary "Special Award" specifically to recognize juveniles under the age of eighteen for their work in film.