The 20th Youth in Film Awards ceremony (now known as the Young Artist Awards), presented by the Youth in Film Association, honored outstanding youth performers under the age of 21 in the fields of film and television for the 1997–1998 season, and took place on March 6, 1999, at the Sportsmen's Lodge in Studio City, California. The hosts for the ceremony that evening were Jena Malone, R.J. Arnett, Roland Thomson, Justin Thomsom, Selwyn Ward and Tracy Lynn Cruz. 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 21 in the fields of film, television, theater and music. Categories ★ Bold indicates the winner in each category. Best Young Performer in a Feature Film Best Performance in a Feature Film: Leading Young Actor ★ Miko Hughes – Mercury Rising – Universal Michael Caloz – Little Men – Warner Bros. Joseph Cross – Wide Awake – Miramax Kieran Culkin – The Mighty – Miramax Kyle Gibson – True Friends – 2nd Generation Films Joseph Mazzello – Simon Birch – Hollywood Pictures Eamonn Owens – The Butcher Boy – Warner Bros. Ian Michael Smith – Simon Birch – Hollywood Pictures Gregory Smith – Small Soldiers – DreamWorks Kevin Zegers – Air Bud: Golden Receiver – Keystone Entertainment Best Performance in a Feature Film: Leading Young Actress ★ (tie) Lindsay Lohan – The Parent Trap – Walt Disney Pictures ★ (tie) Jena Malone – Stepmom – Columbia Pictures Kirsten Dunst – Small Soldiers – DreamWorks Jennifer Love Hewitt – Can't Hardly Wait – Columbia Pictures Scarlett Johansson – The Horse Whisperer – Touchstone Pictures Emily Lipoma – Frog and Wombat – Pigtail Productions Leelee Sobieski – A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries – October Films Katie Stuart – Frog and Wombat – Pigtail Productions Best Performance in a Feature Film: Supporting Young Actor ★ Michael Welch – Star Trek: Insurrection – Paramount Bryan Burke – True Friends – 2nd Generation Films Kristian De La Osa – Madeline – Tristar Edward Furlong – American History X – New Line Cinema Mason Gamble – Rushmore – Touchstone Pictures Jack Johnson – Lost in Space – New Line Cinema Cody Lightning – Smoke Signals – Miramax Miles Marsico – Rhapsody in Bloom – Becker Films Best Performance