At the 12th Daytime Emmy Awards held in 1985 , Brian Bloom was the first winner of this award for his portrayal of Dusty Donovan on '' As the World Turns '' . The awards ceremony had not been aired on television for the prior two years , having been criticized for voting integrity . The award category was originally called '' ' Outstanding Young Man ' '' or '' ' Outstanding Juvenile Male in a Drama Series ' '' , and began using its current title in 1991 . Years before this category was introduced , networks declined to broadcast the show during a time of voting integrity rumors and waning interest . Confusion rose around the criteria of the new category due to the varying ages of the nominees . Within the first set of nominees , Bloom became the youngest actor nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award at the time at age 15 , while the other actors nominated in the category were over 25 . The criteria were later altered , requiring that the actor be aged 25 or below
12th
12th Daytime Emmy Awards
Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series