Although today the Young Artist Association has strict age requirements regarding which nominees are eligible for a Young Artist Award nomination , the association did not originally have such specific age restrictions . Today , candidates eligible for a Young Artist Award nomination must be between the ages of 5 and 21 at the time of principal production of the project for which they are nominated . However , the eldest winner of the " Best Young Actor in a Feature Film " award is Dennis Christopher , who was 23 years old the night he won for his performance in '' Breaking Away '' at the 1st Youth in Film Awards ceremony ( 1979 ) . The youngest winner of a " Best Leading Young Actor in a Feature Film " award is Mason Gamble , who was 8 years old the night he won for his performance in '' Dennis the Menace '' at the 15th Youth in Film Awards ceremony ( 1993 )
15th Youth in Film Awards
15th Youth in Film Awards
Young Artist Award for Best Leading Young Actor in a Feature Film