The People's Choice Awards is an American awards show, recognizing people in entertainment, voted online by the
general public
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...
and fans. The show has been held annually since 1975, with the winners originally determined using
Gallup Polls
Gallup, Inc. is an American analytics and advisory company based in Washington, D.C. Founded by George Gallup in 1935, the company became known for its public opinion polls conducted worldwide. Starting in the 1980s, Gallup transitioned its bu ...
until a switch to online voting in 2005.
The awards were created by Bob Stivers, who produced the first show in 1975. The first awards recognized ''
The Sting
''The Sting'' is a 1973 American caper film set in September 1936, involving a complicated plot by two professional grifters (Paul Newman and Robert Redford) to con a mob boss ( Robert Shaw).'' Variety'' film review; December 12, 1973, pag ...
'' as Favorite Picture of 1974,
Barbra Streisand
Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers List ...
as the year's Favorite Film Actress, and
John Wayne
Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed The Duke or Duke Wayne, was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films made during Hollywood's Gol ...
as its Favorite Film Actor. So far,
Ellen DeGeneres
Ellen Lee DeGeneres ( ; born January 26, 1958) is an American comedian, television host, actress, writer, and producer. She starred in the sitcom ''Ellen'' from 1994 to 1998, which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award for " The Puppy Episode". Sh ...
is the most awarded person, with a total of 20 awards.
In 1982, Stivers sold the People's Choice Awards to
Procter & Gamble Productions
The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) is an American multinational consumer goods corporation headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, founded in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble. It specializes in a wide range of personal health/consumer hea ...
(P&G); under P&G, the ceremony was broadcast by
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
, and Procter & Gamble's brands held exclusive national advertising time across the entire telecast.
In April 2017, the
E! network announced that they had acquired the People's Choice Awards. The ceremony was shifted from its previous January scheduling to November, to reduce its proximity to the busier months of
awards season Film awards season is an annual time period between November and February every year, in the United States, where a majority of significant film award events take place. In October ballots are sent out to voters, to collect nominations for the first ...
. For 2021 and 2022, the ceremony was also simulcast by E!'s sister broadcast network
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
.
Categories
The award categories have varied over the years. For example, the
16th People's Choice Awards had categories including Favorite All-Around Movie (''
Batman
Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...
''), and both a Favorite Movie Actor (
Tom Cruise
Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962), known professionally as Tom Cruise, is an American actor and producer. One of the world's highest-paid actors, he has received various accolades, including an Honorary Palme d'Or and three Gol ...
) and a World Favorite Movie Actor (
Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Lee Hoffman (born August 8, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker. As one of the key actors in the formation of New Hollywood, Hoffman is known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and emotionally vulnerable characters. He is th ...
). At the
23rd People's Choice Awards,
Rob Reiner
Robert Norman Reiner (born March 6, 1947) is an American actor and filmmaker. As an actor, Reiner first came to national prominence with the role of Michael "Meathead" Stivic on the CBS sitcom ''All in the Family'' (1971–1979), a performanc ...
was named the People's Choice Awards Honoree. More recently, the
32nd People's Choice Awards (broadcast in January 2006) included categories such as Favorite On-Screen Match-Up (
Vince Vaughn
Vincent Anthony Vaughn (born March 28, 1970) is an American actor.
Vaughn began acting in the late 1980s, appearing in minor television roles before attaining wider recognition with the 1996 comedy-drama film '' Swingers''. He has appeared in ...
and
Owen Wilson
Owen Cunningham Wilson (born November 18, 1968) is an American actor. He has had a long association with filmmaker Wes Anderson with whom he shared writing and acting credits for '' Bottle Rocket'' (1996), '' Rushmore'' (1998), and '' The Royal ...
in ''
Wedding Crashers
''Wedding Crashers'' is a 2005 American comedy film directed by David Dobkin, written by Steve Faber and Bob Fisher, starring Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn and Christopher Walken with Rachel McAdams, Isla Fisher, Bradley Cooper and Jane Seymou ...
''), Favorite Leading Lady (
Reese Witherspoon
Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon (born March 22, 1976) is an American actress and producer. The recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Golden Globe Awards, she ...
), Favorite Tour (
U2), and an award named after a
Procter & Gamble brand:
Nice 'n Easy Fans Favorite Hair (
Faith Hill
Audrey Faith McGraw (; born September 21, 1967), known professionally as Faith Hill, is an American singer and actress. She is one of the most successful country music artists of all time, having sold more than 40 million albums worldwide.
Hill' ...
). In 2008, the People's Choice Awards introduced a new category: Favorite Sci-Fi Show. The nominees were ''
Stargate Atlantis
''Stargate Atlantis'' (usually stylized in all caps and often abbreviated ''SGA'') is an adventure and military science fiction television series and part of MGM's ''Stargate'' franchise. The show was created by Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper ...
'', ''
Battlestar Galactica
''Battlestar Galactica'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The franchise began with the Battlestar Galactica (1978 TV series), original television series in 1978, and was followed by a short-run sequel se ...
'', and ''
Doctor Who
''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...
''. ''Stargate Atlantis'' was the first recipient of the award.
Poll-based awards
In the 20th century, the awards were based on results from
Gallup poll
Gallup, Inc. is an American analytics and advisory company based in Washington, D.C. Founded by George Gallup in 1935, the company became known for its public opinion polls conducted worldwide. Starting in the 1980s, Gallup transitioned its bu ...
s. Each year, Gallup took a survey of different categories for favorite actor, actress, movie, artist, television program or group. The scope was unlimited—the public could choose whomever or whatever it liked. The results of the annual survey were announced in the form of the People's Choice Awards. Since polls have
margins of error, many years' awards have had ties in at least one category, when Gallup declared that the voting was so close that a single winner could not be chosen. For instance, in 2003, both ''
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book '' Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in the ...
'' and ''
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'' were recognized as Favorite Motion Picture.
Switch to online voting
The winners of the
31st People's Choice Awards (on January 9, 2005) were decided by online voting rather than Gallup polls. The nominees submitted for Internet voting were selected using an unpublished process involving editors at ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'', the show's production team and a panel of pop culture fans.
The nominees for the
32nd People's Choice Awards were determined by the web research company Knowledge Networks, which took a nationally representative sample of men and women ages 18 to 54, with and without Internet access, to come up with the nominees. After being presented with a list of candidates determined by national ratings averages, box office grosses and album sales, they had the option to write in their favorites. Knowledge Networks recruits its panel by using a
RDD phone recruitment method and provides a web TV and Internet access to households without Internet access enabling them to infer back to the entire population.
The nominees for the
2010 People's Choice Awards were determined by the media research company Visible Measures, which specializes in measuring Internet video audience behavior. The announcement of this partnership stated,
"For the first time ever, the People's Choice Awards has incorporated Internet video viewing data into the initial nominee selection process, depending on Visible Measures True Reach metrics to objectively measure online video popularity. ..Visible Measures worked with the People's Choice Awards to determine each potential nominees' popularity on a True Reach basis, a unique measure of the total audience that has been exposed to an online video campaign – regardless of how widely the campaign spreads or where it appears. To measure True Reach, Visible Measures deploys a robust and patented set of technologies with the goal of capturing the universe of Internet video viewership data in near real-time."
Former categories
These are some of the past categories for the People's Choice Awards:
Movies
* Favorite Movies
* Favorite Movie Actor
* Favorite Movie Actress
* Favorite Action Movie
* Favorite Action Actor
* Favorite Action Actress
* Favorite Animated Movie
* Favorite Animated Movie Voice
* Favorite Cast
* Favorite Comedy Movie
* Favorite Comedic Movie Actor
* Favorite Comedic Movie Actress
* Favorite Dramatic Movie
* Favorite Dramatic Movie Actor
* Favorite Dramatic Movie Actress
* Favorite Family Movie
* Favorite Horror Movie
* Favorite Thriller Movie
* Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy Movie
* Favorite Movie Icon
Digital
* Favorite Comedic Collaboration
* Favorite Social Media Celebrity
* Favorite Social Media Star
* Favorite Mobile Game
* Favorite Video Game
* Favorite YouTube Star
* CBS.com's Favorite Digital Obsession
Television
* Favorite TV Show
* Favorite Network TV Comedy
* Favorite Comedy TV Actor
* Favorite Comedy TV Actress
* Favorite Network TV Drama
* Favorite Dramatic TV Actor
* Favorite Dramatic TV Actress
* Favorite Cable TV Comedy
* Favorite Cable TV Drama
* Favorite Cable TV Actor
* Favorite Cable TV Actress
* Favorite Premium Cable TV Show
* Favorite Premium Cable TV Actor
* Favorite Premium Cable TV Actress
* Favorite TV Crime Drama
* Favorite Horror Show
* Favorite Crime Drama TV Actor
* Favorite Crime Drama TV Actress
* Favorite Network Sci-Fi/Fantasy Show
* Favorite Cable Sci-Fri/Fantasy Show
* Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy Actor
* Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy Actress
* Favorite Competition TV Show
* Favorite Daytime TV Host
* Favorite Daytime TV Hosting Team
* Favorite Late Night Talk Show Host
* Favorite Streaming Series
* Favorite TV Bromance
* Favorite Actor in a New TV Series
* Favorite Actress in a New TV Series
* Favorite Animated TV Show
* Favorite New TV Comedy
* Favorite New TV Drama
Current categories
The first ceremony in 1975 had 14 categories. In 2016, 74 categories were established.
As of 2018, these are the current categories:
Movies
* Movie of the Year
* Comedy Movie of the Year
* Action Movie of the Year
* Drama Movie of the Year
* Drama Movie Star of the Year
* Male Movie Star of the Year
* Female Movie Star of the Year
* Comedy Movie Star of the Year
* Action Movie Star of the Year
Pop culture
* Social Star of the Year
* Beauty Influencer of the Year
* Social Celebrity of the Year
* Animal Star of the Year
* Comedy Act of the Year
* Style Star of the Year
* Game Changer of the Year
* Pop Podcast of the Year
* Video Game of the Year
* Athlete of the Year
Television
* Drama Show of the Year
* Comedy Show of the Year
* Revival Show of the Year
* Reality Show of the Year
* Competition Show of the Year
* Male TV Star of the Year
* Female TV Star of the Year
* Drama TV Star of the Year
* Comedy TV Star of the Year
* Daytime Talk Show of the Year
* Nighttime Talk Show of the Year
* Competition Contestant of the Year
* Reality TV Star of the Year
* Bingeworthy Show of the Year
* Sci-Fi/Fantasy Show of the Year
Music
* Male Artist of the Year
*
Female Artist of the Year
*
Group of the Year The Juno Award for Group of the Year has been awarded annually since 1970 in recognition of the best musical group or band in Canada. It is presented by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS). The five nominees in the category ...
* Song of the Year
* Album of the Year
* Country Artist of the Year
* Latin Artist of the Year
* Music Video of the Year
* Concert Tour of the Year
Ceremonies
See also
*
People's Choice Awards Australia
*
People's Choice Awards India
The People's Choice Awards India was an awards show held on October 27, 2012, in Mumbai, India, and which aired on Colors TV on November 25. An adaptation of the US version, the Indian edition is licensed and produced by Bulldog Media & Enter ...
*
People's Choice Podcast Awards
The People's Choice Podcast Awards, better known as the Podcast Awards, are global awards given annually to the best podcasts as voted by the general public. Founded in 2005 by Todd Cochrane of Podcast Connect Inc., the Podcast Awards changed han ...
References
External links
*
"People's Choice Awards: You showed up? Here's a trophy!"from ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
''
A 35th Anniversaryarticle from ''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
''
{{Television in the United States
American annual television specials
American film awards
American music awards
American television awards
Awards established in 1975
Procter & Gamble
E!
1975 establishments in the United States