Actor Wilmer Valderrama was one of the hosts of the "Premios Juventud" Thursday night. (Photo Credit: Reuters) (Photo : Reuters)
Univision's ninth annual Premios Juventud, or Youth Awards, was a big night for New York singer Prince Royce, winning eight awards.
Following the latest releases of The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises, the award show followed a superhero theme, with multiple hosts such as actress Ana Brenda Contreras, television personality Alicia Machado, and actor Wilmer Valderrama.
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The award show took place in Miami's BankUnited Center has its winners voted by the Hispanic youth in categories ranging from film, music, soap operas, sports, and pop culture.
Sofia Vergara was voted as the "Actriz Que se Roba la Pantalla," or Female Scene Stealer, while Antonio Baneras won Best Actor for his role in Puss in Boots.
Most of the night's winners came from the 14 music categories, among them were Shakira winning Best Moves, Mana for Best Rock Artist, and Pitbull for Best Urban Artist.
Performances at the show included rapper Flo Rida in medley, singing "Whistle," "Good Feeling," and "Wild Ones." Prince Royce debuted his new song "Close to You," and Pitbull performed the headlining song from Men in Black III, "Back in Time."
A big surprise was a message by President Barack Obama presenting two "Premios Juventud" scholarships to high school seniors of Hispanic heritage. The scholarships were based on academic achievement, financial need, and a short essay submission. Sponsored by State Farm, the scholarships were awarded to Stephanie Perez from Florida with $50,000 and Margarita Bolanos from California with $25,000.
Univision utilized the power of social media as for the first time ever viewers were able to vote for their favorite for the Best Dressed category tweeting #MejorVestido in real time. Fans voted singers Belinda for the female Best Dressed category "Quiero Vestir Como Ella" and Gerardo Ortiz won in the male category "El de Mejor Estilo."
"We are using social to let fans become part of the actual show - from fan questions and photos to social voting," said Univision's Vice President and General Manager of Social Media David Beck. "Working with Cisco Suarez and his special events team - who produces the show, Latin Grammys and "Premio Lo Nuestro" - we wanted to make "Premios Juventud" a unique experience for the fans. With that in mind, one of the key elements is that for the first time we'll be using social (Twitter-based voting) to enable our fans to not only nominate the best-dressed celebrities on the carpet but also determine the winner by tweeting with the hashtag #MejorVestido (best dressed), once the final six are selected by our fashionista."
