3rd Youth in Film Awards#Best Young Musical Recording Artist

{{Infobox film awards

| number = 3

| award = Youth in Film Awards

| award_link = Young Artist Award

| image = Young Artist Award.jpg

| image_size = 100px

| caption =

| alt =

| date = December 1981

| site = Hollywood, California

| awarded_for = Achievement in the 1980—1981 season

| host = Dana Hill and Henry Thomas

| website = [http://www.youngartistawards.org YoungArtistAwards.org]

| last = 2nd

| next = 4th

}}

The 3rd Youth in Film Awards ceremony (now known as the Young Artist Awards), presented by the Youth in Film Association, honored outstanding youth performers in the fields of film, television and music for the 1980-1981 season, and took place in December 1981 in Hollywood, California.{{cite book|last=Crouse|first=Richard|title=Reel Winners|publisher=Dundurn Press Ltd.|year=2005|edition=illustrated|pages=[https://archive.org/details/reelwinnersmovie0000crou/page/42 42–43]|isbn=1-55002-574-0|url=https://archive.org/details/reelwinnersmovie0000crou/page/42}}{{cite book|last=Riggs|first=Thomas |title=Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television|publisher=Gale / Cengage Learning|year=2007|isbn=978-0-7876-9047-2}}{{cite web|url=http://www.youngartistawards.org/pastnoms3.htm |title=3rd Youth In Film Awards |access-date=2011-03-31 |work=YoungArtistAwards.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110402060410/http://www.youngartistawards.org/pastnoms3.htm |archive-date=2011-04-02 }}

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 18 in the fields of film, television, theater and music.{{cite web|url=http://www.youngartistawards.org/presidents.html |title=Young Artist Awards - President's Message |access-date=2011-03-31 |work=YoungArtistAwards.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116181906/http://www.youngartistawards.org/presidents.html |archive-date=2013-01-16 }}{{cite web|url=http://www.goldenglobes.org/blog/2011/03/young-artist-foundation-recognizes-the-young-and-talented/ |title=HFPA Golden Globes - Young Artist Foundation |access-date=2011-03-31 |work=GoldenGlobes.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110317192954/http://www.goldenglobes.org/blog/2011/03/young-artist-foundation-recognizes-the-young-and-talented/ |archive-date=2011-03-17 }}

Although the Youth in Film Awards were conceived as a way to primarily recognize youth performers under the age of 21, the eldest winner in a competitive category at the 3rd annual ceremony was Lionel Richie who was 32 years old on the night he won as "Best Young Musical Recording Artist - Male" for his song "Endless Love" from the soundtrack for the motion picture Endless Love.

The 3rd annual ceremony also marked the first and only time in the history of the Youth in Film Awards that a fictional character would be nominated in a competitive category, with "Little Miss Piggy" winning as "Best Young Musical Recording Artist - Female" for her song "The First Time It Happens" from the soundtrack for the motion picture The Great Muppet Caper.