Taylor Swift, Lizzo & Ariana Grande Lead Girls' Choice Music Nominations

The newly-founded Girls' Choice initiative kicks off a year-round mission to educate and empower a new generation, focusing on today's most pressing issues and causes. In collaboration with our partner organizations, Girls' Choice will provide resources and inspiration to millions of young people across the country.

The Girls' Choice Awards, the pinnacle of the year-round program, will take place on February 29 and March 1, 2020. The Awards weekend, an empowerment festival, combines performances, activations from all of our partners and, of course, the Awards. The Awards are a combined production between our partner organizations, the creators of the Teen Choice Awards and Young Women's Honors, and Sand Sisters Los Angeles.

Voting for the "Empowerment in Music" categories begins today, November 26, and ends February 15, 2020. Fans over 13 years of age can go to www.girlschoice.com and vote as often as once per hour, remembering that this is not a popularity contest, rather an endorsement of positive role models and their creations. The list of nominees in this category is here (https://www.girlschoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Empowerment-in-Music-Nominees.pdf). Nominees in the other categories, from film and television to influencers and activists, will be released over the next several weeks.

In January, Girls' Choice will debut "Stronger Every Day," a series of mental wellness summits. These summits will be produced in partnership with NAMI and The Jed Foundation (JED), and will be the core of a national middle and high school tour, featuring relevant celebrities and experts, to open dialogue on key mental health topics.

"To be part of the Girls' Choice initiative, working with a wide variety of dedicated organizations and individuals aimed at helping girls of all ages, is an honor for us. The need is unprecedented and we at NAMI see the program as one that is long overdue. Highlighting key issues around mental health through the Girls' Choice initiative will raise awareness and have a positive impact on young people. Our entire organization is dedicated to making this program an annual initiative," said Katrina Gay, NAMI National Director, Strategic Partnerships.

Ginette Hemley, Senior Vice President of Wildlife Conservation, World Wildlife Fund added, "Now more than ever we need a new generation of leaders to step up. We need engaged and empowered young people to speak up for people and wildlife and places around the world. Partnering with Girls' Choice provides us with a truly unique opportunity to communicate and have a continuous dialogue with young people around critical issues. Collaborating with our Girls' Choice partners is a powerful approach to initiating action. We are proud to be a part of the Girls' Choice team."

The powerhouse organizations shaping the Girls' Choice program are: America SCORES, Best Friends Animal Society, The Beyond Project, Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, Girls Inc., Girls Make Games, The Jed Foundation (JED), League of Women Voters of the United States, Movemeant Foundation, My Friend's Place, National Alliance on Mental Illness, National Girls Collaborative Project, The Phluid Project, RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network), The Representation Project, Running Start, STOMP Out Bullying, National Council for Behavioral Health's program Mental Health First Aid, World Wildlife Fund, and the YWCA of Greater Los Angeles. Additional organizations joining the initiative will be announced in the coming weeks.