Official Competition Guide
Everything parents, competitors, and supporters need to understand the competition, voting, youth safety, fundraising, and the championship experience.
Who operates it?
Youth Athlete of the Year is operated by Colossal Management, LLC as part of a fundraising campaign for DTCare, a registered 501(c)(3) public charity.
The Competition at a Glance
What does the competition support?
Votes by donation help support the Why Not You Foundation through DTCare.
Who can participate?
Eligible young athletes may be entered by a parent or legal guardian. Current age, residency, and eligibility requirements are listed in the Official Rules.
How is the champion selected?
The champion is determined through public voting according to the competition Rules. Colossal, the charity partner, featured athletes, and brand partners do not select the winner.
How are young competitors protected?
The competition uses parental consent requirements, restricted access to sensitive information, profile moderation, voting safeguards, and processes for reviewing or removing information.
ABOUT THE COMPETITION
What is Youth Athlete of the Year?
How do groups work?
Youth Athlete of the Year is a nationwide online competition celebrating young athletes across sports, backgrounds, and experience levels.
The 2026 champion will receive the advertised Grand Prize and championship experience, including a feature in national 3BRAND advertising campaign across CBS and Sports Illustrated, and $25,000..
The competition also raises awareness and financial support for the Why Not You Foundation through DTCare, a registered 501(c)(3) public charity.
Important Clarification
Youth Athlete of the Year is operated by Colossal Management, LLC.
Sports Illustrated, CBS, 3BRAND, the Why Not You Foundation, featured professional athletes, and other participating organizations do not operate the competition or determine its winner.
Who is Colossal?
Colossal operates online competitions that celebrate individuals and help raise money and awareness for charitable causes.
For Youth Athlete of the Year, Colossal manages the competition experience, including:
Registration and eligibility review
Competitor profiles
Voting technology
Vote monitoring and fraud prevention
Customer support
Community moderation
Competition compliance
Marketing
Prize fulfillment
How does the competition work?
1. Parent or Guardian Enters the Athlete
Entries are submitted and managed by a parent or legal guardian. Submitted information is reviewed for eligibility and compliance with the competition Rules.
2. Each Athlete Receives a Public Profile
Accepted competitors receive a profile where supporters can learn about the athlete and vote.
Because voting takes place online, competition profiles are public and may be visible through shared links, competition pages, and group pages.
3. Supporters Vote During Each Round
Supporters may cast a Free Daily Vote or choose an optional Donation Vote.
4. Competitors Advance Through Voting Rounds
During the group phase, competitors advance based on their ranking within their assigned group. Later rounds proceed according to the schedule and advancement requirements in the Official Rules.
5. The Champion Is Confirmed
The competitor with the highest qualifying vote total at the end of the competition is confirmed as the champion after voting activity is reviewed.
Each accepted athlete is assigned to a competition group. Athletes compete against others within their group during the early rounds.
Groups are created to organize a large nationwide competition into manageable voting rounds. Colossal works to keep groups appropriately balanced, but the specific group size may vary as entries are reviewed and the competition progresses.
At the end of each group round, the highest-ranked qualifying competitors advance according to the Official Rules.
HOW VOTING WORKS
How does voting work?
There are two ways to support a competitor:
Free Daily Vote
Eligible voters may cast one Free Daily Vote during the applicable voting period. Facebook verification is used to help reduce bot activity and automated voting.
Donation Vote
Supporters may also choose to cast votes by donation. These donations are processed through DTCare and help support the Why Not You Foundation after disclosed competition fees and costs.
Donation Votes are optional. Competitors can advance through Free Daily Votes.
Important Rule for Entering Parents and Guardians
A parent or legal guardian who entered an athlete may use their Free Daily Vote in support of that athlete. Entrants may not cast Donation Votes for the child they entered.
How is the Champion selected?
The champion is determined by public voting under the Official Rules. Colossal does not select a winner based on athletic skill, sport, personal story, or staff preference.
Sports Illustrated, CBS, 3BRAND, the Why Not You Foundation, featured professional athletes, and other campaign collaborators do not determine the winner.
Why is Facebook used for Free Daily Vote?
Facebook verification helps reduce automated voting and supports a fairer Free Daily Vote process.
Facebook is used for vote verification only. Your information stays protected and is used only for vote integrity.
How does Colossal protect voting integrity?
Are Donation Votes refundable?
Are Donation Votes tax deductible?
Colossal monitors voting for suspicious or unauthorized activity, including bot activity, automated voting, manipulation, and other behavior that may violate the Rules.
Votes determined to be invalid may be removed. Final results may be subject to review before advancement or championship status is confirmed.
Beware of Fraudulent Voting Services
Accounts claiming they can sell guaranteed votes, rankings, or advancement are not affiliated with Youth Athlete of the Year or Colossal.
Families and supporters should:
Avoid sending money or information to these accounts
Report and block suspicious accounts
Send screenshots or links to Support
Use only the official competition website for voting
No third-party service can guarantee advancement or a winning placement.
Donation Votes are nonrefundable once they have been successfully processed. This is because votes affect competition rankings and advancement as soon as they are applied.
Voters are asked to review and agree to the applicable terms before completing a donation. For questions about a specific transaction, please contact our Support team so they can review the details.
Yes. Donations made through Donation Votes are contributed to DTCare, a registered 501(c)(3) public charity, and are generally tax deductible for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
After the competition concludes, DTCare grants funds to the Why Not You Foundation after the fees and costs disclosed in the Official Rules. Donors receive a donation receipt by email for their records.
Individual tax circumstances may vary. Donors should consult a qualified tax professional with questions about their specific situation.
YOUTH SAFETY AND PRIVACY
How is youth participation managed?
What happens to submitted photos?
Youth Athlete of the Year is designed to be managed by parents and legal guardians.
Parents or guardians are responsible for:
Submitting an athlete’s entry
Managing the competitor account
Choosing the information and photos submitted
Sharing the competitor profile
Reviewing applicable school, league, or athletic eligibility rules
Contacting Support if information should be corrected or removed
For children under 13, parental or legal guardian consent is required in accordance with applicable privacy requirements.
Is my child’s profile public?
What should I do if I have a safety concern?
Yes. Each accepted competitor receives a profile that supporters can visit and use to vote.
Profiles may be accessible through:
The competitor’s unique link
Competition group pages
The competition website
Links shared by family members and supporters
Parents and guardians should submit only photos and information they feel comfortable displaying publicly.
Why does the competition require photos?
Photos serve two primary purposes:
Identity and Eligibility
Photos help verify that an entry represents a real and eligible competitor.
The Public Voting Experience
Photos allow voters to identify the athlete they are supporting and help create the competitor’s public profile.
Photos are used in connection with participation in Youth Athlete of the Year. Parents and guardians should review the Official Rules for the full license and usage terms before submitting an entry.
Parents, guardians, and athletes retain the ownership rights they have in submitted photos.
By submitting photos, the entrant grants the permissions described in the Official Rules so Colossal can operate and promote the competition. This may include displaying photos on the competition website, in competition communications, and in competition-related promotional materials.
Parents and legal guardians may contact Support to request that information be reviewed, corrected, or removed.
How is personal information protected?
Colossal uses safeguards designed to protect participant and voter information, including:
Encrypted website connections
Restricted access to sensitive information
Security monitoring and vulnerability review
Secure payment processing
Internal access controls
Processes for reviewing privacy and safety concerns
Personal information is used to operate the competition, support competitors and voters, process eligible transactions, protect voting integrity, and meet legal and compliance obligations.
Parents and guardians should contact Support if they:
Want a profile reviewed or removed
See inappropriate comments or messages
Suspect impersonation or exploitation
Receive contact from a suspicious account
Believe personal information has been exposed
Have another concern involving a young competitor
ELIGIBILITY AND ATHLETE CONSIDERATIONS
Who is eligible?
STILL NEED SOME INFO, WANT PLAIN LANGUAGE ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
Eligible age range - between the ages of 7 and 17
Eligible countries - limited to U.S. and Canadian (excluding Quebec)
Parent or legal guardian entry requirement - ?
Any restrictions involving employees, partners, or prior winners - ?
Could participating affect athletic eligibility or NIL rights?
Participation may have implications under certain school, league, youth sports, amateur athletics, or Name, Image, and Likeness rules.
These requirements can vary by:
School
Athletic association
League
State or province
Sport
Country
Colossal does not determine or certify a young athlete’s ongoing sports eligibility.
Parents and legal guardians are responsible for reviewing applicable requirements and consulting the athlete’s coach, school, league, athletic director, or governing organization before participating.
CHARITY AND FUNDRAISING
Who benefits from the competition?
The designated charitable beneficiary for the 2026 Youth Athlete of the Year competition is the Why Not You Foundation.
Founded in 2014, Russell Wilson and Ciara’s Why Not You Foundation is a nonprofit dedicated to advancing education, children’s health, and the fight against poverty, empowering today’s youth to lead with a “Why Not You?” attitude and the confidence to make a difference.
Where do donations go?
When a supporter casts a Donation Vote, the donation is processed through DTCare, a registered 501(c)(3) public charity.
After the competition concludes, DTCare grants funds to the designated charity beneficiary after the deductions disclosed in the Official Rules, which may include:
Colossal’s competition management fee
Payment processing expenses
Operating and prize costs
The nominal percentage retained by DTCare
DTCare maintains custody and control of funds raised through Donation Votes.
Why are Colossal and DTCare involved?
Colossal
Colossal provides the technology, marketing, moderation, verification, customer support, compliance, fraud prevention, and prize fulfillment required to operate the competition at a nationwide scale.
DTCare
DTCare receives and administers donations made through Donation Votes. This structure supports tax-deductible giving and provides an accountable process for granting funds to the designated charitable beneficiary.
Why not donate directly?
Donating directly to the Why Not You Foundation is also a valid way to support its mission.
The competition adds a large-scale public campaign that helps introduce the organization to new audiences while giving young athletes and their communities a shared experience in which to participate.
2025 Champion
Tripp
From football to lacrosse to basketball, Tripp is a dedicated athlete who loves being challenged. With Cooper Kupp, Justin Jefferson, and Jim Everett as idols, he has big aspirations and brings energy and teamwork to every game.