Motorcross champion Tanyaradzwa 'Tanya' Muzinda has been named as a finalist in the first-ever
Kid of the Year awards!
The 2015 Junior Sportswoman Of The Year from Zimbabwe broke the news on
Twitter expressing her gratitude for the nomination that will likely put Zimbabwe on the global stage.
"I am honoured to have made shortlist for Nickelodeon Kid Of The Year 2020 with Time Magazine, even if l don't win this Award being alongside these incredible kids gives me hope for a better future. Celebrating kids around the world who are inspiring in their communities," Muzinda wrote.
Muzinda has also made history by becoming the first Zimbabwean female rider to win a heat at the British MX Master Kids UK Championships, winning a bronze medal in 2017, a feat that also saw her participate in the British Girls National Championships. Muzinda was in 2015 named the Zimbabwe Junior Sportsperson of the year. She also received the Teen Female Sport Award, Zimbabwe’s Rising Star award. Last year, she was honoured at the Africa Child Summit in Ghana, and, in 2018, won the African Union Sports Council Region Five Regional Annual Sports Award.
Tanya, who is the honorary ambassador of the European Union to Zimbabwe for Youth, Gender, Sports and Development has credited her love and success in the sport to her father who was a biker and taught her how to ride a bike.
Kid of the Year is Nickelodeon, TIME and TIME for Kids' brand new multiplatform initiative that recognizes extraordinary young leaders aged 8-16 who are making a positive impact in their communities! Kids doing incredible and inspiring things to make the world a better place were nominated by their parents, teachers, friends and more.
It consists of two phases -- submission from May 18 to August 1 and the judging phase from May 18 to September 15. From all the eligible submissions, 50 nominees will be selected for consideration. Twenty nominees will be selected, from the quarter-finalists, for a possible inclusion in an hour-long television special profiling one or more of them.
Five honorees will be featured in a hour-long TV special—hosted by
Kids' Choice Awards winner Trevor Noah (
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah) and
simulcast on Nickelodeon and the CBS Television Network in the U.S. in December--with one kid ultimately being recognized as TIME Kid of the Year and featured on a cover of TIME with a companion story in TIME For Kids.
Each of the finalists will receive funds to further their respective causes and have the opportunity to serve as a Kid Reporter for TIME for Kids with exclusive access to a Nickelodeon event.
The girl who was born to ride
Windhoek – Tanya Muzinda turned 16 in August 2020, but she has already earned quite a reputation internationally for her exploits in motorsport.
The Zimbabwean rider not only dominates on the track but is also a philanthropist whose charity work has helped many underprivileged children.
It was thus little wonder that she made the 2020 shortlist of the
Nickelodeon Kid of the Year with Time Magazine.
Reacting to the nomination, Tanya wrote on Twitter: “I am honoured to have made the shortlist of the Nickelodeon Kid of the Year with Time Magazine, even if I don’t win this award, being along these incredible kids gives me hope for a better future. Celebrating kids around the world who are inspiring in their own communities.
The Kid of the Year Award is a multi-platform initiative recognising extraordinary young leaders aged 8-16 who are making a positive impact in their communities and beyond.
Each finalist gets funds to further his/her chosen cause and has the opportunity to serve as a Kid Reporter for TIME for Kids, in addition to getting exclusive access to a Nickelodeon event.
The award is sponsored by Nickelodeon in collaboration with TIME magazine.
Tanya burst onto the scene about a decade ago when her love for motorsport brought her to national attention while just six-years-old.
"It is not often considered by girls as a sport for they and I want to inspire girls out there and show them that anything is possible if you put your mind and heart to it, and also show that motocross is fast and fun," she said in a recent interview with Zimbabwean media.
"Of course, there have been detractors and I know many girls want to get involved but fear what these people say. But I have wanted to change that for the better."
In her philanthropic work, she has helped children access education.
In 2015, Tanya was named Zimbabwean Annual National Sports Awards 2015 Junior Sportsperson of the Year.
That same year, she bagged the Zimbabwe International Sportswoman of the Year honours in the United Kingdom Annual Junior Sportswoman of the Year Awards, among many other national, reginal and global commendations.
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For more information about
Kid of the Year 2020, visit
KidoftheYear2020.com.
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Originally published: Wednesday, September 09, 2020.
Sources: allAfrica.com, 263Chat, Pindula News, Twitter /@ASuwali, CNN, The Zimbabwe Daily, The Herald.
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