Gitanjali will be featured on a cover of TIME with a companion story in TIME for Kids. Nickelodeon's Kid of the Year TV special will introduce the top five honorees ahead of the ultimate Kid of the Year being named, and feature guests stars from entertainment, sports and pop culture to help surprise them and celebrate their work. Celebrity guests scheduled to make appearances throughout the special include Kristen Bell, Simone Biles, Brie Larson, Zachary Levi and Russell Westbrook, among others.

The top 20 Kid of the Year finalists were selected following a nationwide search that received over 5,000 inspirational kids being nominated. Each of the five Kid of the Year honorees will receive a cash prize and have the opportunity to serve as a Kid Reporter for TIME for Kids with exclusive access to a Nickelodeon event.

Gitanjali Rao is an inventor and scientist. She’s 14 years old from Lone Tree, Colorado. She was previously named America’s Top Young Scientist of 2017 by the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge, with a patent pending device to detect lead in water faster than any other current techniques. She is also the winner of a global Paradigm science challenge. She is a 3 time TEDx speaker and has spoken at several girls' and global conference and was a UNICEF panelist discussing the role of youth in powering the planet. She has won awards for her writing in national and international contests. She published her first book at age of 9, called, “Baby Brother Wonders.” The self-illustrated book, based on the story that won 2nd prize in the PBS national writing contest, described the world through her younger brother’s point of view.