(VOXtra) - The nominees for "Outstanding" and "Best" voice over performances in more than 100 categories have been announced for the 8th annual Voice Arts® Awards, presented by the Society of Voice Arts and Sciences (SOVAS).

"The quality of work is absolutely astounding, and it gets stronger every year," says SOVAS President and CEO Rudy Gaskins.

Among the nominees, five voice actors vie for the honor of Outstanding Body of Work - Best Voice Actor: Marc O. Graue, Leonard Dozier, Tony Pasquale, J. Michael Collins, and Debi Derryberry.

And with a strong international presence, the awards include Outstanding Body of Work - International - Best Voiceover, where nominees are: Fabiola Stevenson, Marios Gavrilis, Tito Alvarez, Diego Osorio, and Carlos Javier Mendez.

Winners in each category will be announced and celebrated at the 8th annual Voice Arts® Awards Gala, streamed live from the Guggenheim Museum in New York City on December 19. The live stream will be free to watch worldwide, at www.sovas.org. As it was in 2020 due to COVID precautions, the live ticketed audience will be limited to 200 attendees (see ticket info).

The number of entries for the 2021 competition increased 60 percent over the previous year, says Gaskins.

"More and more voice actors are discovering how awards compliment their entrepreneurial pursuits and drive business success," he adds. "It builds your brand, creates positive buzz, brings you closer to your clients, and gives you the all-important, unbiased, third-party recognition that establishes professional credibility."

Also, Arabic, Portuguese and Audio Description categories are among those added this year.

SOVAS also announced three honorary award recipients:

"These extraordinary talents bring much-deserved prestige and to a highly regarded art form hidden behind the scenes and performed unsung heroes who give voice to cherished stories, animated characters, audiobooks and films that have filled our hearts and minds for generations," says Gaskins.

In a separate SOVAS event known as That's Voiceover Career Expo, scheduled for November 19-21, Halle Berry will present the Backstage Vanguard Award to author and "voice coach to the stars" Denise Woods.

Plus, lauded audiobook narrator Scott Brick with over a thousand audiobooks to his credit, will receive the Voice Arts® Legacy Award presented by award-winning producer/director Dan Musselman of Penguin Random House.

For more about the awards and SOVAS, visit: www.SOVAS.org.