Honoring the best in entertainment as decided by their distinct age bracket, the first batch of nominees for the 2012 Teen Choice Awards were announced on Friday (May 18).

The hit CW show "The Vampire Diaries" leads the way with six bids at nabbing a surfboard while Justin Bieber** finds himself deadlocked with "American Idol" in the runner-up slot with five nominations each.

With the "Twilight Saga" trio of Robert Pattinson**, Kristen Stewart** and Taylor Lautner** also among the hopefuls this time around, teens are permitted to place a vote in one category per day via the official Teen Choice website,

Winners will then be announced during a live broadcast set to air on Sunday, July 22 on FOX, while the complete rundown of 2012 Teen Choice Awards nominees is as follows:

MOVIES

Movie: Action
"Abduction"
"Act of Valor"
"Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol"
"Red Tails"
"Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows"

Movie Actor: Action
Tom Cruise, "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol"
Robert Downey, Jr., "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows"
Tom Hardy, "Warrior"
Taylor Lautner, "Abduction"
Logan Lerman, "The Three Musketeers"

Movie Actress: Action
Salma Hayek, "Puss in Boots"
Milla Jovovich, "The Three Musketeers"
Paula Patton, "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol"
Noomi Rapace, "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows"
Zoe Saldana, "Colombiana"

Movie: Sci-Fi/Fantasy
"The Avengers"
"The Hunger Games"
"Mirror Mirror"
"The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1"
"Wrath of the Titans"

Movie Actor: Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Robert Downey, Jr.