Miss Independent Spirit: 11 Actresses Who Embody 'Indie Spirit'

By Kelli Bender

03/01/2014 at 02:55 PM EST

Shailene Woodley (left) and Quvenzhané Wallis

Michael Kovac/Getty; Jason Merritt/BET/Getty

Yes, the Oscars are almost here, but there's another award show on the horizon. On Saturday night, IFC will air the Independent Spirit Awards hosted by comedian Patton Oswalt.

Traditionally held in a tent on a beach in Santa Monica, Calif., this event is "the little engine that could" of the awards season. The show airs off major network television the day before the Oscars, but has begun to draw a bigger audience – and perhaps a few tweaks can attract even more viewers.

Our top suggestion? The Indie Spirits ought to steal a move from the Golden Globes playbook and create an annual Miss Independent Spirit honorary title. Using the Miss Golden Globe model of choosing young, famous faces as award handlers, here are 11 lovely ladies who might just be the ideal inaugural Miss Independent Spirit.

Gabourey Sidibe

Gabourey Sidibe

Rodrigo Vaz / FilmMagic

Age: 30

Most Famous Indie Film: Precious

Brie Larson

Brie Larson

Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty

Age: 24

Most Famous Indie Role: Short Term 12

Elizabeth Olsen

Elizabeth Olsen

Dave M. Benett / Getty

Age: 25

Most Famous Indie Role: Martha Marcy May Marlene

Shailene Woodley

Shailene Woodley

Michael Kovac / Getty

Age: 22

Most Famous Indie Role: The Descendants

Adèle Exarchopoulos

Adèle Exarchopoulos

Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty

Age: 20

Most Famous Indie Role: Blue is the Warmest Color

Quvenzhané Wallis

Quvenzhané Wallis

Steve Granitz / WireImage

Age: 10

Most Famous Indie Role: Beasts of the Southern Wild

Mia Wasikowska

Mia Wasikowska

Michael Tran / FilmMagic

Age: 25

Most Famous Indie Role: Stoker

Felicity Jones

Felicity Jones

Karwai Tang / WireImage

Age: 30

Most Famous Indie Role: Like Crazy

Saoirse Ronan

Saoirse Ronan

Andreas Rentz / Getty

Age: 19

Most Famous Indie Role: Atonement

Kaitlyn Dever

Kaitlyn Dever

Jason Kempin / Getty

Age: 17

Most Famous Indie Role: The Spectacular Now

Lorelei Linklater

Lorelei Linklater

Clemens Niehaus / DPA / AP

Age: 20

Most Famous Indie Role: Lorelei will appear in her first major role in director Richard Linklater's (her dad) new film Boyhood

The 86th annual Academy Awards, hosted by Ellen DeGeneres, airs Sunday, March 2, at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC.