BEVERLY HILLS—The race is on for the biggest prize in daytime television, the Emmy Award. The 41st Daytime Emmy Awards will be held on Sunday, June 22. The ceremony will be hosted by comedienne Kathy Griffin, so expect the outlandish. Let’s take a look at some of the most competitive races this year, as we make predictions as to who is likely to take home the prize in some of the toughest races to predict.

First up we have Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series with four ladies in the running. This is a category that surprised many who expected Maura West to be recognized for her wickedly evil turn as mob heiress Ava Jerome to get some love for her work on ” General Hospital,” but she was left out. So was her co-star Finola Hughes who many predicted was a shoe-in for her work in the past year.

With those ladies out, the award is up for anyone to take. Heather Tom has already taken the award in the past two years, so I’m almost certain the Academy would like to shake things up, so it becomes a three-way race between Eileen Davidson, Katherine Kelly Lang and Arianne Zucker.

Both Davidson and Zucker have delivered this past year, but I have to secretly root for Lang who is way overdue for some recognition for the consistency she has delivered for nearly 20 plus years on the soap “Bold and Beautiful.” Its time for Brooke Logan to walk to the stage, and collect on an award long overdue.

In the Outstanding Lead Actor race, it’s “The Young and the Restless” versus “General Hospital.” Let’s just say “Y&R” has the edge, but it could also be a curse, as it could lead to Peter Bergman, Christian LeBlanc, Doug Davidson and Billy Miller all canceling each other out. However, this is a two-person race between Miller and Jason Thompson from “GH.” Both delivered exceptional work this past year, but I would have to give a slight edge to Thompson who was robbed last year in my opinion. I wouldn’t be surprised if Miller walked away with the trophy; those scenes involving Delia’s death showed amazing range from the actor.

The Supporting Actress race is another duel between “The Young and the Restless” and “General Hospital.” I would argue this would have been the year for Melissa Claire Egan for her work as Chelsea Newman, but her co-star Elizabeth Hendrickson might be the toughest foe to defeat in this category. If anyone can knock her out it would be Kelly Sullivan whose work as dual roles Connie/Kate showed a surmountable amount of range from the actress. Hendrickson for the win, but if the ladies of “Y&R” cancel each other out, Sullivan or Jane Elliot from “GH” could be victorious.

The toughest race to predict this year is Outstanding Supporting Actor, where there is no clear frontrunner in the race. Three of this year’s nominees Bradford Anderson “GH,” Steve Burton “Y&R” and Scott Clifton “The Bold and the Beautiful” are all previous Emmy winners. That means newbies Eric Martsolf “Days of Our Lives” and Dominic Zamprogna “GH” could reign supreme. I’ll be honest each contender has an equal shot at the prize, but if the Academy wants to honor exceptional work in the past year Martsolf should be the victor.

In the Younger Actress race, I see Kristen Alderson reigning supreme for her work as Starr Manning on “GH,” but voters could be pushed to lean in the direction of the now defunct “One Life to Live” to pay tribute to the soap by honoring Kelley Missal.  For Younger Actor, Chandler Massey who is a two-time previous victor for his work on “Days of Our Lives” could see threats from Bryan Craig and Chad Duell from “GH.” I’ll admit Craig has been delivering a bit more than Duell, but the co-stars could cancel one another out of the race. That leaves both “Y&R” stars Max Ehrich or Daniel Polo sneaking in for a win, and Ehrich could actually hoist the prize come Sunday night.

The biggest award of the night Outstanding Drama Series is missing a potential frontrunner as “ General Hospital” was snubbed. Yeah, many people are still attempting to wrap their minds around that one, but last year’s surprise winner “Days of Our Lives” will do battle against “The Bold and the Beautiful,” “The Young and the Restless” and the extinct “One Life to Live.” Does anyone have the edge here? It depends on who you ask. If you’re going for the emotional intensity this award hands down is “Y&R’s” to lose.

That episode of Chloe learning about her daughter’s death is beyond heartbreaking. If its intensity and shock value that the voters are looking for then hands down “Bold and Beautiful” wins with the revelation of Bill (Don Diamont) and Brooke’s (Katherine Kelly Lang) affair; not to mention Katie’s (Heather Tom) reaction to the fallout. It’s been awhile since the number one soap in daytime has claimed the prize, so I think its “Y&R’s” year to reign supreme.

The 41st Daytime Emmy Awards will be held live from the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills. The awards will be broadcast live on the Internet atwww.daytimeemmys.net at 5 p.m. PST.