The latest Hunger Games film Catching Fire, surpassed the $409m US box office figure of Iron Man 3, making it the biggest US movie of 2013. But while Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man is up for voting in the Best Hero category, Jennifer Lawrence's Katniss Everdeen has been snubbed.

Azran added, "The MTV Movie awards encourages public involvement, allowing the public to vote on winners. If enough of us ask for Katniss to be added, I'm confident that MTV will listen."

A new study by the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University found that only 15 percent of 100 top-grossing films of 2013 featured a female protagonist, while only 30 percent of those films had female-speaking characters.

Azran's campaign on thepetitionsite.com has already gained over 16,000 signatures in support, with a target of 20,000 signatures by April 13, 2014.

MTV under fire for including no women in their Best Heroes list