Registration is open now for schools that want to participate in Walton Arts Center’s 2025-26 Diamond Awards. The award program celebrates the power of the arts in education and motivates support for and interest in high school musicals.
High school theater programs that are interested in participating must register with Walton Arts Center by Oct. 1. Industry professionals will adjudicate student performances in their high school musicals. Finalists will participate in a weekend of training at Walton Arts Center that culminates in an award ceremony on Saturday, May 23 at 5 pm.
Awards will be presented again this year for best ensemble and best lead actor and actress in a musical. An outstanding arts educator will also be recognized again with the Sparkle Award. Several new awards have been added including the student-voted Spirit of the Diamond Award and outstanding performance recognition in vocals, acting or dance.
There’s also a new competition for student reporters open to students enrolled in schools that are participating in the Diamond Awards this season. The two finalists will help Walton Arts Center’s communications team cover the Diamond Awards and up to two of the finalists will be submitted as applicants for the student reporter search conducted by the National High School Musical Theatre Awards.
The Diamond Awards are modeled after Broadway’s Tony Awards®. Best lead actress and actor winners will go on to compete in New York City at the Broadway League Foundation’s National High School Musical Theatre Awards®, “The Jimmy Awards®“ along with nominees from more than 55 regional programs presented by Broadway League member performing arts centers like Walton Arts Center.
Walton Arts Center covers the cost of the trip for the two winners. They spend a week in the city training with Broadway professionals, seeing shows and rehearsing for their performance in The Jimmy Awards, where a best actress and actor will be named.
The Jimmy Awards can be a stepping stone to a career in musical theater. 2025 Jimmy Awards-winner Fabiola Caraballo Quijada has been cast in the lead of the national tour of & JULIET, which will be at Walton Arts Center May 26-31.
Registration information can be found at waltonartscenter.org. For more information, email [email protected]. If you want to see and support our region’s high school musical theater talent, tickets are on sale now for The Diamond Awards Ceremony for $13.
