2025 Jimmy Awards

The 2025 Jimmy Awards took place on Monday June 23 at Broadway's Minskoff Theatre. The coveted Jimmy Awards for Best Performance by an Actress and Best Performance by an Actor were presented to Fabiola Caraballo Quijada, Broadway Dallas High School Musical Theatre Awards (Dallas, TX) and Chris Hayes, Nevada High School Musical Theater Awards (Las Vegas, NV). Both winners were each presented with a check for the amount of $25,000 to further their education, presented by the Nederlander Organization. The ceremony was hosted by Josh Groban.

This year, a total of 16 awards and scholarships were presented to participants.

Six finalists each received a $5,000 scholarship toward their future education, presented by MJ:

Adam Bouchachia, Applause Awards (Orlando, FL)
Dawson Fullingim, Discovery Awards (Tulsa, OK)
JJ Korkin, Kravis Center Dream Awards (West Palm Beach, FL)
Seger Ott-Rudolph, Brandon Victor Dixon Awards (Washington, DC)
Kayla Rae, The Lucie Arnaz Awards (Palm Springs, CA)
Kinsley Stephens, Georgia High School Musical Theatre Awards - Shuler Hensley Awards (Atlanta, GA)

Additional award winners each received a $2,500 scholarship:

Rising Starfor impressive advancement during the Jimmy Awards program

Gavin Evanson, The Monte Awards (Tucson, AZ)

Best Dancer, presented by The Shubert Organization, for excellence in dance and movement

Jamaur Houston, Broadway in Chicago Illinois High School Musical Theatre Awards (Chicago, IL)

Spirit of the Jimmys, presented by Aki Nishino of Chimney Town, for embodying the spirit of this musical theatre celebration:

Kevin Wilson, The Patty Duke Awards (Boise, ID)

Outstanding Performance in an Ensemble, co-presented by BOOP! The Musical, Hadestown, John Gore Organization, No Guarantees, and Thomas Schumacher for outstanding collaboration during the Jimmy Awards program:

Mira Cahalane, Playhouse Square Dazzle Awards (Cleveland, OH)
Josiah D. Jennings, The DPAC Rising Star Awards (Durham, NC)
JJ McDonough, Philadelphia Independence Awards (Philadelphia, PA)
Kash Stevenson, Henry Mancini Awards (Midland, PA)
Jayden Vega, Broadway Star of the Future (Tampa, FL)

See the full list of 2025 Jimmy Awards nominees.

Inspiring Teacher Award

The Jimmy Awards congratulates the recipients of the 2025 Inspiring Teacher Award, which honors educators for providing valuable guidance and encouragement to their students and school communities. The honorees were nominated for this recognition last spring by 2024 Jimmy Awards nominees and subsequently selected by a committee of Broadway League members. Presented in memory of Luigi Caiola, this year’s recipients are Elena Ferrante-Martin, Bishop Gorman High School (Las Vegas, NV) and KoKo M. Thornton, Enloe High School (Durham, NC).

Student Reporters

The 2025 Jimmy Awards Student Reporter initiative with support from Broadway News welcomed two student reporters to NYC. Jayden Hope Fernando from the Rita Moreno Awards (San Jose, CA) and Jose Antonio Morales from The Majestic Empire Foundation's Joci Awards (San Antonio, TX) were selected following a nationwide submissions process and covered The Jimmy Awards on social media from The Minskoff Theatre on June 23rd, providing fans an inside look at the final preparations for the evening performance. Jayden and Jose also conducted exclusive interviews with the 2025 Best Actor and Best Actress winners following the awards ceremony. As part of the experience, they were granted a special visit to the WABC studios to observe the behind-the-scenes production of an upcoming news segment.