Jake James
Atlanta, GA
The 2026 Jimmy Award for Best Performance by an Actor was presented to Jake James representing Georgia High School Musical Theatre Awards – Shuler Hensley Awards (Atlanta, GA).
Winners & Nominees
The 2026 Jimmy Awards took place on Monday June 22 at Broadway's Minskoff Theatre hosted by Bowen Yang.
Our 2026
Winners
Presented by Nederlander Producing Company of America, Inc.
Samia Posadas
Tucson, AZ
The 2026 Jimmy Award for Best Performance by an Actress was presented to Samia Posadas representing The Monte Awards (Tucson, AZ).
Finalists
Presented by Jimmy, Margo, Kathleen, and James M. Nederlander II
Showstopper
Co-presented by Ken Davenport, No Guarantees Productions, and Iris Smith for individual artistic excellence during the Feature Group performance.
Additional award winners
Loren Prisuta
Best Dancer, for excellence in dance and movement.
Emma Rose Armstrong
Best Vocalist, for excellence in vocal performance and technique
Carter James Pflug
Rising Star for impressive advancement during the Jimmy Awards program
Towdah Denis Kiima
Heart of the Jimmys, presented by Akihiro Nishino of Chimney Town, for exemplifying stellar community support to their peers.
Alec Avila
Spirit of the Jimmys, presented by Big Bus Tours, for embodying the spirit of this musical theatre celebration.
Outstanding Performance
In an Ensemble
Co-presented by BOOP! The Musical, BWF Foundation & Chicago, Hadestown, John Gore Organization, Thomas Schumacher and The Shubert Organization for outstanding collaboration during the Jimmy Awards program
Inspiring Teacher Awards
The Jimmy Awards congratulates the recipients of the 2026 Inspiring Teacher Awards, which honor educators for providing valuable guidance and encouragement to their students and school communities. The honorees were nominated for this recognition last spring by 2025 Jimmy Awards nominees and subsequently selected by a committee of Broadway League members. Presented by MJ, this year’s recipients are Kristy Kosko, Greece Arcadia High School (Rochester, NY) and Peter Smeallie, Albert Einstein High School (Washington, D.C.).
Kristy Kosko
Greece Arcadia High School (Rochester, NY)
Peter Smeallie
Albert Einstein High School (Washington, D.C.)
George McCallum
The Stephen Sondheim Awards (New Haven, CT)
Autumn Grace
Nevada High School Musical Theater Awards (Las Vegas, NV)
Student Reporters
The 2026 Jimmy Awards Student Reporter initiative with support from Broadway News welcomed two student reporters to NYC. George McCallum from The Stephen Sondheim Awards (New Haven, CT) and Autumn Grace from Nevada High School Musical Theater Awards (Las Vegas, NV) were selected following a nationwide submissions process and covered The Jimmy Awards on social media from The Minskoff Theatre on June 22nd, providing fans an inside look at the final preparations for the evening performance. George and Autumn Grace also conducted exclusive interviews with the 2026 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.
Our 2026
Nominees
Kiara Angline
Minneapolis, MN
Violet, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Burnsville High School
Emma Rose Armstrong
Tampa, FL
Lilli Vanessi/Katharine, Kiss Me, Kate
Harrison School for the Arts
Kaydence Arora
Nashville, TN
Elsa, Disney's Frozen
Summit High School
Logan Arroyo
Chicago, IL
Will Bloom, Big Fish: School Edition
Lincoln-Way East High School
Allie Blanchet
Washington, D.C.
Smitty, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Fairfax Academy for Communication and the Arts
Destiny Brown
Atlanta, GA
Celie, The Color Purple
Tri-Cities High School
Xanti Cabrera
Logan, UT
Javert, Les Misérables: School Edition
DaVinci Academy of Science and the Arts
Collin Jones Carlton
Little Rock, AR
Orpheus, Hadestown: Teen Edition
Pulaski Academy
Langston Casey
St. Louis, MO
Seymour, Little Shop of Horrors
Grand Center Arts Academy
Samara Castro
San Francisco, CA
Carrie White, Carrie: The Musical
Casa Grande High School
Isabella Grace Cervera
San Antonio, TX
Sarah Brown, Guys and Dolls
North East School of the Arts
Lillian Clark
Oklahoma City, OK
Amalia Balash, She Loves Me
Norman North High School
Lucien Crane
Knoxville, TN
William Shakespeare, Something Rotten!
Webb School of Knoxville
Nathan Daniels
Boston, MA
The Scarecrow, The Wizard of Oz
Leominster High School
Jersey Jaymes Diehl
Midland, PA
Mae Tuck, Tuck Everlasting
Freeport Area High School
Maggie Belle Dinstuhl
Memphis, TN
Marlena, Water for Elephants High School Edition
Collierville High School
Elizabeth Eldar
Palm Desert, CA
Jo March, Little Women
Musical Theatre University
Gabriel Emery
Durham, NC
Nick Bottom, Something Rotten!
Wake Forest High School
Tony Fritzgerald III
Cleveland, OH
Nicely-Nicely Johnson, Guys and Dolls
Saint Ignatius High School
Harold Garcia
Charlotte, NC
Orpheus, Hadestown: Teen Edition
North Lincoln High School
Micah Giron
Las Vegas, NV
Hades, Hadestown: Teen Edition
Carson High School
Jack Gunter
San Jose, CA
Freddy Eynsford-Hill, My Fair Lady
Valley Christian High School
Peyton Haacke
Des Moines, IA
Horton the Elephant, Seussical
Southeast Polk High School
Addison Haines
Dayton, OH
Ella, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella
Springboro High School
Darragh Hallinan
New Haven, CT
Percy Jackson, The Lightning Thief
Darien High School
McKinley Claire Harper
Louisville, KY
Penelope Pennywise, Urinetown
George Rogers Clark High School
Tytus Hayes
Chattanooga, TN
Seymour, Little Shop of Horrors
Chattanooga High School Center for Creative Arts
Jane Hereth
Buffalo, NY
Esmeralda, The Hunchback of Notre Dame
St. Francis High School
Jonah Higgins
Buffalo, NY
Nick Bottom, Something Rotten!
West Seneca West High School
Hayden Hooper
Memphis, TN
Jacob, Water For Elephants High School Edition
Collierville High School
Scarlett Horoho
Philadelphia, PA
Natasha, Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812
PALCS Center for Performing and Fine Arts
Emersyn Hunt
New York, NY
Beverley, Come From Away
Professional Performing Arts School
Jake James
Atlanta, GA
Jacob, Water for Elephants High School Edition
Milton High School
Sydney Jordan
Eugene, OR
Eurydice, Hadestown: Teen Edition
Lincoln High School
William Kastner
Madison, WI
Cpt. Joseph Riser, The Hello Girls
Kettle Moraine School for Arts and Performance
Leilani Kellerman
West Palm Beach, FL
Cathy, The Last Five Years
American Heritage School
Amara Kennedy
Appleton, WI
Deloris Van Cartier, Sister Act
Sheboygan Falls High School
Towdah Denis Kiima
Dallas, TX
Hermes, Hadestown: Teen Edition
Rockwall-Heath High School
Kaleomakamaeokealoha Knight
Los Angeles, CA
Penelope Pennywise, Urinetown
Windward School
Emily R. Leonard
Las Vegas, NV
Eurydice, Hadestown: Teen Edition
Spring Valley High School
Téo D. Levy
San Diego, CA
Corny Collins, Hairspray
San Diego School of Creative & Performing Arts
Cooper Lincoln
Oklahoma City, OK
Jack Kelly, Newsies
North Rock Creek High School
Mia Lopez Berkson
Albuquerque, NM
Scuttle, Disney's The Little Mermaid
Organ Mountain High School
William Madsen
Logan, UT
Eric, Disney's The Little Mermaid
Timpview High School
Wrigley Mancha
Des Moines, IA
Cinderella, Into the Woods
Davenport Central High School
Jacob Andrew Marckel
Minneapolis, MN
Hades, Hadestown: Teen Edition
PiM Arts High School
Brooklyn Martin
Tempe, AZ
Annabeth Chase, The Lightning Thief
Mountain Ridge High School
Ricardo Martinez
San Antonio, TX
Jamie, The Last Five Years
Keystone School
Nevan Maselon
Providence, RI
Gomez Addams, The Addams Family: School Edition
Cranston High School West
Paxon Masters
Pittsburgh, PA
Phantom of the Opera, The Phantom of the Opera
Avonworth High School
Lucas Pike McMinemon
Huntsville, AL
Will Bloom, Big Fish: School Edition
Hartselle High School
Max J. Mittler
Schenectady, NY
Jack Kelly, Newsies
Saratoga Springs High School
Alex Morfogen
West Palm Beach, FL
Nathan Detroit, Guys and Dolls
The King's Academy
Addison Nesbitt
San Diego, CA
Katherine, Freaky Friday
Coronado High School
Brayden Nesbitt
Tempe, AZ
Sweeney Todd, Sweeney Todd: School Edition
Chandler High School
Jane Nuich
Chicago, IL
Eurydice, Hadestown: Teen Edition
Maine South High School
Joshua Park
Tucson, AZ
Lieutenant Frank Cioffi, Curtains: School Edition
Cienega High School
John Poncy
Washington, D.C.
J. Pierrepont Finch, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Fairfax Academy for Communication and the Arts
Loren Prisuta
Pittsburgh, PA
Velma Kelly, Chicago: Teen Edition
Pine-Richland High School
Ronember Quintero Galeano
Nashville, TN
Topher, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella
Franklin High School
Mollie Reeves
Durham, NC
Amalia Balash, She Loves Me
Cardinal Gibbons High School
Gillian Reynolds
Denver, CO
Princess Winnifred, Once Upon A Mattress
Durango High School
Nevaeh Salinas
La Mirada, CA
Penelope Pennywise, Urinetown
Gretchen Whitney High School
Cady Santo
Providence, RI
Mira, The Theory of Relativity
West Warwick High School
Addison Schulitz
Rochester, NY
Ocean O'Connell Rosenberg, Ride the Cyclone: Teen Edition
Pittsford Mendon High School
Megan Sheehan
Kansas City, MO
Judas Iscariot, Jesus Christ Superstar
Park Hill South High School
Lily Sinnott
Schenectady, NY
Natasha, Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812
Shenendehowa High School
Jacob A. Solomon
New York, NY
Nick Bottom, Something Rotten!
Hauppauge High School
Kash M. Stevenson
Midland, PA
James, James and the Giant Peach
Big Beaver Falls Area High School
Lillian Tang
East Lansing, MI
Suzanne Prevot, The Hello Girls
Bloomfield Hills High School
Elijah Taylor
Fayetteville, AR
Kristoff, Disney's Frozen
Bentonville West High School
Rowan Thomas
Palm Desert, CA
Ren McCormack, Footloose
Martin Luther King High School
Antonio M. Thompson
Appleton, WI
Hermes, Hadestown: Teen Edition
Oshkosh North High School
Caden Tubbs
Eugene, OR
Sam, Mamma Mia!
Hood River Valley High School
Jayden Vega
Tampa, FL
Billy Flynn, Chicago: Teen Edition
Howard W. Blake School of the Arts
Easton C. Wicks
Tulsa, OK
Edward Bloom, Big Fish: School Edition
Fort Gibson High School
Kolaya M. Wilmer
Omaha, NE
Eponine, Les Misérables: School Edition
Fremont High School
Nevaeha A. Wilson
Dallas, TX
Mary Poppins, Mary Poppins
Cleburne High School
Legend Young
Cleveland, OH
Olive Ostrovsky, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Willoughby South High School
Zane Zangwill
Philadelphia, PA
Pierre, Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812
PALCS Center for Performing and Fine Arts
Annie Zimmerman
Little Rock, AR
Princess Fiona, Shrek The Musical
Episcopal Collegiate School