Photo Coverage: Inside the National High School Musical Theater Awards with Laura Osnes, Santino Fontana & More!

The National High School Musical Theater Awards (NHSMTA) selected 62 finalists from tens of thousands of students to compete for the coveted Jimmy Award for Best Performance by an Actor and Best Performance by an Actress, last night at the Minskoff Theatre. Hosted by the Tony Award-nominated stars of Rodgers + Hammerstein's CINDERELLA, Laura Osnes and Santino Fontana, the fifth annual performance showcase featured dynamic ensemble and solo performances exclusively from the musical theater cannon. Sarah Lynn Marion, from Fullerton, CA and Taylor Varga, from Newtown, CT took home the big awards for the evening and you can check out photos from inside the event below!

Nominees qualified to compete in the national program by winning top honors this year at 31 regional high school musical awards competitions. These annual events involve more than 50,000 teens in cities across America and are sponsored by the country's leading performing arts organizations.

Founded in 2009, NHSMTA's mission is to raise the profile of musical theater in schools, recognize dedicated teachers and inspire the next generation of performers and enthusiasts. Also known as The Jimmy Awards in honor of legendary Broadway producer/theater owner James M. Nederlander, the program has been the catalyst for more than $760,000 in educational scholarships made available to deserving students. NHSMTA is produced by the Broadway Education Alliance and supported by many leading theater industry organizations including The Broadway League, BWF (Weissler) Foundation, Disney Theatrical Productions, Jujamcyn Theatres, Music Theatre International, the Nederlander Organization, NYU Tisch School of the Arts, Pittsburgh CLO, Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, Samuel French Library, Shubert Organization, Tams-Witmark Music Library, Inc., Ticketmaster and others. To learn more about the National High School Musical Theater Awards and/or to make a donation to the program, visit nhsmta.com.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride