Walton Arts Center Creates Diamond Awards for High School Musical Theater

Walton Arts Center announced the 2024-25 Diamond Awards, Arkansas' first regional high school theater awards program. The award program celebrates the power of the arts in education and motivates support for and interest in high school musicals. 

Modeled after Broadway’s Tony Awards®, Walton Arts Center’s Diamond Awards will recognize achievement and excellence in musical theater among local high school students. This program qualifies the best actress and actor winners to compete in New York City at the Broadway League Foundation’s National High School Musical Theatre Awards®, “The Jimmy Awards®."

Student performers nationwide qualify to compete in the national program by winning top honors in one of the more than 50 regional high school musical theatre awards competitions presented by Broadway League member performing arts centers like Walton Arts Center.

High school theater programs that are interested in participating will need to register with Walton Arts Center. Industry professionals will adjudicate students for their performance in their high school musicals.

Awards will be presented in several categories for individuals and ensembles during an award ceremony in May 2025. Best actress and actor nominees from the more than 50 regional award programs are expected to travel to New York City to compete at The Jimmy Awards ceremony. Walton Arts Center covers the cost of this trip for the two winners. Once there, they’ll also receive training from Broadway professionals and compete for The Jimmy Award for best actress or actor.

Registration for schools that want to participate will be open in August 2024. For more information email sjones@waltonartscenter.org.