Rising Star Scholarships are awarded to high school students who made outstanding contributions to their high school’s musical theatre program and/or a performing arts organization. This application process should be initiated by a student. These scholarships will now be awarded across multiple grade levels:

• One $400 Sophomore Rising Star Scholarship
• One $500 Junior Rising Star Scholarship
• One $1,500 Senior Rising Star Scholarship

To be considered for a scholarship, the following must be uploaded as part of the online form by Monday, January 26:

• a résumé of work, volunteer and theatrical activities;
• a student essay of 500 words or less; and
• a statement of 500 words or less from a recommending teacher/advisor that provides details about the student’s/students’ contributions and why they feel the student/s should be considered for the award.

Apply HERE

Questions? Contact bluestarawards@kcstarlight.com for assistance.

About the category:
The Ceremony Ensemble category provides a path for students to perform in the Blue Star Awards Ceremony and, based off of the adjudicated auditions, four students will be selected to receive $400 to support future training.

Two separate in-person audition sessions are offered. Those auditioning need only attend one of the sessions. For students unable to attend an in-person session, a virtual submission path is available.

Who:
High school students who attend any of our participating schools may audition. The student did not have be part of their school’s submitted musical to be eligible to audition. This is a student-initiated process.

Audition Dates:
Thursday, February 5 at 4:30 p.m. (50 spots total)
Saturday, February 21 at 10:00 a.m. (50 spots total)

Virtual Audition Path – submission instructions will be sent on Monday, February 9 with submissions due on Tuesday, February 17. The RSVP deadline for all sessions is Friday, January 30.

Submit your RSVP HERE

Rehearsal Information:
For the selected nominees, attendance at rehearsals will be mandatory for participation. Below is the tentative timeline for rehearsals. If auditioning for this category, the student is acknowledging they will make themselves available for these dates.

Sunday, May 10, (3:00-5:00 p.m.) – vocal rehearsal
Saturday, May 16 (10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.) – choreography rehearsal
Monday, May 18 (6:30 – 7:30 p.m.) – tech rehearsal on stage
Thursday, May 21 (evening) – Ceremony

Questions? Contact bluestarawards@kcstarlight.com for assistance.

Blue Star Awards student council members serve as ambassadors and student advisors for the Blue Star Awards program. Activities may include: planning various non-competitive opportunities, assisting in the selection of event elements for the Blue Star Awards Ceremony, and providing insight on ways in which the Blue Star Awards can further benefit all students. The student council meets once a month (excluding November) with additional opportunities for engagement throughout the year. The meetings will be held indoors at Starlight Theatre. In case of weather, council members will be notified of a virtual option via Zoom. Note: student council members do not have involvement with the adjudication process.

Applicant must be a sophomore, junior, or senior at a participating Blue Star Awards school during the 2025-2026 school year. This application process may be initiated by a student. Applications are due by Friday, October 3.

Scheduled Council Meetings
(Held at Starlight Theatre)
Monday, October 27: 4:30-6:00 p.m. (Welcome meeting with light refreshments)
Monday, December 15: 4:30-6:00 p.m.
Wednesday, February 4: 5:00-6:30 p.m. (Bring-a-Friend Meeting)
Monday, April 13: 4:30-6:00 p.m.

Apply HERE

In addition to these scheduled meetings, other events may occur throughout the year. Attendance is expected, barring schedule conflicts.

Questions? Contact bluestarawards@kcstarlight.com for assistance.

This award recognizes students who have given their time and talent in a backstage capacity (i.e. stage manager, crew head, board operator, etc.) or design field (i.e. lighting, scenic, costume, etc.). Multiple students may be considered together for this award; however, no more than three students who worked equally on the same aspect/s will be considered in tandem.

Should multiple students be considered together and win, each will receive a trophy, but will split the $400 monetary award. This application process should be initiated by a student. Students at all high school grade levels may be considered.

The following must be uploaded as part of the online form by Monday, January 26:

• Student Essay: In one page, detail your involvement with your school’s theatre program, address what you learned from the experience, and offer specifics about your applicable backstage and/or design contributions (if multiple students are being considered together, they may write one essay as a group or write individual essays and combine them into a single document).
• Recommending Teacher/Advisor Letter: In 500 words or less, provide details about the student’s/students’ contributions to your theatre program and why you feel the student/s should be considered for the award
• Digital portfolio of support materials pertaining to the student’s area/s of expertise (i.e. run sheets, renderings, plots, sketches, stage manager prompt book, etc.)
  • All support materials must be in a digital format. Photos or scans are preferred.

Apply HERE

Questions? Contact bluestarawards@kcstarlight.com for assistance.

This award recognizes students who contributed to the direction, music direction, and/or choreography of the production. Students at all high school grade levels may be considered. This application process may be initiated by a student or teacher. To qualify, the student/s had to have taken full responsibility for directing one or more scenes, teaching and working with performers/musicians in learning one or more songs, and/or creating and teaching the choreography for one or more songs. Multiple students may be considered together for this award; however, no more than three students who worked equally on the same aspect/s will be considered in tandem.

This application process may be initiated by a student or teacher. Students at all high school grade levels may be considered for this award.

The following must be uploaded as part of the online form by Monday, January 26:

• Student Essay: In one page, detail your contributions to the production as well as what they learned from the experience (offering specifics about the applicable scene/s and/or song/s); if multiple students are being considered together, they may write one essay as a group or write individual essays and combine them into a single document.
• Recommending Teacher/Advisor Letter: In 500 words or less, provide details about the student’s/students’ contributions and why you feel the student/s should be considered for the award
• Digital portfolio of support materials pertaining to the student’s area/s of expertise
  • All support materials must be in a digital format. Photos or scans are preferred.

Apply HERE

Questions? Contact bluestarawards@kcstarlight.com for assistance.

This award highlights the creativity of students working in the areas of lighting design, scenic design, costume design, hair and makeup design, graphic design/publicity, direction, and choreography. After the Dream Production musical is announced on December 12, students will have three weeks to complete and submit a design/creative brief, artist statement, and initial design/creative work for the production.

The winner receives a trophy and $400 monetary award. This application process should be initiated by a student. Students at all high school grade levels may be considered for this award.

Part 1 of the application is due by Monday, December 8.

Apply HERE

Questions? Contact bluestarawards@kcstarlight.com for assistance.

The National High School Musical Theatre Awards™ (the Jimmy Awards) celebrates the best of the best in high school musical theatre from across the nation.

Through an audition process, six Blue Star Awards nominees will be selected, with each receiving a $500 monetary award. Nominees will rehearse and learn a character medley to perform at the Blue Star Awards Ceremony. A second audition for the six nominees will take place prior to the Ceremony. Two winners will be announced to represent the Blue Star Awards in New York City. Starlight’s two students compete against other high school students from across the United States for Best Performance by an Actor and Actress, as well as other honors and scholarships. In addition to the awards ceremony, students participate in a ten-day professional training intensive with notable theatre professionals. Dates for the 2026 Jimmy Awards will be available on Starlight’s website when they are released.

To be eligible to audition, a student must perform a qualifying role in an adjudicated production at a Blue Star Awards participating school (Path #1). If a school performs after the audition dates, the student must be cast in that role prior to auditions and will remain eligible as long as they perform in their school’s adjudicated production. If a role is double cast, both students can audition.

NOTE: Students submitting in this category CANNOT submit for The Jimmy Awards – Student Reporter category.

Audition Dates:
Saturday, February 7 at 10:00 a.m. (35 spots total)
Tuesday, February 17 at 4:30 p.m. (35 spots total)
Sunday, February 22 at 2:00 p.m. (35 spots total)

The RSVP deadline for all sessions is Friday, January 30.

Submit your RSVP HERE

Rehearsal Information:
For the selected nominees, attendance at rehearsals will be mandatory for participation. Below is the tentative timeline for rehearsals, which take place at Starlight Theatre. If auditioning for this category, the student is acknowledging they will make themselves available for these dates.

Sunday, May 3 (2:00-5:00 p.m.) – Intros, paperwork, solo song selection
Tuesday, May 5 (4:00-7:00 p.m.) – Headshots, medley rehearsal, and solo song selection
Saturday, May 9 (10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.) – Rehearsal
Thursday, May 14 (4:00-6:30 p.m.) – Rehearsal and mock audition
Saturday, May 16 (3:00-5:00 p.m.) – Nominee audition day
Tuesday, May 19 (6:30-7:30 pm.) – Onstage medley rehearsal
Thursday, May 21 (evening) – Ceremony

Questions? Contact bluestarawards@kcstarlight.com for assistance.

This award recognizes students who have an interest in journalism, film, and other related categories. Two winners will receive a $400 monetary award. The recipients will work directly with the Blue Star Awards team to be part of Starlight’s coverage of the nominations and Blue Star Awards Ceremony. Both students will be submitted as applicants for the student reporter search conducted by the National High School Musical Theatre Awards. Dates for the 2026 National High School Musical Theatre Awards, aka The Jimmy Awards, will be available on Starlight’s website when they are released.

NOTE: Students submitting in this category CANNOT submit for The Jimmy Awards – Actor and Actress category. This application process should be initiated by a student. Students at all high school grade levels may be considered.

Part 1 of the application is due by Monday, December 8.

On December 12, students will be sent additional information and will have several weeks to complete and submit two videos (30-60 seconds in length) following the provided prompts. Those videos must be submitted as part of the online form by Monday, January 26.

Apply HERE

Questions? Contact bluestarawards@kcstarlight.com for assistance.