Blue Star Awards
Modeled after Broadway’s Tony Awards®, Starlight’s annual Blue Star Awards recognize achievement and excellence in musical theatre among Kansas City area high school students.
Established in 2003, the program is one of the largest and most admired high school musical theatre awards programs in the nation. All high schools in metropolitan Kansas City and selected outlying communities are invited to participate. Each year the program serves 5,000 area students who contribute either on the stage or behind the scenes to their schools’ musical theatre productions.
High schools interested in learning more about the program are encouraged to contact education@kcstarlight.com.
Download the 2024-2025 Blue Star Awards Rules and Guidelines.
The Blue Star Awards are generously supported by multiple community engagement program benefactors, including an anonymous donor with support from Jeff Ayers, Southwest Airlines, The Jeannette & Jerome Cohen Philanthropic Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Kansas City, and the Mary Elizabeth Martin Scholarship Trust US Bank N.A., Trustee.
Blue Star Awards Ceremony
The Blue Star Awards publicly recognizes the outstanding achievements of high school musical theatre students from high schools in Kansas City and surrounding areas.
The 2025 ceremony is Thursday, May 15, at 7:30 p.m. Premium seating will be available for $20 a ticket. Additional seating is free but will be ticketed. Seating will not be General Admission this year.
All proceeds benefit the Blue Star Awards Program.
Student Submissions
The Blue Star Awards program offers multiple opportunities for student involvement. Several award categories are open to all participating students.
If you wish to receive email remainders prior to the deadlines, you can sign up for our mailing list.
Adjudicators
Theatre professionals, performing artists, designers and theatre arts educators, provide evaluations for all award categories. These professionals determine each season’s nominees and winners.
Starlight facilitates, but does not participate in, the adjudication process.
Jimmy Awards
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.
Starlight Theatre sends two Blue Star Award winners to New York City to compete.