Fabiola Caraballo Quijada and Chris Hayes Win at The 2025 Jimmy Awards
The 16th Annual Jimmy Awards were held at the Minskoff Theatre on June 23, 2025.
By: Nicole Rosky Jun. 23, 2025
Just last night, the most talented teenagers from across the country took the stage at the Minskoff Theatre for the 16th Annual Jimmy Awards, hosted by Josh Groban. BroadwayWorld is excited to report that Chris Hayes and Fabiola Caraballo Quijada have won Best Performance by an Actor and Best Performance by an Actress.
Fabiola Caraballo Quijada, Broadway Dallas High School Musical Theatre Awards, was nominated for her portrayal of Sandra Bloom in Big Fish while Chris Hayes, from the Nevada High School Musical Theater Awards, portrayed Gaston in Disney's Beauty and the Beast.
Other finalists included: Adam Bouchachia, Seger Ott-Rudolph, Dawson Fullingham, Kinsley Stephens, JJ Korkin, and Kayla Rae.
Additional awards winners each received a $2,500 scholarship: Gavin Evanson (Rising Star), Jamaur Houston (Best Dancer), Kevin Wilson (Spirit of the Jimmys). Outstanding Performance in an Ensemble winners were: Mira Cahalane, Josiah D. Jennings, JJ McDonough, Kash Stevenson, Jayden Vega.
The recipients of the 2025 INSPIRING TEACHER AWARD were Elena Ferrante-Martin, Bishop Gorman High School (Las Vegas, NV) and KoKo M. Thornton, Enloe High School (Durham, NC) who were honored for providing valuable guidance and encouragement to their students and school communities. Ferrante-Martin and Thornton were nominated for their recognition last spring by 2024 Jimmy Award nominees.
Watch the full ceremony!
This year’s coaches included: Jenni Barber, Lisa Brescia, Janet Dacal, Colin Hanlon, Lily Kaufmann, Adam J. Levy, Julia Murney, Desi Oakley, Eliseo Román, Q. Smith, Steven Telsey, and EJ Zimmerman. Winners and finalists were selected by Montego Glover, LaChanze/" target="newwinddow">LaChanze, Joe Machota, Alecia Parker, Marc Platt, Tara Rubin, Nick Scandalios, Bernard Telsey, and Lia Vollack. Preliminary judges who adjudicated and cast the nominees in the Character and Feature Groups included Kristian Charbonier, Stephanie Klapper, Sammy Lopez, Kevin Metzger-Timson, Dale Mott, Cody Renard Richard, and Rachel Sussman.
About the Jimmy Awards:
The National High School Musical Theatre Awards®, better known as the Jimmy Awards®, is a coast-to-coast celebration of outstanding student achievement, recognizing individual talent in vocal, dance, and acting performance. The program impacts approximately 130,000 students who participate in regional high school musical theatre competitions sponsored by presenters of Touring Broadway productions throughout the United States. The 2024 Jimmy Awards anticipates welcoming more than 100 nominees from over 50 cities across the country as they make their debuts on a Broadway stage. During this exhilarating talent showcase, a panel of judges will select two students to receive the coveted awards of Best Performance by an Actor and Best Performance by an Actress. Named for Broadway impresario James M. Nederlander, the Jimmy Awards has been the catalyst for more than $6,000,000 in educational scholarships.
Founded in 2009 by Nederlander Alliances LLC, Pittsburgh CLO, and Broadway Education Alliance (BEA), the mission of the NHSMTA is to raise the profile of musical theatre in schools, honor dedicated teachers, and inspire the next generation of performers and enthusiasts. Numerous participants have already been cast in Broadway, Touring, and West End productions. As of this spring, 67 Jimmys alumni have performed on Broadway or on Tour.
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