The American Alliance for Theatre & Education Announces 2026 Award Winners
Gina Grandi, Lee Lee Newcomb, and Claudia Haas among this year's honored recipients.
The American Alliance for Theatre & Education has announced the recipients of its 2026 awards, celebrating outstanding contributions to theatre education, student achievement, and theatrical innovation.
This year's honorees represent the breadth and depth of excellence within the theatre education community, from seasoned educators shaping the next generation to emerging student artists and playwrights pushing creative boundaries.
"These awards celebrate the exceptional contributions that educators, emerging playwrights, students, and leaders make to theatre education," said Alexis Truitt, Executive Director. "From distinguished professors and innovative youth theatre directors to the next generation of playwrights and scholars, these 2026 recipients embody the excellence and creativity that drives our field forward."
The awards recognize achievement across multiple areas: university faculty advancing the discipline through teaching, research, and service; K-12 educators transforming young people's lives through theatre; published works enhancing the scholarly and practical foundation of the field; and emerging young voices in playwriting that offer fresh perspectives and opportunities for young performers and audiences.
Major Achievement Awards
The Johnny Saldaña Outstanding Professor of Theatre Education Award, which honors excellence in teaching, research/creative activity, and service at the college or university level: Gina Grandi
Ann Elgood Youth Theatre Director Award, recognizing outstanding achievement as a director in youth theatre who serves as a model of excellence and innovation: Lee Lee Newcomb
Charlotte B. Chorpenning Playwright Award, honoring a nationally known writer of outstanding plays for children and recognizing a body of work: Claudia Haas
Student Recognition
AATE Outstanding Undergraduate Student Award: Alyssa Harms
AATE Outstanding Undergraduate Student Award: Kaitlyn Fields
Research Awards
Distinguished Dissertation Award Winner: Asher Johnson, "Teacher-As-Playwright: Performance Education Scriptwriting to Impact Students and Community"
Distinguished Thesis Award Winner: Sara Berliner, "Eating Disorder Risk Reduction for Theatre Educators"
Publishing & Scholarships
Distinguished Book Award: Entrepreneurial Arts and Cultural Leadership: Traits of Success in Nonprofit Theatre by Bonnie Fogel and Brett Crawford (Intellect Books)
Distinguished Book Award: Drama for Schools and Beyond: Transformative Learning Through the Arts by Kathryn Dawson, Beth Link, Stephanie Cawthon, and Lara Dossett (Intellect Books)
Winifred Ward Scholarship: Alyssa Vera Ramos
Don and Elizabeth Doyle Fellowship: Cameryn Richardson
Playwrights for Change Competition
The Playwrights for Change competition encourages young and adult playwrights to create original works addressing this year's theme: "Widening Our Circle of Compassion."
Adult Category
· Winner: Collision by Andrew Geha
· Runner-Up: Once Upon AI Time by Meredith Campbell
High School Category
· Winner: Forget Me Not by Lucy Gibson
· Runner-Up: Fight the Dragon by Dahlia Ramsay
Middle School Category
· Winner: Why Can't We Just Be Friends by Amelie Langlois
· Runner-Up: Friendships Found in Mazes by Enzo Lamas
· Honorable Mention: Following the Fox by Penelope Lyons
Distinguished Play Award Winners
The Distinguished Play Award honors playwrights for the most outstanding plays for young people published or written during the past calendar year.
Category A (Pre-K and Elementary Audiences)
· The Golden Loc by Prentiss Matthews III (Plays for New Audiences)
Category B (Middle and Secondary School Audiences)
· The Girl Who Was a Hundred Girls by Finegan Kruckemeyer (Stage Partners)
Category C (Adaptations from Children's Literature-Pre-K/Elementary)
· Milo Imagines the World by Terry Guest with music and lyrics by Christian Albright and Christian Magby (Plays for New Audiences)
Category D (Adaptations from Children's Literature-Middle/Secondary)
· Enter the Body by Joy McCullough (Stage Partners)
These awards will be formally presented at the AATE 2026 National Conference, "Echoes of Us," taking place July 29-August 1 in Greenville, South Carolina. The conference brings together theatre educators, students, artists, and scholars from across the country to celebrate and advance theatre education.
About AATE
The American Alliance for Theatre & Education is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring that every young person has access to high-quality theatre education. AATE members include theatre educators, playwrights, researchers, and artists committed to making theatre an integral part of American education.
