Video: Watch the Opening Number for the 2026 Jimmy Awards

116 of the most talented high schoolers in the country will take the stage at the Minskoff Theatre for the 17th Annual Jimmy Awards. The 2026 ceremony will stream for free online through Thursday evening, June 25th. Bowen Yang (Saturday Night Live, the Wicked movies) will host the 2026 ceremony. 

The Jimmy Awards is the national talent showcase celebrating high school musical theatre students from across the country and featuring dynamic ensemble and solo performances. Each participating Regional Awards Program awards top honors to two local student performers and sponsors their travel to New York to participate in The Jimmy Awards on June 22nd. At the Jimmy Awards ceremony, a panel of judges will bestow awards and scholarships, including the awards for Best Performance by an Actor and Best Performance by an Actress. The Jimmy Awards plays a leading role in charting the future of the live performance industry, with over 90 alumni having performed on Broadway and in National Tours and numerous others enjoying robust careers in film, television, and music. 

The 17th annual Jimmy Awards welcomes 12 coaches who will mentor the 116 high school students from across the country who have come to New York City for a chance to win the Jimmy Award for Best Performance by an Actor and Actress. This year’s coaches are: Lisa Brescia, Janet Dacal, Colin Hanlon, MaryAnn Hu, Adam Kantor, Lily Kaufmann, Adam J. Levy, Desi Oakley, Eliseo Román, Lawrence Stallings, Steven Telsey, and EJ Zimmerman.

The panel of judges for the 2026 Jimmy Awards is comprised of notable theatre professionals including Tony Award®-winning producers, prestigious casting experts, and industry leaders. Winners and finalists will be selected by Montego Glover, Kenny Leon, Joe Machota, Alecia Parker, Marc Platt, Tara Rubin, Thomas Schumacher, 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, T. Oliver Reid, and Rachel Sussman.

Watch as the nominees rehearse the opening number, which features songs from Schmigadoon!, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York), and more,  ahead of the big night in this video!