2025 Heller Awards For Young Artists Winners Revealed

The 12th Annual Heller Awards for Young Artists took place last night at the Long Center for the Performing Arts in Austin, TX.

2025 HAYA Award Winners, Walker Wallace from Round Rock High School and Raegan Gonzales from Weiss High School, will go on to represent Austin, Texas at the National High School Musical Theatre Awards, more commonly known as the Jimmy Awards. The 16th Annual Jimmy Awards ceremony will take place on June 23 at Broadway's Minskoff Theatre in New York City. All of the nominees in both categories had a song performance master class with Adam Roberts to begin preparations for required submission materials.

Last night's event honored over 400 students participating from 37 schools in 19 categories with training scholarships totaling over $20,000 provided by programs from Impact Arts' Texas Arts Project, Impact Arts' College Audition Program, Adam Roberts Voice, Balance Dance Studios, The Adderley School, , Motley Crew Media and Trevor Scott/CBS, Savannah College of Art and Design, Olden Lighting, Collier Talent Agency, and Broadway Teaching Group.

Additionally, students who win one of the top 6 individual awards will receive a consultation with Laura Maxwell Scott of Collier Talent Agency. Broadway Teaching Group will provide two educators with access to participate in a three-day workshop virtually. Olden Lighting will also announce 6 schools to receive an industry-led lighting workshop for the 2025-26 school year.

2025 HELLER AWARDS FOR YOUNG ARTISTS WINNERS

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY: Catch Me If You Can | Cedar Ridge High School

BEST MUSICAL DIRECTION: Once Upon A Mattress | Vista Ridge High School

BEST ORCHESTRA: Sweeny Todd (School Edition) | Georgetown High School

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN: Bright Star | East View High School

BEST COSTUME DESIGN: Catch Me If You Can | Cedar Ridge High School

BEST SCENIC DESIGN: Hadestown (Teen Edition) | Liberal Arts and Science Academy (LASA)

BEST TECHNICAL EXECUTION: Tuck Everlasting | McCallum High School Fine Arts Academy

BEST FEATURED PERFORMER | INDIVIDUAL CATEGORY: Writer Collis | Daddy Murphy | Bright Star | East View High School

BEST FEATURED PERFORMER | ENSEMBLE CATEGORY: Elora Clarke | Ensemble | Tuck Everlasting | McCallum High School Fine Arts Academy

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMER | MALE CATEGORY: Ryan Crosby | Nigel Bottom | Something Rotten! | Round Rock High School

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMER | FEMALE CATEGORY: Raegan Gonzales| Catherine | Pippen | Weiss High School

BEST LEAD PERFORMER | MALE CATEGORY: Walker Wallace | Nick Bottom | Something Rotten! | Round Rock High School

BEST LEAD PERFORMER | FEMALE CATEGORY: Avery Linden | Judy Bernly | 9 to 5 The Musical | Leander High School

BEST ENSEMBLE: Pippin | Weiss High School

BEST DIRECTION: Catch Me If You Can | Cedar Ridge High School

BEST PRODUCTION: TIE: Catch Me If You Can | Cedar Ridge High School & Into the Woods | ZACH Performing Arts Academy

COMPANY IMPACT AWARDS: Anna Nelson, Round Rock High School; Annie Mawson, Hays High School; Natu Demeke, Westwood High School; Maya Vaughn, Leander High School; Sam Ferreira, Hutto High School; and Sofia Rayas, McCallum High School Fine Arts Academy

2025 HELLER AWARDS FOR YOUNG ARTISTS STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT | DESIGN: Anastasia Benavides | Hendrickson High School

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT | MARKETING: Natalie Berkaw | Westwood High School

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT | STAGE MANAGEMENT: Charlotte Adair | Cedar Park High School

TRAINING SCHOLARSHIPS

ADAMS ROBERTS VOICE, THE MACEDO UNIQUE VOICE SCHOLARSHIP: Joseph Martinez, Dripping Springs High School and Dylan Daniels, Dripping Springs High School

THE ADDERLEY SCHOOL MUSICAL THEATRE CONSERVATORY: Amalie Melendez, Lago Vista High School

BALANCE DANCE STUDIOS SUMMER WORKSHOP: Rory Ruiz, Elgin High School

IMPACT ARTS' TEXAS ARTS PROJECT SUMMER INTENSIVE: Brooklynn Nickel, Elgin High School and Christian Fendt, Cedar Ridge High School

IMPACT ARTS' COLLEGE AUDITION PROGRAM: Savannah Owuor, Round Rock High School

MOTLEY CREW MEDIA AND TREVOR SCOTT/CBS MEDIA TRAINING: Walker Wallace, Round Rock High School and Raegan Gonzalez, Weiss High School

THE DANCE SPOT SUMMER WORKSHOP: Kaitlyn Kenney, McNeil High School

SAVANNAH COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN SUMMER INTENSIVE: Clair Elam, Tom Glenn High School and Jack Stratton, Vista Ridge High School

BROADWAY TEACHING GROUP EDUCATOR WORKSHOP: Alexis Hargy, Weiss High School and Jessica Fleming, Moe and Gene Johnson High School

COLLIER TALENT AGENCY CONSULTATION: Raegan Gonzales, Weiss High School; Ryan Crosby, Round Rock High School; Writer Collis, East View High School; Elora Clarke, McCallum High School Fine Arts Academy; Avery Liden, Leander High School; and Walker Wallace, Round Rock High School

OLDEN LIGHTING CONSULTATION: Moe and Gene Johnson High School, McNeil High School, Jack C. Hayes High School, Lehman High School, Elgin High School, and Cedar Park High School

2025 JIMMY AWARDS REGIONAL PROGRAM WINNERS

Walker Wallace | Nick Bottom | Something Rotten! | Round Rock High School

Raegan Gonzales | Catherine | Pippin | Weiss High School

Performances included an original opening and finale written by Allen Robertson; musical numbers from nominees including Into the Woods, The Drowsy Chaperone, Once Upon A Mattress, Bright Star, Cinderella, Catch Me If You Can, Pippin and Six; selected scenes from supporting nominees, medleys from the lead performer categories along with surprise shout outs from Broadway professionals and stars Philip Johnson Richardson (Tin Man, The Wiz/Knuck, Hell's Kitchen), Khailah Johnson and Liam Pearce (Juliet and Romeo, & Juliet), Aline Mayagoitia (Itzel, Real Women Have Curves), Lena Owens (Lisa, Mamma Mia!), Diego Andres Rodriguez (Artie, Sunset Boulevard), Jorge Guerra (Swing, Hamilton), and Emily Royer (Vocalist, Radio City Rockettes) to name a few.

Austin Awards - Live Stats

Best Musical - Top 3

1. MATILDA: THE MUSICAL (Gaslight-Baker Theatre)

17.2% of votes

2. SISTER ACT (Bastrop Opera House)

6% of votes

3. SHREK (Broke Thespians Theatre Company)

5.8% of votes

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