Paper Mill Playhouse to Host 2026 Rising Star Awards

Paper Mill Playhouse has officially commenced the 2026 Rising Star Awards season. Since 1996, Paper Mill has modeled the Rising Star Awards after Broadway’s Tony Awards to recognize and reward the outstanding achievements of New Jersey high school musical theater and student productions around the state.

Following an application process earlier this year, 114 New Jersey high schools across 19 counties will participate in full adjudication of their musical theater productions performed between February-April 2026. These performances will be attended by a team of 55 passionate and skilled adjudicators specializing in music, dance, design, education, and more. To learn more about the participating schools and their upcoming productions, please visit Paper Mill’s Participating Schools List or Participating Schools Map.

Applications are now open for this year’s Outstanding Solo Performance Award, recognizing exceptional solo musical theater work by New Jersey high school students. The category is open to students from all New Jersey high schools regardless of their school’s participation in the Rising Star Awards and will be adjudicated through self-tape submissions. Complete submission guidelines, self-tape requirements, examples, and upload information can be found on Paper Mill's Rising Star Awards website.

Applications are also now open for the Spotlight Award special recognition categories honoring excellence across performance, leadership, education, inclusion, and design:

Spotlight Awards Open to New Jersey High School Students

·        Rising Star College Scholarships: Scholarships in the amount of $1000 each will be presented to students graduating from a New Jersey high school in 2026.

·        Student Achievement Award: The Student Achievement Award recognizes student contributions in areas beyond performance. Examples include stage managers, designers, technicians, creative team members, front-of-house teams, musicians, and administrative roles.

Spotlight Awards Open to New Jersey High School Educators

·       Educational Impact Award: The Educational Impact Award recognizes those schools which successfully connect their musical production to their curriculum and utilize the musical to serve the school population in alignment with the NJ Student Learning Standards for Visual and Performing Arts.

·       Theater for Everyone Inclusion and Access Award: The “Theater for Everyone” Inclusion & Access Award recognizes exceptional efforts made by a production to welcome and support individuals with disabilities – on stage, backstage, and/or within the audience. 

·       Outstanding Educator Award: This award honors an educator who brings the transformative power of theater into their students’ learning and lives, nominated by a colleague or supervisor. 

Please visit the Rising Star Awards website for information regarding eligibility requirements and application details. Submissions will be accepted through April 24.

A full list of Rising Star Awards nominations will be published in mid-May. The culminating awards ceremony on Tuesday, June 9, 2026 will celebrate the nominees and awardees on stage at Paper Mill Playhouse and via live stream. Ceremony tickets will go on sale in May.