Jack Gunter and Mia Salas Earn Top Prizes at The 2026 Rita Moreno Awards
Jack Gunter and Mia Salas earn top honors for MY FAIR LADY and HADESTOWN at San Jose's Center for the Performing Arts.
Broadway San Jose, a Nederlander Presentation, and Children's Musical Theater San Jose, announced the 2026 winners of The Rita Moreno Awards held in-person at San Jose's Center for the Performing Arts on Monday, May 18, 2026.
This regional awards competition recognizes outstanding achievement in high school musical theatre from San Mateo County down to Kern County in Southern California.
The 2026 winners are:
OVERALL PRODUCTION:
• Urinetown
San Luis Obispo High School (San Luis Obispo, CA)
LEAD ACTOR:
• Jack Gunter as Freddy Eynsford-Hill in My Fair Lady
Valley Christian School (San Jose, CA)
LEAD ACTRESS:
• Mia Salas as Eurydice in Hadestown: Teen Edition
Highland High School (Bakersfield, CA)
SUPPORTING PERFORMER:
• Scarlett Buatte as Officer Barrell in Urinetown
San Luis Obispo High School (San Luis Obispo, CA)
FAN FAVORITE:
• A Chorus Line
Bellarmine College Preparatory (San Jose, CA)
Jack Gunter (Lead Actor) and Mia Salas (Lead Actress) will travel to New York City for the 17th Annual Jimmy Awards ceremony taking place on Monday, June 22, 2026, where they will make their debuts on a Broadway stage alongside 114 other students from around the nation. During this unforgettable event at the Minskoff Theatre, a panel of judges will bestow a number of awards and scholarships, including the coveted awards for Best Performance by an Actor and Actress. Participants in the National High School Musical Theatre Awards will be in New York City from Friday, June 12, 2026, through Tuesday, June 23, 2026 and will also participate in a rigorous theatre intensive that includes coaching sessions, training, and rehearsals led by some of Broadway's most accomplished professionals, culminating in an extraordinary, one-night-only talent showcase.
The Jimmy Awards/National High School Musical Theatre Awards (NHSMTA) is a celebration of student achievement in high school musical theatre across the country, spotlighting the next generation of Broadway talent. The program was established in 2009 to elevate the importance of theatre arts education in schools and reward excellence in student performance. Since then, the NHSMTA has been the catalyst for more than $9 million in educational scholarships awarded to deserving young performers, and over 90 alumni have performed on Broadway and in National Tours. Over the years, the NHSMTA has grown to include 58 affiliated regional high school musical theatre awards programs in communities throughout the United States and impacts over 180,000 students from more than 2,600 high schools. Sponsored annually by presenters of touring Broadway, nominees selected by these regional competitions travel to New York City to participate in the national program, a rigorous theatre intensive that includes coaching sessions, training, and rehearsals led by some of Broadway's most accomplished professionals, culminating in an extraordinary, one-night-only talent showcase.
Named for Broadway impresario James M. Nederlander, this year-round program is administered by The Broadway League Foundation Inc., The Broadway League's charitable division. The Foundation's mission is to support the arts education, community engagement, and audience access programs of the Broadway League, which envisions a world that universally recognizes Broadway theatre as a dynamic, vibrant, inclusive, and accessible entertainment experience.
The depth, scope, and education-centric mission of the Jimmy Awards coupled with its extensive television and media coverage has made participating in the program an aspiration for a growing number of high schools. Based on feedback from participating theatres, school administrators are now directing both staff and financial resources to improve the quality of theatre arts education in their districts. This renewed enthusiasm for the performing arts in schools across the country is already helping to invigorate local theatres and the communities they serve. For more information, please visit www.JimmyAwards.com.
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