Heller Awards celebrating young musical theatre performers moving to Texas Performing Arts in 2026
The Heller Awards for Young Artistsa highly anticipated annual event in Austin, are moving to Texas Performing Arts, the home of Broadway in Austin, and will become a permanent program beginning in the 2025–26 season. Texas Performing Arts (TPA) will hold the Heller Awards ceremony at Bass Concert Hall during spring 2026, after 12 successful years at the Long Center for the Performing Arts. This move will provide the opportunity for larger audiences and engage participating students with other educational opportunities offered by TPA and the College of Fine Arts.
Founded by the Long Center, Texas Performing Arts and ZACH Theatre, the Heller Awards for Young Artists recognize the outstanding achievements of high school musical theatre students and educators in the Greater Austin area. Modeled after the Tony Awards®, the program honors the entire high school musical experience with 19 award categories, including best production, lead and supporting performers and technical design. In 2025, 37 high schools in Travis and five surrounding counties participated in the awards program.
Since 2022, Texas Performing Arts has hosted Impact Arts’ Summer Stock Austin, creating more avenues for young theatre artists to hone their craft through performances at McCullough Theatre each summer. This partnership expanded in 2023 when the Heller Awards became a Regional Awards Program for the National High School Musical Theatre Awards® (popularly known as The Jimmy Awards®) through Texas Performing Arts’ membership in the Broadway League. As part of this collaboration, Impact Arts has worked closely with Texas Performing Arts to provide training and administrative support for Jimmy Awards preparation.
Presented by the Broadway League Foundation, the Jimmys represent the highest level of achievement in high school musical theatre, recognizing individual artistry in vocal performance, dance and acting while underscoring the importance of theatre arts education in schools. During the past two years, four students — Langston Lee, Kyra Carr, Ava Moak and Jamias Hughes — have advanced from the Heller Awards to the Jimmys in New York City. In 2023, Lee, a student from Rouse High School in Leander, won the prestigious award for Best Performance by an Actor, further solidifying the Heller Awards for Young Artists as a nationally significant platform for nurturing young talent. The Heller Awards for Young Artists, a highly anticipated annual event in Austin, are moving to Texas Performing Arts, the home of Broadway in Austin, and will become a permanent program beginning in the 2025–26 season. Texas Performing Arts (TPA) will hold the Heller Awards ceremony at Bass Concert Hall during spring 2026, after 12 successful years at the Long Center for the Performing Arts. This move will provide the opportunity for larger audiences and engage participating students with other educational opportunities offered by TPA and the College of Fine Arts.
Founded by the Long Center, Texas Performing Arts and ZACH Theatre, the Heller Awards for Young Artists recognize the outstanding achievements of high school musical theatre students and educators in the Greater Austin area. Modeled after the Tony Awards®, the program honors the entire high school musical experience with 19 award categories, including best production, lead and supporting performers and technical design. In 2025, 37 high schools in Travis and five surrounding counties participated in the awards program.
Since 2022, Texas Performing Arts has hosted Impact Arts’ Summer Stock Austin, creating more avenues for young theatre artists to hone their craft through performances at McCullough Theatre each summer. This partnership expanded in 2023 when the Heller Awards became a Regional Awards Program for the National High School Musical Theatre Awards® (popularly known as The Jimmy Awards®) through Texas Performing Arts’ membership in the Broadway League. As part of this collaboration, Impact Arts has worked closely with Texas Performing Arts to provide training and administrative support for Jimmy Awards preparation.
Presented by the Broadway League Foundation, the Jimmys represent the highest level of achievement in high school musical theatre, recognizing individual artistry in vocal performance, dance and acting while underscoring the importance of theatre arts education in schools. During the past two years, four students — Langston Lee, Kyra Carr, Ava Moak and Jamias Hughes — have advanced from the Heller Awards to the Jimmys in New York City. In 2023, Lee, a student from Rouse High School in Leander, won the prestigious award for Best Performance by an Actor, further solidifying the Heller Awards for Young Artists as a nationally significant platform for nurturing young talent.