Heller Awards for Young Artists or HAYA!

A group of young performers on stage with their arms raised, celebrating at the 2026 Heller Awards nomination event, with a vibrant orange and pink background featuring radiating lines.
BUY TICKETS

THE TONY AWARDS® FOR GREATER AUSTIN HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL THEATRE

May 6th, 2026

at the home of Broadway in Austin, Bass Concert Hall.

Group of theater actors in colorful costumes performing on stage with surprised expressions.
A young girl performing on stage, wearing a colorful dress and a yellow jacket, with an expression of emotion or singing.
Group of diverse children and teens performing on stage with colorful lights and a starry background.
A woman with short hair and colorful makeup holding a trophy and smiling at the camera at the Heller Awards for Young Artists event.

NEW FOR 2026

The Heller Awards for Young Artists is moving to Texas Performing Arts, the home of Broadway in Austin, in 2026.

Learn more

The Heller Awards for Young Artists was founded by the Long Center for the Performing Arts, Texas Performing Arts, and the Zach Theater. The program was presented and produced by the Long Center from 2014 to 2025.

This year’s Ceremony (Wednesday, April 16, 2025) will be the last year at the Long Center – stay tuned for more information about Nominations (coming soon on February 23, 2025), when tickets go on sale for the big day, and more!

SEE OUR PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS’ SHOWS!

Click below to see the entire calendar of all participating schools’ shows and ticket links! Support young artists!

LET ME SEE!

LEARN MORE ABOUT SELECT ENSEMBLE

The Select Ensemble is a tuition-free musical theatre company for high school students, providing professional training and performance opportunities. They headline the annual Heller Awards Nomination and Awards Ceremony, representing the best of Central Texas.

MORE info

HAYA NOMINEES + WINNERS 2025

    • Cinderella (Concord Broadway) | Rouse

    • Footloose | Dripping Springs

    • Chicago: Teen Edition | Vandegrift

    • Tuck Everlasting | McCallum Fine Arts

    • Hadestown Teen Edition | LASA

    • The Spongebob Musical | Elgin

    • Godspell Jr | Marble Falls

    • Newsies | Hutto

    • Catch Me If You Can | Cedar Ridge

    • Cinderella (Concord Broadway) | Rouse

    • The Drowsy Chaperone | Westwood

    • Newsies | Hutto

    • Bright Star | East View

    • Pippin | Weiss

    • Once Upon a Mattress | NYOS Charter

    • Once Upon a Mattress | Vista Ridge

    • Matilda the Musical | Hendrickson

    • Hadestown Teen Edition | LASA

    • Cinderella (Concord Broadway) | Rouse

    • Newsies | Hutto

    • Tuck Everlasting | McCallum Fine Arts

    • Pippin | Weiss

    • Bright Star | East View

    • Titanic | Cedar Park

  • Godspell Jr | Marble Falls

    Bright Star | East View

    Sweeney Todd: School Edition | Georgetown

    • Once Upon a Mattress | Vista Ridge

    • 9 to 5 The Musical | Leander

    • Catch Me If You Can | Cedar Ridge

    • Titanic | Cedar Park

    • Mean Girls High School Version | Austin

    • Hadestown Teen Edition | LASA

    • Tuck Everlasting | Westlake

    • Matilda the Musical | Hendrickson

    • Mean Girls High School Version | Austin

    • Once Upon a Mattress | Vista Ridge

    • The Spongebob Musical | Elgin

    • Sweeney Todd: School Edition | Georgetown

    • Titanic | Cedar Park

    • Newsies | Hutto

    • Hadestown Teen Edition | LASA

    • Tuck Everlasting | McCallum Fine Arts

    • Something Rotten! | Round Rock

    • Catch Me If You Can | Cedar Ridge

    • Footloose | Dripping Springs

    • Matilda the Musical | Hendrickson

    • The Spongebob Musical | Elgin

    • Wilkes Goodner | Baker | Into the Woods | ZACH Academy

    • Caleb Clemons | Spongebob Squarepants | The Spongebob Musical | Elgin

    • Grayson Levee | Barrett | Titanic | Cedar Park

    • Kevin Rogers | William Shakespeare | Something Rotten! | Round Rock

    • Nicolas Hebert | Pippin | Pippin | Weiss

    • Isaiah Barafwala | Topher | Cinderella (Concord Broadway) | Rouse

    • Elliott Richards | Robert | The Drowsy Chaperone | Westwood

    • Nicholas Neumann | Frank Abagnale Jr. | Catch Me If You Can | Cedar Ridge

    • Walker Wallace | Nick Bottom | Something Rotten! | Round Rock

    • Anabel Bordelon | Katherine Howard | Six: Teen Edition | Cedar Creek

    • London Mays | Leading Player | Pippin | Weiss

    • Delilah Grad | Winnie Foster | Tuck Everlasting | McCallum

    • Kinsley Keen | Ella | Cinderella (Concord Broadway) | Rouse

    • Emily Balderaz | Alice Murphy | Bright Star | Lehman

    • Avery Linden | Judy Bernly | 9 to 5 The Musical | Leander

    • Annie Mawson | Roxie Hart | Chicago: Teen Edition | Jack C. Hays

    • Chanse Solis | Queen Aggravain | Once Upon a Mattress | Vista Ridge

    • Brooklyn Nickel | Sandy Cheeks | The Spongebob Musical | Elgin

    • Reilly Favacho | Jack | Into the Woods | Tom Glenn

    • Riley Wayt | Hades | Hadestown Teen Edition | LASA

    • Ryan Crosby | Nigel Bottom | Something Rotten! | Round Rock

    • Noah Mayard | Willard Hewitt | Footloose | Dripping Springs

    • Thomas De La Cruz | Damian | Mean Girls High School Version | San Marcos

    • Gavin Johst | Mr. Wormwood | Matilda the Musical (Roald Dahl) | Hendrickson

    • Vince Pham | Adolpho | The Drowsy Chaperone | Westwood

    • Ace Howell | Damian | Mean Girls High School Version | Austin

    • Cyrus Hartman | Audrey II | Little Shop of Horrors | John B. Connally

    • Merritt Moore | Beatrice Bottom | Something Rotten! | Round Rock

    • McKenzie Hecht | Charlotte | Cinderella (Concord Broadway) | Rouse

    • Anna Nelson | Thomas Nostradamus | Something Rotten! | Round Rock

    • Elise Chambers | Rusty | Footloose | Dripping Springs

    • Graylin Malwitz | Marie | Cinderella (Concord Broadway) | Rouse

    • Raegan Gonzales | Catherine | Pippin | Weiss

    • Lyndal Heer | Portia | Something Rotten! | Round Rock

    • Bella Tamayo | Cinderella | Into the Woods | Tom Glenn

    • Alexandra Guerrero | Cinderella | Into the Woods | ZACH Academy

    • Writer Collis | Daddy Murphy | Bright Star | East View

    • De'Aja Jackson | Jolene Oakes | Dirty Rotten Scoundrels | Crockett

    • Sophia Nikazm | Trix the Aviatrix | The Drowsy Chaperone | Westwood

    • Amalie Melendez | Dormouse/Nigel | Alice By Heart | Lago Vista

    • Calleigh Bowers | Milky White | Into the Woods | Tom Glenn

    • Khai Pormprasong | Madame de la Grande Bouche | Beauty and the Beast | Bastrop

    • Alden Bruner | Kevin G. | Mean Girls High School Version | Austin

    • Shelby Cluck | Betty Blast | Footloose | Dripping Springs

    • Rihanna Elliott | Drama Teacher | High School Musical | Del Valle

    • Evan Puga | Godspell Jr | Marble Falls

    • Cason Jacobs | You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown (Revised) | Pflugerville

    • Elora Clarke | Tuck Everlasting | McCallum

    • Shemaiah Hill | Carrie: the musical | Northeast

    • Aydan Courtney | Tuck Everlasting | McCallum

    • Makayla Rickard | Mean Girls High School Version | Austin

    • Jessie Alkire | Mean Girls High School Version | San Marcos

    • Brandy Serrano | The Spongebob Musical| Elgin

    • Elicie Utterback | Catch Me If You Can | Cedar Ridge

    • Into the Woods | ZACH Academy

    • Drowsy Chaperone, The | Westwood

    • Once Upon a Mattress | Vista Ridge

    • Bright Star | East View

    • Cinderella (Concord Broadway) | Rouse

    • Catch Me If You Can | Cedar Ridge

    • Pippin | Weiss

    • Six: Teen Edition | Cedar Creek

    • Footloose | Dripping Springs

    • Matilda the Musical | Hendrickson

    • Cinderella (Concord Broadway) | Rouse

    • Something Rotten! | Round Rock

    • Once Upon a Mattress | Vista Ridge

    • Catch Me If You Can | Cedar Ridge

    • Newsies | Hutto

    • Bright Star | East View

    • Something Rotten! | Round Rock

    • Catch Me If You Can | Cedar Ridge

    • Pippin | Weiss

    • Godspell Jr | Marble Falls

    • The Drowsy Chaperone | Westwood

    • Footloose | Dripping Springs

    • Cinderella (Concord Broadway) | Rouse

    • Once Upon a Mattress | Vista Ridge

    • Dakota Martin | Akins

    • Paige Solka | Austin

    • Miley Wood | Bastrop

    • Ariana Sullivan | Cedar Creek

    • Charlotte Adair | Cedar Park

    • Niko Upton | Dripping Springs

    • Maggie Curtis | East View

    • Carlos Basilio | Elgin

    • Elia Calzada | Georgetown

    • Lane Decker | Hendrickson

    • Caleigh Kenter | Hutto

    • Rain Howard | Jack C. Hays

    • Connie Spearman | John B. Connally

    • Olivia Smith | Lago Vista

    • Mary Shammas | Leander

    • Emilea White | Lehman

    • Naman Mishra | LASA

    • Ronan Henson | McCallum Fine Arts

    • Forest Trammell | McNeil

    • Scarlett Teague | Moe and Gene Johnson

    • Naomi Taylor | NYOS Charter

    • Malorie Visness | Pflugerville

    • Reece Clark | Round Rock

    • Savannah DeVille | Rouse

    • Catherine Cortez | San Marcos

    • Grace Thomas | Tom Glenn

    • Kiera Aston | Vista Ridge

    • Lourdes Hernandez | Vandegrift

    • Sienna Connally | Weiss

    • Aubry Smith | Westlake

    • Nathan Spector | Westwood

    • Ever Haynes | Akins

    • Alia Pambrum | Bastrop

    • Emery Orsini | Cedar Creek

    • Maggie Baker | Dripping Springs

    • Regina Diaz | East View

    • Gabrielle Valle | Elgin

    • Amity Wann | Georgetown

    • Anastasia Benavides | Hendrickson

    • Emma Smurthwaite | Hutto

    • Abbie Marcionetti | Jack C. Hays

    • Lily Hardie | Leander

    • Ariana Balderaz | Lehman

    • Ezekiel Gregory | LASA

    • Mia Gonzales | McCallum Fine Arts

    • Madelyn Cregar | McNeil

    • Ava Dornak | Moe and Gene Johnson

    • Kat Pruett | Pflugerville

    • Emma Bannister | Rouse

    • Haze Close | San Marcos

    • Ava Ludwig | Tom Glenn

    • Nicolas Pacelli | Vista Ridge

    • Natalie Berkaw | Westwood

    • Kairi Natal | Akins

    • Jamie Jarratt | Austin

    • Alia Pambrum | Bastrop

    • Jade Vasquez | Bastrop

    • Anabel Bordelon | Cedar Creek

    • Ryan Fontaine | Cedar Park

    • Nathan McCoy | Crockett

    • Vanessa Esquivel Gaona | Del Valle

    • Elise Turner | Dripping Springs

    • Alyssa Ruiz | Elgin

    • Lake Facchini | Georgetown

    • Anastasia Benavides | Hendrickson

    • Caleb Bell | Hutto

    • Annie Mawson | Jack C. Hays

    • Synneva Leckbee | John B. Connally

    • Lucy Rees | Lago Vista

    • Sara Nishimura | Leander

    • Grant Bell | LASA

    • Lucy Zanker | McCallum Fine Arts

    • Rylee Montgomery | McNeil

    • Carmen Cartlidge | NYOS Charter

    • Lorelei Lemieux | Pflugerville

    • Mya Barry | Rouse

    • Jade Ruiz | San Marcos

    • Priscilla Burton | Tom Glenn

    • Carly Klein | Vista Ridge

    • Jordyn Sanchez | Weiss

    • Hudson Kerr | Westlake

    • Lucy Brown | Westwood

2025 AWARDS

Partners 

Texas Performing Arts | The Long Center | Impact Arts

Sponsors

Mary Ann & Andrew Heller | Carolyn and Marc Seriff | Concordia University | Elizabeth Kalamaha-Wynn & Mike Wynn | Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) | Amado DeHoyos | Dr. Marilyn Gaddis & Lt. Col. George Carruthers | Kelly & Mike Condon 

Media Partners

KMFA | PBS Austin | Motley Crew Media | Trevor Scott at CBS Austin

In-Kind Donors & Community Partners

Accenture

Adam Roberts Voice

The Adderley School

AISD PAC 

Balance Dance Studios

Broadway Teaching Workshop

Harker Heights High School

IATSE

Olden Lighting

Palladium 

SISU

Stage Alliance

Sylvia & David Jabour

5280 Burger and TAPhouse

717 Parking Services Inc.