THE DPAC RISING STAR AWARDS
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About
Celebrating Our 15th Anniversary this Season!
Since 2010, The DPAC Rising Star Awards have celebrated outstanding achievements in high school musical theatre made throughout central North Carolina. This program focuses attention on the meaningful work being done both on and off stage by dedicated teachers and students. The DPAC Rising Star Awards are part of the National High School Musical Theatre Awards®, also known as the Jimmy Awards®, in honor of Jimmy Nederlander Sr.
Throughout the school year, DPAC sends adjudicators to review musical productions presented by participating high schools. These adjudicators are tasked with identifying the biggest successes made by schools and students each season, which includes selecting 20 student performers as "Finalists". Finalists participate in two weeks of coaching and rehearsals leading up to The DPAC Rising Star Awards ceremony, an event that takes place on DPAC's stage each May. The awards ceremony showcases the incredible young talent that exists in central North Carolina with unforgettable performances, plus the announcement of winners in multiple awards categories, offering both public celebration of successes and thousands of dollars in scholarship prizes.
The awards ceremony is adjudicated live by a panel of three esteemed ceremony judges who determine which two student Finalists are named “Best Actor” and “Best Actress”. These two winning students receive $2,000 in scholarships and an all-expenses paid trip to NYC where they will compete nationally at the Jimmy Awards® in New York City this June.
2025 / 2026 Season
Now Accepting School Musical Registration
The deadline to register high school musical productions for participation is December 1, 2025.
To learn more about eligibility requirements, awards categories, the adjudication process, and more, please reference the handbook below.
Important Dates
For more information, please reference The DPAC Rising Star Awards handbook.
- September 2025 — School Musical Registration Opens
- October 13, 2025 — School Musical Adjudication Window Opens
- December 1, 2025 — School Musical Registration Closes
- March 30, 2026 — Deadline for Student Tech Team Applications
- April 19, 2026 — School Musical Adjudication Window Closes
- April 22, 2026 — Deadline for Student Ensemble Submissions
- May 14, 2026 — The DPAC Rising Star Awards Ceremony at DPAC
Awards Categories
For more details about each possible awards category, please reference The DPAC Rising Star Awards handbook.
Student Finalist Performance Awards
- Best Actor
- Best Actress
- Best Dancer
- The DPAC Shining Star
Student Ensemble Performance Awards
- Outstanding Performance in an Ensemble (4)
Student Production Awards
- Best Student Costume Designer
- Best Student Lighting Designer
- Best Student Choreographer
- Best Student Set Design
- Best Student Orchestra
School Production Awards
Tier 1 includes musicals with a budget of $9,999 and under. Tier 2 includes musicals with a budget of $10,000 and up.
- Best Ensemble (Tier 1)
- Best Ensemble (Tier 2)
- Best Musical (Tier 1)
- Best Musical (Tier 2)
Eligibility
The DPAC Rising Star Awards are open to public and private high schools producing musical theater in central North Carolina. To be eligible for participation, schools must meet the following requirements:
- The school must be located within our designated region.
- High schools located in central North Carolina are invited to participate in The DPAC Rising Star Awards.
- This includes these counties: Alamance, Caswell, Chatham, Cumberland, Davidson, Durham, Edgecombe, Forsyth, Franklin, Granville, Greene, Guilford, Halifax, Harnett, Hoke, Johnston, Lee, Montgomery, Moore, Nash, Orange, Person, Randolf, Rockingham, Sampson, Stokes, Vance, Wake, Warren, Wayne, Wilson
- The musical must be scheduled within the adjudication window.
- For the 2025/2026 season, high school musical theater productions must take place between October 13, 2025 and April 19, 2026.
- The musical must be considered "eligible" by the National High School Musical Theatre Awards®
- Schools must choose a musical from the National High School Musical Theatre Awards’® list of qualified productions.
- The current list of qualifying musicals can be found at JimmyAwards.com or by clicking here.
Additional Opportunities for Participating High Schools
To learn more about each of the below opportunities, please reference The DPAC Rising Star Awards handbook.
Student Ensemble
- Each participating high school is invited to send 2 students to perform and participate in The DPAC Rising Star Awards ensemble. These students will perform on DPAC's stage, and have the opportunity to work with The DPAC Rising Star Awards creative team.
- For the first time ever this year, Ensemble members are eligible for one of four “Outstanding Performance in an Ensemble” Awards.
Student Tech Team
- The DPAC Rising Star Awards will be selecting a small number of students to assist with important technical aspects of the awards ceremony.
- Student tech team positions include:
- Stage Management
- Talent Management
- Costume & Props Coordinators
- Lighting Design
- Sound Design
- Teleprompter Operator
- Projection Operator
Student Reporters in partnership with ABC 11
- These two students will have behind-the-scenes access during the Rising Star rehearsal process, and will be given a platform on DPAC’s social media channels to report on their experiences. Student Reporters will be mentored by media professionals at ABC11, will interview performers at an exclusive red carpet pre-show event, and will report live from DPAC throughout the evening during the awards ceremony. These two students will be recognized during the awards ceremony, receiving a trophy presented by ABC11.
- Any student who applies for a Student Reporter position with The DPAC Rising Star Awards must be currently enrolled at a participating high school.
Visual Arts Gallery in partnership with Durham Art Guild
- The DPAC Rising Star Awards will have a visual arts gallery on display in DPAC’s lobby during the awards ceremony.
- This gallery will feature visual artwork created by students who are currently enrolled at a participating high school.
