THE DPAC RISING STAR AWARDS
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About The DPAC Rising Star Awards
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.
The DPAC Rising Star Awards — 2026 / 2027 Season
DPAC understands that most schools set their show calendars for the next school year each spring. To help plan ahead for participation in The DPAC Rising Star Awards, here is an overview of the timeline for next season:
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September 2026 — School Registration Begins
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October 5, 2026 - April 18, 2027 — School Musical Adjudication Window
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May 18, 2027 — The DPAC Rising Star Awards
More information about how to apply for the upcoming season will be placed on our website in late summer/early fall.
2025 / 2026 Season Recap
The 15th annual DPAC Rising Star Awards took place on Sunday, May 17. The 2025 / 2026 season included over 50 high school participants with more than 200 student nominees. Through this program, DPAC is honored to recognize the outstanding high school musical theater programs in our region and the dedication to keeping the arts alive in our school systems.
The awards ceremony was hosted by Clay Aiken and featured a large ensemble which includes students from each participating high school, alumni performances spanning all the way back to the first ever season of Rising Stars, and was supported by a large student tech team who ran things behind the scenes. During the ceremony, 16 awards and special recognitions were announced, which included nearly $10,000 in scholarship prizes and the celebration of excellence in performance and technical theater. Featured all evening long were twenty student finalists who competed live for the chance to advance to the Jimmy Awards®. During the first half of the awards ceremony, finalist performances were adjudicated by a panel of three highly esteemed judges whose scores determined the two students named as “Best Actor” and “Best Actress”, awards that came with $2,000 in scholarships and an all-expenses paid trip to NYC to participate in the Jimmy Awards®.
Gabriel Emery (Wake Forest High School) was named Best Actor, and Mollie Reeves (Cardinal Gibbons High School) was named Best Actress. Gabriel and Mollie participated in the Jimmy Awards® in June where they made their Broadway debuts on the Minskoff Theatre stage where Disney's The Lion King performs to sold out audiences year-round. To learn more about the Jimmy Awards®, visit JimmyAwards.com.
Check out these two recap videos by Root Media for an insight into the rehearsal process this season, and a full overview of program activity including our time at the Jimmy Awards®.
