Inside the 2026 Obie Awards

Earlier this week, the American Theatre Wing celebrated the 69th Annual Obie Awards, Off and Off-Off-Broadway’s Highest Honor. The winners were previously announced on Saturday, January 31, and included Bowl EP, Can I Be Frank?, The Wind and the Rain, and more. Check out the full list of winners of the 2026 Obie Awards here.

In lieu of the annual awards ceremony, the American Theatre Wing instead dedicated funds to the support and growth of the artists, by bestowing the winners of the 35 awards with grants, totaling over $250,000. The grants were made possible by an anonymous donation, in support of the new Obie Awards structure in which funds go directly to the awarded artists. Grants range $3,000-$15,000 per award and have been increased by at least 25% since last year in all categories. Said anonymous donor has committed to continue funding the Obie Awards grants for the next five years. 

The 69th Obie Awards recognize the outstanding contributions made throughout the 2024-2025 Off- and Off-Off-Broadway theatre season in New York City. The complete panel of judges for the current Obie Awards season are: stage and television actress Stephanie Berry; Obie Award winner Modesto “Flako” Jimenez; Tony and two-time Obie-Award winning artist Jonathan McCrory; Obie-Award winning scenic designer Santiago Orjuela-Laverde; Obie Award-winning theatre-maker Aya Ogawa; Obie Award-winning lighting designer Barbara Samuels; and Obie Award-winning and Tony Award-nominated director Whitney White.  Returning to the Obie panel are Wilson Chin, scenic designer for theater, opera, film, and television; and Obie-winning playwright Haruna Lee; and Obie-nominated actor and playwright Ryan J. Haddad. Lee and Chin serve as co-chairs of the panel, as well. The judges thoroughly evaluated over 300 productions, engaged in thoughtful discussions, and, through their votes, selected the recipients.