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Earlier tonight, the most talented teenagers from across the country took the stage at the Minskoff Theatre for the 17th Annual Jimmy Awards, hosted by Bowen Yang. BroadwayWorld is excited to report that Jake James and Samia Posadas have won Best Performance by an Actor and Best Performance by an Actress.
Jake James hails from Atlanta, GA and comes to the Jimmy’s following a qualifying win at Georgia High School Musical Theatre Awards – Shuler Hensley Awards for his portrayal of Jacob in Water for Elephants High School Edition at Milton High School.
Samia Posadas earned her spot at this year’s big show following a win at The Monte Awards in Tucson, AZ for her performance as Alice Murphy in Bright Star at Salpointe Catholic High School.
The Jimmy Awards is the national talent showcase celebrating high school musical theatre students from across the country and featuring dynamic ensemble and solo performances. Each participating Regional Awards Program awards top honors to two local student performers and sponsors their travel to New York to participate in The Jimmy Awards on June 22nd. At the Jimmy Awards ceremony, a panel of judges will bestow awards and scholarships, including the awards for Best Performance by an Actor and Best Performance by an Actress. The Jimmy Awards plays a leading role in charting the future of the live performance industry, with over 90 alumni having performed on Broadway and in National Tours and numerous others enjoying robust careers in film, television, and music.
The 17th annual Jimmy Awards welcomed 12 coaches who mentored the 116 high school students from across the country who have come to New York City for a chance to win the Jimmy Award for Best Performance by an Actor and Actress. This year’s coaches were: Lisa Brescia, Janet Dacal, Colin Hanlon, MaryAnn Hu, Adam Kantor, Lily Kaufmann, Adam J. Levy, Desi Oakley, Eliseo Román, Lawrence Stallings, Steven Telsey, and EJ Zimmerman.
The panel of judges for the 2026 Jimmy Awards was comprised of notable theatre professionals including Tony Award®-winning producers, prestigious casting experts, and industry leaders. Winners and finalists were selected by Montego Glover, Kenny Leon, Joe Machota, Alecia Parker, Marc Platt, Tara Rubin, Thomas Schumacher, Bernard Telsey, and Lia Vollack. Preliminary judges who adjudicated and cast the nominees in the Character and Feature Groups included Kristian Charbonier, Stephanie Klapper, Sammy Lopez, Kevin Metzger-Timson, Dale Mott, T. Oliver Reid, and Rachel Sussman.
