ArtsBridge Foundation Announces 2026 Shuler Awards Nominees, Honorees, and Scholarship Recipients
The ArtsBridge Foundation has officially announced the nominees, honorees, and scholarship recipients for the 2026 Georgia High School Musical Theatre Awards (The Shuler Awards) during a live broadcast from Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB). Now in its 18th year, the Shuler Awards celebrate excellence in musical theatre across 67 participating high schools statewide. The awards ceremony will air Thursday, April 16, 2026 at 8:00 p.m. on GPB and via online streaming.
2026 Award Nominations Top Honors
Overall Production Nominees
● Allatoona High School — Hadestown: Teen Edition
● Buford High School — Urinetown
● Houston County High School — Pippin
● King’s Ridge Christian School — The Drowsy Chaperone
● Milton High School — Water for Elephants High School Edition
● Peachtree Ridge High School — 42nd Street
Leading Actress Nominees
● Eden Singletary — Cairo High School (Little Women)
● Sutton Van Lenten — Greenbrier High School (The Hello Girls)
● Amelia Wilson — Lakeside High School (Anything Goes)
● Madeline Hansen — Lambert High School (My Fair Lady)
● Destiny Brown — Tri-Cities High School (The Color Purple)
● Trinity Goolsby — Westlake High School (Mean Girls High School Edition)
Leading Actor Nominees
● Will Bartlett — Decatur High School (Alice by Heart)
● Andrew Pijanowski — Denmark High School (The Hunchback of Notre Dame)
● Steel Stout — Houston County High School (Pippin)
● Aiden Egorugwu — Stilwell School of the Arts (The Wiz)
● Jake James — Milton High School (Water for Elephants High School Edition)
● Connor Green — North Forsyth High School (Guys and Dolls)
Direction, Music, and Production
Best Direction
Traci Kemp (Allatoona, Hadestown: Teen Edition), Leila Bowman (Buford, Urinetown), Brett Taylor (Houston County, Pippin), Kathy Winchell (King’s Ridge, The Drowsy Chaperone), Lynda Micki Ankiel (Milton, Water for Elephants High School Edition), Courtney Chitwood Ondre (Peachtree Ridge, 42nd Street)
Best Music Direction
Emily Cannon (Allatoona, Hadestown: Teen Edition), Elise Eskew Sparks (Decatur, Alice by Heart), Jenny Piacente (King’s Ridge, The Drowsy Chaperone), Leroy Kennedy & Amelia Wilson (Lakeside, Anything Goes), Richard Magner (Providence Christian, Music Man), Jané Ellis & Savannah Hatch (Ringgold, The Little Mermaid)
Best Orchestra
Daniel Scott (Cambridge, 9 to 5 The Musical), Jennie Fabianski (Chattahoochee, Sweeney Todd), Riley Hooper (Dalton, Shaina Taub's Twelfth Night), Lori Van Lenten (Greenbrier, The Hello Girls), Joel Derringer (Stilwell, The Wiz), Dr. Tariq Rowland (Tri-Cities, The Color Purple)
Best Choreography
Ashley Smith (Buford, Urinetown), Brett Taylor, Katherine Coyne, & Claire Jefferson (Houston County, Pippin), Lydia Kurtz (Milton, Water for Elephants High School Edition), Courtney Chitwood Ondre (Peachtree Ridge, 42nd Street), Sophia Thomas (Ringgold, The Little Mermaid), Brianna As-Salaam (Tri-Cities, The Color Purple)
Best Ensemble
Buford HS (Urinetown), Decatur HS (Alice by Heart), Houston County HS (Pippin), Milton HS (Water for Elephants High School Edition), Peachtree Ridge HS (42nd Street), Ringgold HS (The Little Mermaid)
Technical and Design Awards
Best Technical Execution
Traci Kemp, Rowen McKibben, & Debbie Sendall (Allatoona HS, Hadestown: Teen Edition), Brett Taylor, Tony Le, & Mikayla Booker (Houston County HS, Pippin), Steve Harriton (King’s Ridge Christian School, The Drowsy Chaperone), Claire Epps & Lilly Matthews (Lakeside HS, Anything Goes), Brad Burnham, Isabella Owens, Naiya Moran, & George Bailey (Milton HS, Water for Elephants High School Edition), Brandon Rose, Hailey Reiss Thrower, & Lenae Rose (Morgan County HS, The Spongebob Musical)
Best Lighting Design
Traci Kemp (Allatoona HS, Hadestown: Teen Edition), Matthew Botham (Buford HS, Urinetown), Wiley Perreault (Decatur HS, Alice by Heart), Hudson Anderson & Morales Vizcaino (Lakeside HS, Anything Goes), Jayson Harper (Lakeview Academy, Little Shop of Horrors), Brandon Chitwood & Courtney Chitwood Ondre (Peachtree Ridge HS, 42nd Street)
Best Sound Design
Traci Kemp (Allatoona HS, Hadestown: Teen Edition), Steve Harriton (King’s Ridge Christian School, The Drowsy Chaperone), Andrew Ladzinske (Lakeside HS, Anything Goes), Isabella Owens (Milton HS, Water for Elephants High School Edition), Gabby Kelly & Rylan Stewart (North Forsyth HS, Guys and Dolls), John Wesley Walters (Providence Christian Academy, Music Man)
Best Scenic Design
Traci Kemp (Allatoona HS, Hadestown: Teen Edition), Chris Davis & Nora Casariego (Decatur HS, Alice by Heart), Brad Burnham (Milton HS, Water for Elephants High School Edition), Brandon Chitwood & Courtney Chitwood Ondre (Peachtree Ridge HS, 42nd Street), Kelly Schroder (Ringgold HS, The Little Mermaid), Cynthia Humphlett, Colton Ingram, Bailey St. Vrain (Sequoyah HS, Bright Star)
Best Costumes
Sophie Levine-Tsang (Decatur HS, Alice by Heart), Brett Taylor & Zanna Robinson (Houston County HS, Pippin), Kathy Winchell & Michele Kendrick (King’s Ridge Christian School, The Drowsy Chaperone), Lynda Micki Ankiel & Sloane Addair (Milton HS, Water for Elephants High School Edition), Courtney Chitwood Ondre, Joelle Kilson, & Madelyn Zopf (Peachtree Ridge HS, 42nd Street), Katherine Williams (Providence Christian Academy, The Music Man)
Performance Awards
Best Supporting Performer (12 Nominees)
Javin Butler & Piper Cathey (Allatoona HS, Hadestown: Teen Edition), Christopher Rischar & Lily Wiginton (Buford HS, Urinetown), Asa Alexander (Dalton HS, Shaina Taub's Twelfth Night), Wilson Becker (King’s Ridge Christian School, The Drowsy Chaperone), Patrick Oliver (Lakeside HS, Anything Goes), Maggie Bailey (Milton HS, Water for Elephants High School Edition), Madison Hackett (New Manchester Fine Arts Ed. HS, The Prince of Egypt), Chloe Teeter (Providence Christian Academy, The Music Man), Layla Elayan (Ringgold HS, The Little Mermaid), and J'Adore Holsey (Tri-Cities High School, The Color Purple)
Best Featured Performer
Tafesse Jenks (Decatur HS, Alice by Heart), Tamia Carthers (Marietta HS, Hadestown: Teen Edition), Bailee Bowman (Ringgold HS, The Little Mermaid), MC Brezina (Trinity Christian School, The Little Mermaid), Sofia Winter (West Forsyth HS, The Wedding Singer), Malachi Johnson (Westlake HS, Mean Girls High School Edition)
Scholarships & Student Opportunities
ArtsBridge awarded over $18,000 in scholarships and training opportunities, including partnerships with leading arts organizations.
Major Scholarship Recipients
● James Carlos Family Scholarship ($5,000): Jasiah Taylor (Rainey-McCullers School of the Arts)
● British Academy of Performing Arts Intensive: Zainab Sesay (Lanier HS)
Alliance Theatre Scholarships
● Seth Manuel (Milton HS)
● Destiny Brown (Tri-Cities HS)
● Jace Ferney (Ringgold HS)
Georgia Ensemble Theatre Scholarships
● Sutton Van Lenten (Greenbrier HS)
● Nazra Tadele (Providence Christian Academy)
● Aidan Rolle (Greenbrier HS)
● Victoria Harris (Westlake HS)
Aurora Theatre Internships
● Tony Le (Houston County HS)
● David Horton (Providence Christian Academy)
● Ava Kassebaum (Roswell HS)
Additional Opportunities
● City Springs Theatre Conservatory: Bram Fages (Weber School)
● SCAD Summer Seminar: Aiden Egorugwu (Stilwell School of the Arts)
Special Awards & Honors
Showstopper Award
● Stilwell School of the Arts — “Y’all Got It” from The Wiz
Spotlight Award
● Ringgold High School — Transformative Design & Ingenuity (Ursula), The Little Mermaid
Standing Ovation Awards
● DeKalb School of the Arts (Memphis)
● Duluth High School (West Side Story School Edition)
● Greenbrier High School (The Hello Girls)
● Stilwell School of the Arts (The Wiz)
● Ringgold High School (The Little Mermaid)
● Wesleyan School (Newsies)
Student Recognition
● Student Reporters: Athena Williams (Creekview HS), Jack Shepherd (Eastside HS)
● Featured Student Musicians: Finnbar Tierney (DeKalb School of the Arts), Judah Harris (Stilwell School of the Arts)
The 2026 Shuler Awards will broadcast on GPB and stream online April 16 at 8:00 p.m. Viewers are encouraged to follow updates using #Shulers26 and @ArtsBridgeGA.
ArtsBridge Foundation is a nonprofit dedicated to advancing arts education for Georgia students by providing access, recognition, and opportunities in the performing arts.