The Georgia High School Musical Theatre Awards—also known as the Shuler Awards—celebrate excellence in high school musical theatre across the state of Georgia. Modeled after the Tony Awards®, the Shuler Awards recognize achievement in performance, production, and technical theatre while encouraging participation and opportunity for students from every community.

 

Presented annually by ArtsBridge Foundation, the program empowers young artists, supports school theatre programs, and advocates for arts education across Georgia. Participating schools receive constructive adjudication feedback, professional development opportunities, and access to statewide resources designed to encourage, inspire, and strengthen their theatre communities.

 

The season culminates in a live awards show at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, broadcast statewide on Georgia Public Broadcasting, where students and schools are honored not only for outstanding work on stage but also for their creativity, collaboration, and growth.

The Awards are named in honor of Marietta, Georgia native, Shuler Hensley.  Shuler Hensley is a multi-award winning Broadway, Off-Broadway, film and TV star, and has been part of the Georgia High School Musical Theater Awards—Shuler Hensley Awards, since the program’s inception in 2009.  Shuler is the recipient of the prestigious Tony Award, Olivier Award, Drama Desk Award, and Outer Critics Circle Award.

The Awards are held at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Atlanta, Georgia (Cobb County).

The Awards are traditionally held the third week of April every year. The exact date is chosen based on the facility's availability.

The Shuler Awards are first and foremost an arts education program designed to be a resource for schools, teachers, and students. Through adjudication, schools receive constructive support and feedback intended to help move the needle of artistry and storytelling for each program.

While there is a competition component, the primary purpose is to celebrate the hard work and creativity of all participants. Productions are evaluated against a set of criteria, not directly against one another, ensuring every school has the opportunity to be recognized for its unique achievements.

In addition to adjudication, there is a secondary audition component in which a panel of seven evaluators reviews the top 10 unique scores as semifinalists in the Overall Production, Leading Actress, and Leading Actor categories. This process narrows each group to the top 6 nominees who are then recognized at the awards.

The annual awards show is a statewide celebration that showcases the collective talent of Georgia’s students. Each year, the broadcast features 12 performances, including:

• 6 Overall Production nominees
• 1 Spotlight Award performance
• 1 Showstopper Award performance
• 2 Leading Performer Medleys (featuring students from multiple schools)
• Opening and Closing Medleys (with 2 students representing each participating school)

The adjudication period runs from mid-October through early March, with nominations announced in March leading up to the live Shuler Awards broadcast.

What began with just a handful of schools, 18 years later has grown into one of the largest high school musical theatre programs in the country, bringing together communities across Georgia to celebrate student artistry, storytelling, and collaboration.

The Shuler Awards are open to all Georgia high schools that produce a musical theatre production between October and early March. Participation is open statewide, providing schools with access to constructive adjudication feedback, resources, and educational opportunities that strengthen both students and theatre programs.

Every school, regardless of size or resources, has the opportunity to be recognized and celebrated. For the current 2025-2026 season, 67 schools from 30 counties are participating—including 18 Public (Title I), 35 Public (Non-Title I), 13 Private, and 1 Charter school. Six schools are joining the program for the very first time.

Beyond adjudication, students can take part in unique experiences such as:

The Shuler Ensemble – The Shuler Ensemble, featuring students from all participating school casts, kicks off the GHSMTA with electrifying energy. For the grand finale, Leading Performer and Overall Production nominees join the Ensemble in a powerful medley celebrating the season’s achievements. Each school may submit up to (2) two students who are both strong singers and dancers from the cast of their GHSMTA adjudicated musical as Shuler Ensemble participants.

Student Eligibility:

• Students must be registered in grades 9-12 at a GHSMTA participating high school or registered homeschool organization.
• Must be a cast member in a participating high school’s current year’s GHSMTA adjudicated musical, but who are NOT nominated for award in an individual acting category.
• Must be strong singers/dancers with a strong work ethic, good behavior and adherence to I.D.E.A. statement.
• Ensemble members MUST be available to participate in ALL of the scheduled Ensemble rehearsals. If a student misses a partial rehearsal for unavoidable conflicts (i.e. SAT’s, etc.) they will be removed from any new choreo sections and blocking that was completed during that time.
• Complete the required DocuSign of the I.D.E.A. policy and Medical/Media Release forms.
• By signing this agreement, the student realizes that any action that falls outside of these standards and practices may result in their removal (and possibly the removal of the entire school’s community) from the GHSMTA-Shuler Hensley Awards®

S.T.A.R. Council – The S.T.A.R. Council stands for “Students Take A Role”. S.T.A.R. Council students are high-school students who are interested in participating and learning more about the technical, behind-the-scenes production aspects of producing the six-time Southeast Emmy Award winning GHSMTA. Selected S.T.A.R Council students will have an opportunity to meet and work with television and theatre production professionals, participate in exclusive production elements of the live televised GHSMTA ceremony, and other behind-the-scenes opportunities. The goal of the S.T.A.R. Council is to honor technical theatre students by providing a professional and educational theatre and television production experience.

Each participating musical director may submit up to 2 students to participate in either of the following areas:

• Theatre Production Team
• T.V. Production Team

Once nominations have been announced, all participating schools can submit their candidates interested in participating in the S.T.A.R. Council.

Student Eligibility:

• Students must be registered in grades 9-12 at a GHSMTA participating high school or a registered home school organization.
• Students must be actively participating in a technical theatre position in their high school, but not
• necessarily confined to the school’s registered Shuler production.
• S.T.A.R. Council members (T.V. and Theatre Production Teams) have varying schedules to accommodate a wide range of student availability. The student ideally must be available to participate in their specifically assigned timeslots that will occur throughout Tech Week (April 10th – 16th, 2026).

NOTE: Directors, please select students who are available and willing to make the commitment. Students who miss their assigned duties will be removed from their position so that another student can be offered the opportunity.

All S.T.A.R. Council students (both T.V. and Theatre) MUST meet the following qualifications:

• Demonstrate an interest in technical theatre - including Lighting, Sound, Costuming, Stage
• Management, Scenic Design, Carpentry, and Production Management (theatre & TV).
• Display leadership, dedication, and a strong work ethic within their visual and performing arts programs
• Must adhere to ArtsBridge Foundation’s I.D.E.A. policy.

A panel of over 60 industry professionals from Georgia's arts and education communities attend and judge participating high school musical theater performances. Local school faculty, administrators and parents are not eligible to serve as adjudicators. Schools are evaluated in 15 categories and the results are tabulated by the accounting firm Bennett & Thrasher.

Adjudicators assess how well each production demonstrates the foundational elements of strong storytelling across all evaluated categories—elements that are achievable by every program, regardless of budget. While available resources and funding may influence the depth or level of execution, they do not change the core expectations. Each musical is evaluated on how effectively it meets these criteria within its own context, encouraging schools to produce their strongest work using the tools and support they have, while recognizing when additional resources allow for enhanced detail or complexity.

We are always looking for qualified volunteer judges who are experienced performing arts professionals. Please visit www.artsbridgega.org for more information.

In 2009, ArtsBridge Foundation—the education program of the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre Foundation—conceived and developed the Shuler Awards, which continue to be presented at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre.