FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — The Walton Arts Center announced the winners of the 2025-2026 Diamond Awards.
The annual Diamond Awards, modeled after Broadway’s Tony Awards, identify the best actors in 12 local High School theater productions.
The 12 schools that competed this year were Alma High, Arkansas Arts Academy High, Bentonville High, Bentonville West High, Clarksville High, Farmington High, Har-Ber High, Harrison High, Rogers High, Southside High, Van Buren High and Greenwood High.
Multiple students from each production were finalists for best lead actor, best lead actress, best supporting performer, outstanding vocal performance, outstanding acting performance, and best ensemble performance.
On May 23, the Walton Arts Center announced the winners during an awards ceremony.
The winner of the Best Actor award was Elijah Taylor, who played Kristoff in Bentonville West High School’s production of Frozen.
The winner of the Best Actress award was Cali Ferguson, who played Vi Moore in Alma High School’s production of Footloose the Musical.
The Best Actor and Actress winners will go on to compete in New York City to compete in the National Musical Theater Awards, The Jimmys.
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Two students were chosen for the Best Supporting Performance award: Sansa Meadows, playing Aunt March in Clarksville High’s production of Little Women the Musical, and Jenna Scott, playing Colin Craven in Bentonville High’s production of The Secret Garden.
The winner of the Outstanding Vocal Performance award was Isaac Sides, playing Archibald Craven in Bentonville High’s production of The Secret Garden.
Two students were chosen for the Outstanding Dance Performance award: Andrew Bush, playing Ren McCormack in Alma High’s production of Footloose The Musical, and Karen Leite, the lead tap dancer for Fort Smith Southside High’s production of Big Fish: School Edition.
The winner of the Outstanding Acting Performance was Sansa Meadows, playing Aunt March in Clarksville High’s production of Little Women the Musical.
The Best Ensemble Performance was awarded to Fort Smith Southside High’s production of Big Fish: School Edition.
The student-chosen Spirit of the Diamonds Award was awarded to Elizabeth Marine, who played Ariel Moore in Alma High School’s Footloose the Musical.
Teachers also competed for the Sparkle award, recognizing teachers who worked hard to help the students excel.
The winner of the Sparkle Award was Samanthe Burrow from Bentonville High School.
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