Theatre Under the Stars
2024-25 STUDENT REPORTER PROGRAM OVERVIEW
Each year, the Jimmy Awards invites select Student Reporters from participating Regional Awards Programs like the Tommy Tune Awards to cover Jimmy Awards events through social media. The Tommy Tune Awards has adopted the Student Reporter opportunity in an effort to include students who are not eligible to be nominated as performers. This provides a chance to expand TTA connections into other areas of your schools – e.g. journalism, film, and other related departments.
TUTS will be selecting two (2) Student Reporters to cover this year’s Tommy Tune Awards. Applicants must be from a participating Tommy Tune Award High School and cannot be an individual who may be competing for a role/tech position with the Tommy Tune Awards. Selected TTA Student Reporters will have the opportunity to submit their materials by April 14th, 2025, to be considered as one of the 16th Annual Jimmy Awards Student Reporter.
We highly encourage students to show their personalities and to be as creative as they desire. There are no limitations other than the time limit!
Applications and Submissions due March 19th, 2025, by 5 PM CT.
TUTS will review submissions and announce our Student Reporters on Monday, April 7th, 2025.
Applications for The Jimmy Awards is due on April 14thth, 2025 by 5 PM ET.
2025 SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Interested students must apply and submit a 60-second video showcasing how they would uniquely cover The Jimmy Awards. The video should:
- Be in the style of an Instagram Reel/TikTok video showcasing your ideas for how to share nominee experiences on the day of the ceremony and encourage the Jimmy Awards’ social media followers to tune in to the ceremony livestream.
- Include at least one unedited segment of at least 20 seconds in length with the applicant speaking directly to the camera.
- Submissions must meet the requirements for an Instagram Reel/TikTok video with an aspect ratio between 1.91:1 and 9:16 and minimum resolution of 720 pixels.
- The videos must not include:
- Any performance footage; the content of the videos is otherwise up to the applicant.
- And any pre-recorded music used must be royalty-free.
STUDENT REPORTER APPLICATION REQUIRES:
- Student Information
- Guardian Information
- Social Media Handles
- Headshot
- Bio
- Video Submission
- A sample caption to accompany your Reel/TikTok video.
- Two Essays: (1) Tell us in your own words why you should be selected as one of the Student Reporters for the 2025 Tommy Tune Awards AND (2) The Jimmy Awards.
- Confirmation that you will be available for both the Tommy Tune and Jimmy Awards dates if chosen.
CONTENT PROMPT:
Imagine you are covering the day of the Jimmy Awards ceremony in NYC on social media. Create an up to 60-second video in the style of an Instagram Reel or TikTok video that showcases your creative approach to content creation and includes at least one of the following scenarios as part of your video:
- You are on the bus with the nominees heading to the Minskoff Theatre, where they will rehearse and perform on a Broadway stage later that day.
- You are at lunch with the nominees after their first technical and staging rehearsal on a Broadway stage. In about six hours, they will be performing in front of a sold-out audience.
- You are interviewing Broadway talent and/or Jimmy Awards Judges on the red carpet before they take their seats in the audience for the ceremony.
We want to see your personality shine in this video! Show us how you would use your unique perspective to build interest in and awareness of the Jimmy Awards. This is an opportunity to showcase your creativity and skills in event coverage, visual storytelling, video editing, videography, photography, and/or social media.
COVERING THE TOMMY TUNE AWARDS
The chosen Tommy Tune Student Reporters will be able to work directly with the Tommy Tune Awards Marketing Team to get an insider look at what it takes to cover an awards ceremony!
The chosen Student Reporters will have the opportunity to cover the Tommy Tune Awards on June 6th, 2025. Students will need to be available to attend rehearsals and tech between Tuesday, May 27th through Thursday, June 5th.
On June 6th, Student Reporters will be asked to arrive for Run Through/Dress Rehearsal prior to the Ceremony.
- TTA Run Through: June 6th, 2025 1pm *this time is subject to change
- TTA Ceremony: June 6th, 2025, 7pm
THE JIMMY AWARDS
The two TTA selected Student Reporters will be competing for an opportunity to cover National High School Musical Theatre Awards Ceremony, known as The Jimmy Awards in New York City Monday, June 23rd, 2025. Selected Jimmy Award Student Reporter Candidates will need to be available Saturday June 21st, 2025 through Tuesday, January 24th, 2025.
Round-trip airfare and lodging for Saturday, June 21; Sunday, June 22; and Monday, June 23; and seats at the ceremony will be provided by The Jimmy Awards for the two selected student reporters plus one chaperone each.
Should our Student Reporters move on to the next round, they will be notified on June 2nd, 2025.
IMPORTANT DATES:
February 19th, 2025 Student Reporter Application Opens
March 19th, 2025 Student Reporter Application Closes
April 7th, 2025 TTA Student Reporter Announced
April 14th, 2025 Jimmy Award Student Reporter Application Due
May 27th through June 5th, 2025 TTA Rehearsals and Tech
June 2nd, 2025 Jimmy Award Announces their Student Reporters
June 6th, 2025 TTA Ceremony
June 21st – June 22nd, 2025 Jimmy Award Pre-Ceremony Festivities
June 23rd, 2025 The Jimmy Award Ceremony
June 24th, 2025 The Jimmy Award Closing Events
For more information about The Jimmy Award process: Student Reporter Search | The National High School Musical Theatre Awards
For a glimpse into the 2024 Student Reporters’ Experience: Stories • Instagram
