Awards & Recognitions

Spotlight Youth Theatre is proud to rank among the most highly acclaimed theatre companies in Arizona, in terms of annual awards and recognitions for its performers and productions.


ariZoni Awards of Theatre Excellence

The ariZoni Awards of Theatre Excellence is a non-profit organization that was created to promote the visibility and support the growth of theatre in the Valley of the Sun & Maricopa County. Over the past 30 years, the main focus of the organization has been on an annual awards ceremony during which awards are given annually to artists after a rigorous adjudication process whereby nearly 100 trained adjudicators attend and adjudicate more than 200 productions each season.


2023-2024 ariZoni Awards of Theatre Excellence

Spotlight Youth Theatre has received 38 nominations for ariZoni Theatre Awards of Excellence for its 2023-2024 season.

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2022-2023 ariZoni Awards of Theatre Excellence
2022-2023 ariZoni Awards of Theatre Excellence

Spotlight Youth Theatre won 15 “Zonis” from among its 47 nominations for ariZoni Theatre Awards of Excellence for its 2022-2023 season.

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2021-2022 ariZoni Awards of Theatre Excellence
2021-2022 ariZoni Awards of Theatre Excellence

Spotlight Youth Theatre won 23 “Zonis” from among its 56 nominations for ariZoni Theatre Awards of Excellence for its 2021-2022 season.

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2020-2021 ariZoni Awards of Theatre Excellence
2020-2021 ariZoni Awards of Theatre Excellence

Spotlight Youth Theatre won 15 “Zonis” from among its 84 nominations for ariZoni Theatre Awards of Excellence for the 2020-2021 season.

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2019-2020 ariZoni Awards of Theatre Excellence
2019-2020 ariZoni Awards of Theatre Excellence

Spotlight Youth Theatre won 15 “Zonis” from among its 45 nominations for ariZoni Theatre Awards of Excellence for the 2019-2020 season.

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2018-2019 ariZoni Awards of Theatre Excellence
2018-2019 ariZoni Awards of Theatre Excellence

Spotlight Youth Theatre won 12 “Zonis” from among its 58 nominations for ariZoni Theatre Awards of Excellence for the 2018-2019 season.

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2017-2018 ariZoni Awards of Theatre Excellence
2017-2018 ariZoni Awards of Theatre Excellence

Spotlight Youth Theatre won 26 “Zonis” from among its 66 nominations for ariZoni Theatre Awards of Excellence for the 2017-2018 season.

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2016-2017 ariZoni Awards of Theatre Excellence
2016-2017 ariZoni Awards of Theatre Excellence

Spotlight Youth Theatre won 18 “Zonis” from among 60 nominations for ariZoni Theatre Awards of Excellence for the 2016-2017 season.

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2015-2016 ariZoni Awards of Theatre Excellence
2015-2016 ariZoni Awards of Theatre Excellence

Spotlight Youth Theatre won 15 “Zonis” from among 55 nominations for ariZoni Theatre Awards of Excellence for the 2015-2016 season.

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National Youth Arts Awards

2022-2023 National Youth Arts Awards

SYT artists won 23 National Youth Arts Awards from among 67 nominations for the 2022-2023 season.

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2021-2022 National Youth Arts Awards

SYT artists won 30 National Youth Arts Awards from among 57 nominations for the 2021-2022 season.

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2020-2021 National Youth Arts Awards

SYT artists won 23 National Youth Arts Awards from among 58 nominations for the 2020-2021 season.

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2019-2020 National Youth Arts Awards

SYT artists won 31 National Youth Arts Awards from among 59 nominations for the 2019-2020 season.

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2018-2019 National Youth Arts Awards

SYT artists won 25 National Youth Arts Awards from among 82 nominations for the 2018-2019 season.

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2017-2018 National Youth Arts Awards

National Youth Arts

SYT artists won 30 National Youth Arts Awards from among 70 nominations for the 2017-2018 season.

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2016-2017 National Youth Arts Awards

The National Youth Arts Awards recognized Spotlight’s 2016-2017 theatre season with 65 nominations, of which Spotlight performers and artists won 15 NYA Awards.

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2015-2016 National Youth Arts Awards

Spring Awakening

The National Youth Arts Awards recognized Spotlight’s 2015-2016 theatre season with 63 nominations. Performers and artists won 20 NYA Awards for their work in SYT productions.

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Spotlight Youth Theatre Playfest

Congratulations Playfest 2022-’23 Playwrights
Chris Brattin, Spencer Wareing, and Max Mendoza

Spotlight congratulates three winning playwrights who had their work staged in the Playfest 2022-’23 production in February, 2023.

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Congratulations Playfest 2021-’22 Playwrights
Spotlight Youth Theatre Playfest 2021-'22 Young Playwrights' Competition winners: Rebecca Bain, Katie Kloberdanz, and Zoey Waller

Spotlight congratulates three winning playwrights who had their work staged in the Playfest 2021-’22 production in April, 2022.

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Congratulations Playfest 2020-’21 Playwrights

Spotlight congratulates three winning playwrights who had their work staged in the Playfest 2020-’21 production in April, 2021.

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