133 Iowa high schools had groups selected as “Outstanding All-Staters” at the 50th Anniversary of the IHSSA All-State Large GroupFestival held on February 22 at The Iowa State Center in Ames. Approximately 24,000 students started at the district level from 484 school memberships. Approximately 2000 students earned the right to be named as Outstanding All State Nominees.
The following schools were selected as Critic's Choice for the IHSSA Large Group All-State Festival. This Critic's Choice is selected by a professional in the specific field as a top performer in the State of Iowa in that performance area for 2025. The Sweepstakes Award, named after E. Wayne Cooley, is awarded to the school with the most entries performing at the All-State Festival. In the case of a tie, the # of special recognitions determines the recipient. Listed below are the recipients of the awards for 2025.
ONE ACT PLAY: Pella Christian
READERS THEATRE: Independence
CHORAL READING: Cedar Rapids Washington
ENSEMBLE ACTING: Siouxland Christian
GROUP MIME: Denison-Schleswig
SOLO MIME: MOC-Floyd Valley
TELEVISION NEWSCASTING: IKM-Manning
GROUP IMPROVISATION: Garner-Hayfield-Ventura
MUSICAL THEATRE: MOC-Floyd Valley
RADIO BROADCASTING: Manson Northwest Webster
SHORT FILM: Woodbine Community
E. WAYNE COOLEY SWEEPSTAKES: Decorah
IHSSA Critics were:
ONE ACT PLAY: Janet Albanese, Des Moines Performing Arts
READERS THEATRE: Denis Doyle, Central College/ IHSSA Hall of Fame
CHORAL READING: J’Kalein Madison, The Guthrie Theater
ENSEMBLE ACTING: Rob Lindley, Phantom of the Opera/ Chicago-based Actor and Director
GROUP MIME/SOLO MIME: Alecia Juelfs, University of Sioux Falls
TELEVISION NEWSCASTING/RADIO BROADCASTING: Laryssa Leone, Channel 5, WOI
GROUP IMPROVISATION: Scott Morehead, The Walt Disney Company/ Lickity-Split Improv
MUSICAL THEATRE: Napoleon Douglas, Pyramid Theatre Company/ DMACC/ NOCE/ City Voices
SHORT FILM: Alex Mitchell, Principal Financial Group
