135 Iowa high schools had groups selected as “Outstanding All-Staters” at the 51st Annual IHSSA All-State Large Group Festival held on February 21 at The Iowa State Center in Ames. Approximately 24,000 students started at the district level from 481 school memberships. 2154 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 2026. The Sweepstakes Award, named after Dr. 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 2026.
2026:
ONE ACT PLAY: MOC-Floyd Valley
READERS THEATRE: Cedar Rapids Washington
CHORAL READING: Creston
ENSEMBLE ACTING: Mount Vernon
GROUP MIME: MFL MarMac
SOLO MIME: Cedar Rapids Prairie
TELEVISION NEWSCASTING: Dubuque Senior
GROUP IMPROVISATION: Independence
MUSICAL THEATRE: Decorah
RADIO BROADCASTING: Shenandoah
SHORT FILM: Pleasantville
E. WAYNE COOLEY SWEEPSTAKES: Dubuque Senior
IHSSA Critics were:
ONE ACT PLAY: Davida D. Williams, Iowa Stage Theatre Company
READERS THEATRE: Jennifer Nostrala, Simpson College
CHORAL READING: Brad Nesbitt, IHSSA Hall of Fame
ENSEMBLE ACTING: Alexis Davis, Pyramid Theatre
GROUP MIME/ SOLO MIME: Josh Bodden, Ballet Des Moines
TELEVISION NEWSCASTING/ RADIO BROADCASTING: Olivia Tyler, KCCI, Channel 8
GROUP IMPROVISATION: Alex Wendel, Iowa Stage Theatre Company/ Des Moines Area Community College
MUSICAL THEATRE: Karoline Myers, Des Moines Performing Arts
SHORT FILM: Don Hall, Los Angeles
