- Carter Pflug, a 2026 Westside grad, won the Rising Star Award at the national Jimmy Awards competition in NYC
- The Jimmy Awards recognize the best high school musical theater students across the country each year.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) – A Westside teenager made his mark on a national stage this summer, winning the Rising Star Award at the Jimmy Awards in New York City.
Carter Pflug, a 2026 graduate of Westside High School, traveled to New York in June to compete in the Jimmy Awards — an annual competition recognizing the best high school musical theater students in the country, often described as the Tony Awards for high schoolers.
Pflug said the recognition reflects the effort he puts into his craft.
"I feel like it's like a grit award in a way, just like who's putting in the most effort," Pflug said.
Pflug said performing never feels like a chore.
"I love to dance and I love to sing and I feel like I really am able to shine and show how much energy I can put in when it comes to dancing," Pflug said. "It's not work for me, it's just like, I get to go in there and dance to fun choreography and fun music."
As part of his Jimmy Awards experience, Pflug saw himself featured on a billboard in the heart of Times Square.
This fall, he will head back to New York to study musical theater at Pace University.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
