The International Thespian Excellence Awards, or Thespys, is a powerful way for students to receive constructive feedback on acting, musical theatre, design, stage management, marketing, and film events. Many entries come from work students already have done for shows put on by their own troupes!

Students register and present their work at our annual State Conference in January. Students are ranked in one of four categories (Superior, Excellent, Good, Fair), and receive recognition for top honors at the closing ceremonies at State. Those who earn a Superior are eligible to compete with their work at the International Thespian Festival that following summer.

Below are several documents outlining the rules of the Thespys, along with rubrics and other pertinent material.

Questions should be directed to our Thespy Coordinator, Corrine Reed, at [email protected]

Indiana Thespys Guide

Thespy Rubrics

Approved Material

Compete at State Conference

We offer a Middle School Room and a High School Room. Middle school only rooms are for the experience of competing and growing as actors and technicians. Middle school students may register in the high school rooms and if they earn superiors there, they are eligible for ITF.

Superiors in the Middle School Rooms do not qualify for ITF.

Students need not be inducted Thespians to compete in the Thespys at State. However, if they qualify to compete at the International Thespian Festival, they must be inducted with the Home Office to move on to compete at the International Thespian Festival. 

Competitors must be registered for the entire State Conference to compete at State. Links for registration will become available closer to state conference. 

Registration Guide

To access the Open Water platform and register for Thespys, please use the links below. They will open this winter when State Conference registration opens!

Playwriting and Short Film Registration

All Other Thespys Registration

Pre-Screens for Solo Performance Categories

Thespians wishing to be adjudicated in the solo categories of Monologue, Contrasting Monologue, or Solo Musical Theatre MUST submit a pre-screen video to move on to the state competition. Prescreens are submitted through OpenWater.
Please follow all Thespy guidelines in appearance and content in your submission.

• No editing in your video. It should be one recorded presentation without any cuts for camera angles, etc. 
• The camera should not move during your presentation. 
• All videos should be recorded horizontally. No vertical videos, please.
• The auditioning student should be the only person in the video. 
• Record in a well-lit, quiet space so we can see and hear you.
• Please ensure we can see the thespian's entire body, not just their upper torso.
• For tips on virtual auditions, please read this article from Dramatics Magazine Online.

Thespy Solo Prescreens will open Monday, September 15, and will close Friday, November 21. Students will be notified of their results by Saturday, December 6. Entries must follow all the category specific rules as found on the EdTA Thespy website.

​*Those participating in the middle school only room do not need to complete the pre-screening round*

Prescreening Registration Instructions​

submit prescreens here

Additional Resources

Having trouble with Open Water? Check out "Applicant Instructions for Using Open Water" provided by EdTA

If you are competing in a Technical Thespy Category, Here are some common questions judges may ask. 

If you are submitting a Sound Design Thespy, refer to this document from USITT for guidance on how to practically communicate the sounds used in a production.

More information and detailed documents can be found on the Official EdTA Thespy Competition Website.

​Updates & Reminders for the 25-26 School Year

1. New Categories

• Welcome Prop Construction!
• Solo Acting is now split into two options: Monologue & Contrasting Monologues

2. Reminder on Dress Code
Black is no longer required, though still recommended. Wear simple and professional clothing that does not reflect or embody the character.

3. New Approved Material
The Green Light/Red light list no longer exists. The Thespy Website is the new way to ensure a title is approved for Performance categories in Thespy Competition. Please use the link above to see what material is approved for Thespy Awards Competition.

4. New Language for Categories
Performance Categories with three or more performers are now labeled “Ensemble” instead of “Group,” and Duet Acting is now labeled “Two-Person Scene.”

5. Pre-Screens for Solo Performers
To allow more students to participate, Solo Performers in Acting and Musical Theatre will now submit a video of their performance in advance to qualify for state competition. Details on this process are included above. 

6. No limits to Category Entries, Limits still apply to Individual Students
Schools are no longer limited to 5 entries per category at state. Remember, the only way to qualify for Solo Musical or Acting is through the required virtual pre-screen. We still limit schools to 2 entries per student at state.

​7. Alternate Qualifier following State
If you attended state AND competed in at least two Thespys, you can enter the virtual qualifier online in a different category than you participated in at State to qualify for finals at ITF in June 2026. Please reach out to [email protected] following state if you wish to participate.