Congratulations to the 2026 YAGP Winners!

From May 10–18, a gaggle of Kitris, Auroras, Basilios, and Siegfrieds converged in Houston, Texas, for the Youth America Grand Prix 2026 Season Finals. For the first time, the finals were held at the Wortham Theater Center and hosted by Houston Ballet. Throughout the week, hundreds of dancers dashed through the Wortham Center in costume, posed for outdoor photo-shoots in the Texas heat, and wore the classic ballet-competition outfit of sundress/suit + tennis shoes + school jacket for the awards ceremony.

This final round comes after months of semifinal competitions around the globe. Approximately 700 finalists representing 50 countries received the opportunity to audition for scholarships; perform classical and contemporary variations, pas de deux, and ensembles; and earn cash prizes in Houston. After five days, the Junior and Senior final rounds were held on Saturday, and awards for all categories were distributed on Monday.

There are always trends in the classical-variation selection, and this year, Paquita and La fille mal gardée were popular with the senior men. The senior women saw a wider variety, including less common choices, like variations from Nutcracker, an alternative version of Esmeralda, and Études.

On Sunday evening, YAGP’s annual Stars of Today Meet the Stars of Tomorrow gala brought selected competitors and alumni-turned-professional dancers together on the stage with the host company, Houston Ballet. The Houston Chronicle dubbed YAGP as “the Super Bowl of Dance,” and the cheering from the audience was more akin to that of a sporting event than a typical evening at the ballet. (The young dancers in the crowd went particularly wild for American Ballet Theatre’s Elisabeth Beyer and Takumi Miyake in the Le Corsaire.) But perhaps the most striking was the Grand Défilé, which featured the soloists who were invited to the final round as one ensemble, dressed in pure white.

If you missed the live-streamed awards ceremony, we have compiled a list of winners below. Congratulations to all the dancers this year!

Senior Division

A young male ballet dancer wearing a white bolero jacket, black tights, and black ballet shoes poses confidently onstage during a performance. He faces upstage in a wide fourth, his right foot pushed onto demi pointe, with his right hand on his waist and his left arm up. — Senior Grand Prix winner Minjun Suh of The Royal Ballet School. Photo by Sandra Benicova for LK Studio, courtesy YAGP.

Grand Prix: Minjun Suh, The Royal Ballet School, United Kingdom

WOMEN

A female dancer stands on pointe in arabesque, holding a tambourine in her back hand. She wears a red and black tutu and a red flower in her dark hair. — Ahra Jung. Photo by LK Studio, courtesy YAGP.

First: Ahra Jung, Sunhwa Arts High School, South Korea

Second: Martina Ines Sanchez Tolaba, Cia Jovem Basileu França, Brazil

Third: Tianyu Yang, Beijing Dance Academy, China

MEN

A male dancer in white tights and a purple tunic stands in a clean arabesque. His body is to the side, so his whole arabesque is visible to the audience. — Blake Metcalf. Photo by LK Studio, courtesy YAGP.

First: Blake Metcalf, The Rock School for Dance, USA

Second: Mingyun Son, Korea National University of Arts, South Korea

Third (tie): Suhyeok Bang, Pôle National Supérieur de Danse Rosella Hightower, France

Third (tie): Desihan Zhang, Beijing Dance Academy, China

Emma Boggs. Photo by LK Studio, courtesy YAGP.
Ekaterina Pichkova. Photo by LK Studio, courtesy YAGP.

Shelly King Award: Emma Boggs, Colorado Ballet Academy, USA

Natalia Makarova Award: Ekaterina Pichova, Osipova Ballet Academy, USA

Junior Division

Against a blue backdrop on a stage, a boy dressed in loose blue pants, a one-shoulder blue shirt, and blue headband performs a saute arabesque — Leon Yusei Sai. Photo by LK Studio, courtesy YAGP.

Youth Grand Prix Award: Leon Yusei Sai, Southland Ballet Academy, USA

WOMEN

A young female dancer arches back in a dramatic back attitude, her front foot on pointe and her back foot nearly hitting the tambourine in her hands. She wears a red and black costume. — Anne Takahashi. Photo by LK Studio, courtesy YAGP.

First: Anne Takahashi, Flora Ballet, Japan

Second: Maja Mainka, Tanzwerk Wesseling, Germany

Third (tie): Candice Zhi Jing Yeo, Yan Ballet Academy, Singapore

Third (tie): Mano Kawai, Ballet Studio Rise, Japan

MEN

A young male dancer in black tights, a black bolero jacket and a red shirt stands in a wide fourth position, his front leg bent and heel up and his back leg straight. His front arm is up in a high V and his back arm is on his hip. He angles his head to the back arm. — Sota Teranishi. Photo by LK Studio, courtesy YAGP.

First: Sota Teranishi, Panda Ballet School (Takako Mori Ballet School), Japan

Second: Zeramiah Harper, Master Ballet Academy, USA

Third: Spencer Collins, Westside School of Ballet, USA

Pre-Competitive Division

Against a blue background on a stage, a young female dancer performs a jump in second position, her legs extended past 180 degrees and her arms in line with her legs. She wears a red tutu. — Sylvie Win Szyndlar. Photo by LK Studio, courtesy YAGP.

Hope Award: Sylvie Win Szyndlar, Master Ballet Academy, USA

WOMEN, CLASSICAL

A young dancer in flat shoes holding a tambourine performs a developpe, her face towards her working leg and her back arm in a high V. — Lillian Justi. Photo by LK Studio, courtesy YAGP.

First: Lillian Justi, Allé Dance Conservatory, USA

Second (tie): Calla Massey, The Green Room Dance Studio, USA

Second (tie): Tianqing Qiu, Princess Ballet Academy Shanghai (Baleishiji), China

Third: Kasumi Mikami, Ballet Le Coeur, Japan

WOMEN, CONTEMPORARY

A dancer kneels on her front knee on a stage, her back leg bent with her foot close to her head. She arches back towards her foot, with her left hand bent, palm facing the audience. She wears gray shorts, a gray tank, and gray ankle socks. — Nofar Aharoni. Photo by LK Studio, courtesy YAGP.

First: Nofar Aharoni, Danceworks, Israel

Second: Savannah Jackson, Larkin Dance Studio, USA

Third: Neriah Karmann, Yorba Linda Academy of Ballet, USA

MEN, CLASSICAL

A young male dancer in red tights, white socks and shoes, and a red and white tunic performs a saute arabesque. He looks out at the audience. — Daigaku Katayama. Photo by LK Studio, courtesy YAGP.

First: Daigaku Katayama, Hakucho Ballet Academy, Japan

Second: Francisco De Neto, Ballet Vórtice, Brazil

Third: Shinji Kawabata, Rinna Classic Ballet Company, Japan

MEN, CONTEMPORARY

A young male dancer performs a jump in second position, his legs extended past 180 degrees and his arms punched down towards the floor, hands in fists. He wears loose blue/purple long pants and a matching long sleeve top. — Tylor Xu. Photo by LK Studio, courtesy YAGP.

First: Tylor Xu, Principal Dance Academy, USA

Second: Luis Gustavo Da Silva, Studio de Dança Shirley Santos, USA

Third: Vincent Xing, Royal Principal Ballet, USA

Ensemble Division

SENIOR PAS DE DEUX, CLASSICAL

A teenage ballet studen in a white tutu poses in arabesque on pointe, looking out towards the audience. her partner, wearing a white tunic and tights, stand behind her, matching her port de bras. — Minjin Kim and Seongmo Koo. Photo by LK Studios, courtesy YAGP.

First: Minjin Kim and Seongmo Koo, Korea National University of Arts, South Korea

Second: Beatriz Ribeiro and Phoenix Decker, The Rock School for Dance, USA

Third: Yuerong An and Tsz Yin Wei, Guangzhou Art School, China

PRE-COMPETITIVE AND JUNIOR PAS DE DEUX, CLASSICAL

A young boy and girl perform a ballet pas de deux. She stands on pointe and bends backward, her hend to her head, as he stands behind her and holds her by the waist. the girls wears a white tutu with a black bodice with colorful diamond patterns, while her partner wears black tights and a tunic that matches her costume. — Yasmin de Souza Silva and Nicolas Laitano Librais. Photo by LK Studio, courtesy YAGP.

First: Yasmin de Souza Silva and Nicolas Laitano Librais, Cia Jovem Basileu França, Brazil

Second: Karin Tsukamoto and Ryoma Asada, Symphony Ballet Studio, Japan

Third: Emma Hart and Shannon Lanier, The Dallas Conservatory, USA

CONTEMPORARY PAS DE DEUX

First: Martina Ines Sanchez Tolaba and Arthur Emmanoel Gonçalves, Cia Jovem Basileu França, Brazil

Second: Zoe Kolliniatis and Owen Simmons, The School of Cadence Ballet, Canada

Third: Milania Leone and Bryce Young, All American Classical Ballet School, USA

CONTEMPORARY LARGE ENSEMBLE

First: Ave Maria, The School of Cadence Ballet, Canada

Second: Entendre, Dance Institute, USA

Third: Le Lac Des Cygnes Mini, Gen Contemporary Project, Japan

CLASSICAL LARGE ENSEMBLE

First: Vienna Bon Bons, Colorado Ballet Academy, USA

Second: Intenso, The Rock School for Dance, USA

Third (tie): Gioconda, Osipova Ballet Academy, USA, and Pennsylvania Conservatory, USA

Third (tie): Paquita Grand Finale, A&A Ballet, USA

CULTURAL/FOLK ENSEMBLE

First: The Feather Fairy, OAEC (Oriental Arts Education Center), USA

Second: Wings of Soar, J&H Dance School, USA

Third: Eternal River, Eva Dance Academy, USA

SMALL CONTEMPORARY ENSEMBLE

First: Hypnosis, The School of Cadence Ballet, Canada

Second: Caught in the Stillness, International Dance Studio Amelia, Bulgaria

Third: O Quam Tristis, Moga Conservatory of Dance, USA

SMALL CLASSICAL ENSEMBLE

First: Trio Con Brio, Bayer Ballet Academy, USA

Second: La Ventana, The Rock School for Dance, USA

Third: Dance of the Swan Maidens, Independent, USA

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