THE CHEER AND DANCE NOVAS, the new end-of-season awards show that we announced last month, has released its 114 finalists in 22 categories. THE NOVAS is hosted by MotUS and aims to create a one-of-a-kind celebration featuring a red carpet, live entertainment, and recognition for the professionals who make the all star cheerleading industry great. The event in Nashville will bring together coaches, gym owners, choreographers, event producers, vendors, leaders, athletes, and visionaries who are advancing the sport.

The industry nominated hundreds of individuals and companies, and the finalists have been selected! Voting is now open from August 17-24, 2026.

VOTE FOR THE CHEER AND DANCE NOVAS HERE

The awards show will take place Monday, September 28, 2026, in Nashville, Tennessee, bringing the all star community together for a night built around recognition, connection, and celebration. Learn more about the event and get your tickets here.

Even more exciting: CheerTheory’s Globey Awards 2026 winners will also be recognized at the event.

Growing The Entire All Star Industry – The Why Behind the Cheer & Dance NOVAS

The MotUS Edge Podcast hosts Stacy Rowe, Casey Jones, and Sean Timmons discuss the future of All Star cheer, why collaboration beats competition, how business owners can create sustainable careers, and the vision behind MotUS, the MotUS Business Expo, and the new CHEER & DANCE NOVAS Awards. They also explore leadership, industry innovation, employee development, business growth strategies, and why investing in the next generation of athletes and professionals matters more than ever. Check out the episode to learn more about MotUS and the CHEER & DANCE NOVAS.

THE CHEER AND DANCE NOVAS 2026 Finalists

The 2026 finalists are here! There are 114 finalists across 22 categories representing nearly every part of the all star cheerleading and dance industry. Explore all of the categories and finalists below.

Outstanding Achievement in Social Media Presence — Gym, Studio, or Team

  • Top Gun All Stars
  • Cheer Athletics
  • South Jersey Storm
  • Dollhouse Dance Factory
  • The Stingrays Allstars Orange

Outstanding Achievement in Social Media Presence — Industry Professional

  • Gabby Mauro – scoresheetswithgabbymauro
  • Jalker Effer Rodriguez – CheerSounds
  • Chelsea Pampalone – GymTyme IL
  • Judge Mimi
  • FloCheer & FloDance

Outstanding Achievement in Cheer or Dance Podcasting

  • Jason Larkins – Let’s Talk Cheer Podcast
  • Megan Gomarlo- HERE4CHEER Podcast
  • Natasha Leas and Bre Acosta – Beyond the Marly
  • Dan Cotton – The Cheer Biz Podcast
  • Off The Mat – Raul Diaz

Outstanding Achievement in Awards Ceremony Production

  • Spirit of Hope – Varsity All Star
  • NCA All Star Nationals – Varsity All Star
  • The MAJORS – Varsity All Star
  • USASF – The Cheerleading Worlds / The Dance Worlds
  • JAMZ All Star Nationals – JAMZ Cheer and Dance

Innovative Cheer Event of the Year

  • Bring It!
  • Gold Rush by Revolutionary Events
  • The Global Tournament of International Allstar – AIA
  • COP Brands
  • The All-Star Grand Prix

Innovative Dance Event of the Year

  • Stage 8 Dance Battle
  • CPD Spirit Nationals
  • The Dance MAJORS
  • Sharpen Up Summit!
  • D1 University – The Jump Off – Courtney and Ashley Lynch

Vendor / Supplier of the Year or Outstanding Product of the Year

  • Rebel Athletic Dance
  • CheerSync
  • Level Up Spiritwear
  • Allstar Outfitters
  • Double Good Popcorn

The Quiet Achiever Award

  • Rha Radford – Nfinity Athletic
  • Scott Williams – Varsity All Star
  • Dennis Worley – Choice Events
  • Misty Hodges – GymTyme All Stars
  • Dustin Richardson – USCA

Choreographer of the Year — Cheer

  • Blake Johnson – VROC
  • Brett Lane
  • Wes Haley
  • Michael Chow – Dynamic Innovations
  • Kyle Gadke – Spirit FX
  • Lewis McClendon – Eyes On You Choreography

Choreographer of the Year — Dance

  • Jordan Johnson – J2 Productions
  • Andrew Elam – Andrew Elam Choreography
  • Carson Rowe – Tribe 99
  • Lee Eaves – The Vision Dance Center
  • Kristin Daniel

Music Producer of the Year — Cheer

  • Tom Green Parrott – Sunrise Music Productions
  • Bowd Beal – Bowdacious Beats
  • Nathan Voss – American Cheer Music
  • CheerSounds
  • Teighlyr Sullivan – Royal Custom Music

Music Producer of the Year — Dance

  • DanceSounds
  • Steve Stettler – Sounds Like That
  • Tyler Scott – Chop Jones

Professional Athlete of the Year

  • Gabi Butler – Miami Metal
  • Seneka Erickson – Atlanta Air
  • Maddie Hayes – Dallas Drive
  • Liam Potolsky – Miami Metal
  • DeVonte “Dee” Joseph – Atlanta Air

Small Gym of the Year

  • Empire Cheerleading – Arkansas
  • Cheer Infinity All Stars – North Carolina
  • Extreme All Stars – Florida
  • Pyramid Athletics – California
  • Elite Allstars – Rhode Island
  • Beyond All Stars – Nebraska

Medium Gym of the Year

  • JPAC Radiance – Indiana
  • Rain Athletics – Pennsylvania
  • California Pride – California
  • South Coast Cheer – California
  • Maine Stars Cheer Gym – Maine
  • United Elite Cheer – Texas

Large Gym of the Year

  • The Stingray Allstars – Georgia
  • The California Allstars – California
  • Top Gun All Stars – Florida
  • Cheer Extreme Allstars – North Carolina
  • Macs All Star Cheer – Utah
  • South Jersey Storm – New Jersey

Dance Studio of the Year

  • Star Performance Centre – Ohio
  • Dance Mania Allstars – Florida
  • Dance Etc – Kentucky
  • Dance Dynamics – Texas
  • Dancin with Roxie – Iowa
  • The Vision Dance Center – Kentucky
  • Footnotes Fusion – California

Judge of the Year — Cheer

  • Kelly Proctor
  • Alison Dytko
  • Heather O’Brien
  • Imani Miles
  • Matthew Skorcz

Judge of the Year — Dance

  • Cheryl Paquette
  • Anastasia Miller Burns
  • Kaya Doyle
  • Jesus Acosta
  • Sarah Miller Bate

Game Changer Award

  • ProCheer League
  • The Go Button – CX Brands
  • Hit Zero Music
  • Prime Alliance
  • Virtual Score Review – 9 Panel Brands

Man of the Year

  • Justin Carrier – Varsity All Star
  • Andrew Dean – Xtreme Shots Photography
  • Mike DeVos – The California Allstars -Livermore
  • Brad Vaughn – Spirit of Texas
  • Victor Rosario – Top Gun All Stars

Woman of the Year

  • Ann Lehrmann – Cheer and Dance Extreme & The One Prime Finals
  • Amy Goldberg – Star Performance Centre
  • Heidi Weber – The Open Championships
  • Tannaz Kirichkow – The California All Stars
  • Alex Csiernik – JPAC Radiance

The Voting Timeline

The road to THE CHEER AND DANCE NOVAS is well on its way!

  • Voting Period: August 17-24, 2026
  • Awards Show: September 28, 2026 – Nashville, Tennessee

Vote and Learn More About the CHEER AND DANCE NOVAS

Visit THE CHEER AND DANCE NOVAS 2026 website to VOTE and learn more about the awards show.