(TRENTON, NJ) -- Students and adult leaders will receive the state’s most prestigious award in the arts, at the 40th Anniversary of the New Jersey Governor’s Awards in Arts Education on June 26 at 5:00pm. This event will recognize 70 students and 15 adult leaders who have demonstrated excellence in and dedication to arts education.

Across the country, the Governor's Awards programs share similar goals however New Jersey sets itself apart. New Jersey students are the ultimate beneficiaries of the Governor’s Awards in Arts Education and this is what makes us unique. We applaud and acknowledge their talents, effort, dedication and passion for excellence.

For a full list of awardees and details about the upcoming virtual event please visit www.njgaae.org. The virtual awards will feature award-winning storyteller and alumni Queen Nur as the master of ceremonies, alumni guest speakers, performances from past and present award winners, and a visual arts exhibit.

The annual awards ceremony will be held virtually on June 26, 2020 at 5:00pm and will be live streamed via YouTube, Facebook and on the website at www.njgaae.org. This is a free event that is open to the public.  

This year’s awards are sponsored by the Jay & Linda Grunin Foundation, CavanKerry Press, Appel Farms Arts & Music Center, and Young Audiences of New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania. This program is made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a founding agency of Arts Ed NJ.

A list of past and present winner performances:

• Anna Rehberg - Vocal Performance - Montville Township High School


• Nasir Baker - Freestyle Rap - North Star Academy - Lincoln Park High School


• Jasmine Livingston - Poetry Reading - Northern Burlington Regional High School


• Jewel Nadia Vito and Gaten Matarazzo - Dramatic DUO - Pinelands Regional High School


• Kelvin Zheng - Instrumental Performance - East Brunswick High School


• Dance NJ Students – Group Performance - Schools varied 


• Hip Hop Fundamentals – Dance - Teaching Artist 


• Ricky Persaud Jr. – Musician - Past Winner


• Thunderbird American Indian Dancers – Teaching Artist


• Mikayla Griffin - Poetry Reading - Cicely Tyson School of Performing and Fine Arts


• Brianna Roberts - Vocal Performance - Ewing High School

The Governor’s Awards in Arts Education program was established in 1980, to celebrate artistic excellence and create visibility, awareness and appreciation for the impact that the arts have on our lives and culture. The event is a partnership of the Arts Ed NJ, the Department of Education, Art Pride New Jersey Foundation, the Department of State and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.

Additional support is provided by: the Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics; Art Educators of New Jersey; Art Administrators of New Jersey; Dance New Jersey; New Jersey Council of Teachers of English; New Jersey Speech and Debate League; New Jersey Music Educators Association; New Jersey Performing Arts Center; Speech and Theatre Association of New Jersey; New Jersey Thespians and Young Audiences of New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania.