The St. Louis Teen Talent Competition is open to High School students in the St. Louis Metropolitan area (a 75-mile radius from the Arch). To participate, students must be enrolled in grades 9, 10, 11, or 12 during the 2026-2027 academic year.
A panel of judges review each act at the end of each the qualifying round of the competition. Judges will base their scores on the following criteria:
Pre-Registration is now open! Submit your intent to participate below.
High school student performers compete in a talent category of their choice – dance, instrumentalist, vocalist, or specialty act (i.e.: actor, circus acts, comedian, magician, etc.) for a chance to earn scholarships, prizes, and the opportunity to perform at The Fabulous Fox Theatre. The competition is comprised of preliminary and semi-final audition rounds, after which finalists perform their acts at the STL Teen Talent Competition finals at The Fox. Participation is completely free.
The Primary Contact for each registered act will be contacted by Teen Talent to schedule preliminaries and obtain any additional information about the act’s performance, song title, and duration, etc.
We invite you to attend FREE pre-competition workshops to help fine-tune your act, get feedback from professional coaches, and get to know your fellow participants.
DATES (Times TBD):
Grand Center Arts Academy
711 N Grand Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63103
The Teen Talent Coaching Workshops are amazing opportunities to ask questions about the Competition and for you to get real-time feedback from the Teen Talent Artistic Team about your act! We’re here to help you shine – not to judge! Whether you’re recycling a recital piece, debuting a brand new performance, or completely unsure of what your act should be, please join us for as many FREE coaching workshops as you’d like. We’ll help you take the stage with confidence!
You’ll have the option to sign up for workshops in your registration form.
The first hour of each workshop will be a general Q&A. Still not sure? Check out these Q&As with our coaches below:
The preliminary round takes place by category on Saturday, October 17 & Sunday, October 18. Times to be announced. All Specialty, Dance, and Instrumentalist auditions will take place on Sunday. Vocalist auditions take place on both days.
9:00am - 11:30am
Vocalists
12:00pm - 2:30pm
Vocalists
3:00pm - 5:00pm
Vocalists
9:00am - 11:00am
Specialty Acts
10:00am - 12:30pm
Dance Acts
1:00 - 3:00pm
Instrumentalists
3:00 - 6:00pm
Vocalists
Acts vary from year to year and student to student, but in general, student performers will need to bring on the day of the preliminaries:
Any additional equipment must be provided by the students and at their own expense. Please contact Teen Talent in advance to discuss technical needs at SLTTC@foxpacf.org
Once you arrive at Kirkwood High School, follow the signs to the auditions check-in table where you will receive your act’s audition number and time slot.
After check-in, performers will be escorted to the Green Room. Prior to each performance, acts will have the opportunity to work with the accompanist, rehearse, and become familiar with the audition space. Contestants must stay in the Green Room until their act’s performance is complete. Parents, teachers, and coaches are not allowed in the Green Room.
Upon entering the theatre for your audition, contestants will state their name, age, grade, and the title of the piece they are performing as an introduction to the judges prior to performing.
A panel of performing arts professionals will review each act and provide insightful feedback at the end of each performance. Scores will not be shared with anyone except the production team.
Participating acts will be scored (maximum of 33 points) on the following criteria throughout the competition:
(10 Points)
(10 Points)
(10 Points)
(3 Points)
Parents/guardians and family members are welcome to watch in the auditorium. Contestants are welcome to stay after their performance to watch the other acts.
An announcement of the acts moving through to Semi-Finals will be made on social media by noon on Monday, October 19, 2026.
Semi-Finals are a one-day competition taking place Saturday, November 7, 2026 where acts are assigned a two (2) to four (4) hour window by category. Exact times are subject to change.
7:00am - 8:30am
Specialty Acts
8:15am - 10:00am
Dancers
9:30am - 11:15am
Instrumentalists
11:00am - 1:30pm
Vocalists - Group 1
1:00pm - 4:00pm
Vocalists - Group 2
Kirkwood High School – Keating Center
Acts vary from year to year and student to student, but in general, student performers will need to bring on the day of the preliminaries:
Any additional equipment must be provided by the students and at their own expense. Please contact Teen Talent in advance to discuss technical needs at SLTTC@foxpacf.org
Once you arrive at Kirkwood High School, follow the signs to the auditions check-in table where you will receive your act’s audition number and time slot.
After check-in, performers will be escorted to the Green Room. Prior to each performance, acts will have the opportunity to work with the accompanist, rehearse, and become familiar with the audition space. Contestants must stay in the Green Room until their act’s performance is complete. Parents, teachers, and coaches are not allowed in the Green Room.
Upon entering the theatre for your audition, contestants will state their name, age, grade, and the title of the piece they are performing as an introduction to the judges prior to performing.
A panel of performing arts professionals will review each act and provide insightful feedback at the end of each performance. Scores will not be shared with anyone except the production team.
Participating acts will be scored (maximum of 33 points) on the following criteria throughout the competition:
(10 Points)
(10 Points)
(10 Points)
(3 Points)
Parents, guardians, and family members are welcome to watch in the auditorium. Contestants may stay after their performance to watch the other acts.
An announcement of Finalist acts will be made on social media by noon on Sunday, November 8, 2026.
Before the Finalists make their debut on the Fox Theatre stage, there will be a mandatory meeting with all Finalist acts as well as a series of rehearsals. Here is what you need to know about the mandatory Finalists orientation meeting on Monday, November 9th.
Monday, November 9th from 5pm – 9pm (time subject to change)
The Finalist meeting will take place in the Fox Club at the Fox Theatre
The Lexus Fox Club – Fabulous Fox Theatre
527 N. Grand Boulevard
St. Louis, MO 63103
Parking will be provided for all contestants.
All members of each Finalists act must be present along with the primary contact for each act.
Contestants should come prepared to be photographed for a professional headshot and interviewed on camera. This headshot and interview footage will be used in the Teen Talent printed program, social media, and video content.
Ruffles, logos, and busy patterns are discouraged for headshots. Your wardrobe should highlight your personality without being distracting.
At the Finalists production meeting, contestants will meet with:
Scheduling expectations for rehearsals, costume fittings, and one-on-ones will be discussed in depth. Each contestant will be required to complete final competition paperwork and confirm schedule.
It is mandatory that all acts agree to and acknowledge the non-negotiable one-on-ones and rehearsal dates. Failure to comply with all dates may result in removal from the competition.
Pizza, salad, and assorted desserts will be provided for all contestants and their primary contact.
Each member of an act will be provided with ten (10) tickets in a reserved section for family and friends. Each contestant is limited to 10 special reserved tickets – be aware that if you lose your tickets, there are no replacements.
In addition, 100 tickets will be delivered to each contestant’s high school to be distributed.
The St. Louis Teen Talent Competition is a FREE event and open to the public. Additional general admission tickets are available online or at the Fox Theatre Box Office.
One-on-ones and rehearsals will begin with the following schedules:
Individual Act Rehearsals
Dates/times to be announced
Each Finalist Act will have one rehearsal with the Artistic Team to rehearse, finalize costumes, props, and additional performance needs.
*Rehearsal will be scheduled at orientation on November 9th: attendance only necessary for 1day of Individual Act Rehearsals.
Dates/times to be announced
Rehearsals with all finalist acts
**Acts will have scheduled times and will not be needed for full length of rehearsal
Dates/times to be announced
Dress Rehearsal with all finalists and Ensemble
Fabulous Fox Theatre
527 N. Grand Boulevard
St. Louis, MO 63103
Parking will be available for all contestants
The 2027 St. Louis Teen Talent Competition will take place Saturday, January 16, 2027 at the Fabulous Fox Theatre.
Saturday, January 16, 2027
The Fabulous Fox Theatre
527 N. Grand Boulevard
St. Louis, MO 63103
Parking will be provided for all contestants
Finalists are expected to arrive at the Fox Theatre by 10:30am sharp.
Each contestant needs to bring their own mascara and lipstick, and arrive with clean hair for hair and make-up.
Teen Talent will provide snacks, water, and dinner prior to the show.
Contestants will have the following schedule prior to the show for final dress rehearsal:
Arrive at Fox Theatre
Hair and makeup for all acts
Final full-dress rehearsal
Contestants’ dinner
Competition begins
Do you have questions about the St. Louis Teen Talent Competition? We have the answers. Learn the who, what, when, and where to help make your experience one to remember!
The 2026 Finalists performed on stage January 23, 2026. Learn more about the exciting awards and opportunities the 2026 talented student performers won in addition to performing on stage at the Fabulous Fox!
It’s time to shine! Are you ready to see our finalists step into the spotlight for a chance to win college scholarships, cash prizes, and a chance to perform on stage at the Fabulous Fox?
REGISTER BELOW!
