Tony Awards: How Winners Are Decided

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Do you know how people vote for the Tony Award winners?

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Earlier this week 129 people became Tony Award nominees ( Learn more about how Tony nominees are decided ) Now we wait until June 7, when the winners will be decided across 26 categories and announced onstage at Radio City Music Hall. Who will win? That question can only be answered by the Tony Voters. We're breaking down how the process works!

A group of about 830 people vote for the Tony Awards winners, though that number can change slightly every year.

Not just anyone can be a Tony voter. The elite group is broken up as such:

-Members of the governing boards of: Actors’ Equity Association, The Dramatists Guild, Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, and United Scenic Artists.

-Up to 90 people from the Board of Directors and the Advisory Board of the Wing and Voting Members of The Broadway League.

-Up to 16 members of the Theatrical Council of the Casting Society of America.

-Up to 5 officers or Executive Board members of Musicians’ Local 802.

-Up to 15 members of the governing board of the Association of Theatrical Press Agents and Managers.

-The members of the Tony Award Nominating Committee .

-Up to 25 members of the New York Drama Critics Circle.

-Up tp 10 members of the Board/Council of the National Association of Talent Representatives

No Tony voter is allowed to vote more than once even if they are a member of more than one of the above groups. A list of eligible Tony voters is sent to each producer before the first paid public performance of the production.

Voting takes place online in the weeks before the Tony Awards ceremony. The secure voting platform is maintained by an independent firm under the supervision of a firm of independent certified public accountants (both selected by the Tony Awards Management Committee).

The ballot is available at least 14 days prior to the ceremony and votes are tabulated at least 50 hours prior to the start of the ceremony. Only a limited number of representatives from the accounting firm knows the names of the winners before they are officially announced. A final tabulation of votes is never disclosed to the Tony Awards Administration Committee, Nominating Committee, or anyone outside of the accounting firm.

Yes. Voters are expected to attend all nominated productions. With each production they see, they mark their attendance in an online Voter Portal. When they fail to see a nominated show, they are not allowed to cast a vote in any category in which that production was nominated.

The winner in each category shall be the nominee in that category receiving the highest number of votes. Sometimes ties can happen. The most recent example was when Billy Elliot and Next to Normal both won for Best Orchestrations in 2009.

If a category has only one nominee, Tony voters may still decide to award a Tony or not. If the nominee receives 60% or more affirmative votes, they receive the award. The most recent example occurred when Aaron Tveit won for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical in 2021.

Tony winners receive a trophy (9.5 inches tall and 3.5 pounds). It was designed by Herman Rosse in 1949 for the 3rd Annual Tony Awards. The medallion at the top of the award (which spins) features comedy and tragedy masks on one side and the winner's name, category, show, and year on the other side.

Non-winning Tony nominees also receive a certificate and a magnetized commemorative pin.

The 79th Annual Tony Awards will be hosted by P!nk and will air on June 7, 2026. Learn more about the ceremony.

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The results of the 2026 Tony races are very much still up in the air, but many of this season's nominated revivals have been Tony-tested before. How did they fare? The past may not always be the best indicator of the future, but accolades of years past provide interesting insight nonetheless. Check out a complete list of who was nominated, in what categories, and most importantly... if they won!

Ruben Santiago-Hudson, David Stone, Tracy Letts and David Rockwell will present the Honorary Awards at the 92nd Annual Drama League Awards, taking place at The Ziegfeld Ballroom.

The nominees for the 2026 Chita Rivera Awards recently met the press. BroadwayWorld was there and you can learn more about the event and check out photos here!

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_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/How-Are-Tony-Awards-Winners-Decided-Voting-Explained-20260509)._