Vote for Enquirer Spirit Award honoring cheer, dance teams

Cincinnati Enquirer launches new weekly voting for high school cheerleaders, dance teams

Published on Feb. 9, 2026

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The Cincinnati Enquirer is introducing a new high school sports ballot for the 2025-2026 school year - the Spirit Award, which will honor varsity cheerleaders, dance team members, and their squads who exemplify virtues like love, joy, and kindness. Coaches can nominate their own teams or other deserving squads, and fans can vote once an hour until Friday at 4pm to determine the weekly winners.

Why it matters

The Spirit Award aims to recognize the important role that cheerleaders and dance teams play in uplifting their school communities, beyond just sports performance. By highlighting teams and individuals who embody positive values, the award celebrates the character and leadership of these student-athletes.

The details

The Spirit Award voting will have two categories - one for individual cheerleaders/dancers, and one for entire teams. Only coaches can submit nominations each week, either for their own squads or other deserving teams. Voters can cast their ballots once per hour on any device until the Friday 4pm deadline. Winners will be announced with a story and will receive digital certificates that they can share.

  • The Spirit Award voting will take place weekly during the 2025-2026 high school sports season.
  • The deadline for nominations is every Monday morning.
  • Voting will close each Friday at 4pm.

The players

Cincinnati Enquirer

A major daily newspaper serving the Cincinnati, Ohio metropolitan area.

Melanie Laughman

A reporter covering high school sports for the Cincinnati Enquirer.

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What they’re saying

“Coaches can email mlaughman@enquirer.com with questions, to join the email distribution list and submit nominations.”

— Melanie Laughman, Reporter (Cincinnati Enquirer)

What’s next

The first Spirit Award winners will be announced on Friday, February 14, 2026.

The takeaway

The Enquirer's new Spirit Award provides a platform to celebrate the often-overlooked contributions of high school cheerleaders and dance teams, recognizing them for their positive impact on school spirit and community.