Vote for Enquirer Spirit Award Honoring Cheer, Dance Teams

Cincinnati high school cheerleaders and dancers can be nominated for weekly awards.

Published on Feb. 19, 2026

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The Cincinnati Enquirer is launching a new voting feature for the 2026 high school sports year - the Spirit Award for cheerleaders, dance team members and their squads. Coaches can nominate individuals or teams each week, and the public can vote once an hour until Friday afternoon to determine the winners, who will be announced with a story and receive digital certificates.

Why it matters

The Spirit Award aims to recognize high school students who exemplify positive character traits and help uplift their teams, schools, and communities through cheerleading and dance. This new program provides an opportunity to celebrate these often-overlooked student-athletes and the valuable contributions they make.

The details

The Enquirer will have two weekly ballots - one for individual cheerleaders/dancers and one for entire teams. Only coaches can submit nominations, either for their own squads or other teams. Voters can cast ballots once an hour until 4 p.m. each Friday using any device. Eligible students are those who demonstrate virtues like love, joy, patience, and self-control, while also uplifting their peers. Team nominations will focus on squads that work well together, exceed expectations, and positively impact their school communities.

  • The voting period for each week's awards will close at 4 p.m. every Friday.
  • Winners will be announced with a story on Fridays.

The players

The Cincinnati Enquirer

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

High school cheerleaders and dancers

Student-athletes who will be eligible for the new Spirit Award recognition program.

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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, Enquirer reporter (cincinnati.com)

What’s next

The deadline for coaches to submit nominations each week is every Monday morning.

The takeaway

The Enquirer's new Spirit Award program provides a valuable platform to celebrate the often-overlooked contributions of high school cheerleaders and dancers, recognizing their positive impact on their teams, schools, and communities.