Take a look at 2026 Silver Knight Awards ceremony in Miami

From working with hospital therapists to create a pediatric music program to starting a mobile library housed in a car, thirty South Florida high school seniors were celebrated Tuesday night for going above and beyond in their mission to help others.

The night’s honorees along with their families, friends and supporters packed the James L. Knight Center in downtown Miami during the 68th annual Miami Herald/el Nuevo Herald Silver Knight Award ceremony.

During the event labeled the “Oscars” for local high schoolers, 15 students from Miami-Dade and 15 from Broward and Monroe counties were honored with a Silver Knight statue, a $2,000 scholarship from the Herald Charities Foundation and 25,000 American Advantage miles. Others who received honorable mentions earned a $500 scholarship and an engraved plaque.

The categories — art, athletics, business, digital and interactive media, drama, English and literature, general scholarship, journalism, mathematics, music and dance, science, social science, speech, vocational tech, and world languages — were judged by a panel of five leaders in each respective field. There were 43 judges in Miami-Dade and 37 judges in Broward and Monroe.

One by one the winners took the stage, dressed in sparkly gowns, pressed suits and shiny shoes. The crowd shouted as each student walked up to get their prize.

Take a look at some moments from the ceremony.