Amateur Night at the Apollo

The 2025 Season of Amateur Night at The Apollo has concluded.
Follow @apollotheater on all social platforms and join The Apollo A-LIST
for updates about pop-up events and auditions while our Historic Theater is currently under renovation.

CONGRATULATIONS AMATEUR NIGHT 2025 SEASON WINNERS

Child Star Of Tomorrow Winner

Nyla Martin

Grand Finale Winner

Emmanuel Garilus

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CONGRATULATIONS AMATEUR NIGHT 2024 SEASON WINNERS

Child Star Of Tomorrow Winner

Sogna Bella Santana

Grand Finale Winner

Cruz Angel

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CONGRATULATIONS AMATEUR NIGHT 2023 SEASON WINNERS

Child Star Of Tomorrow Winner

Nathanael Barlow

Grand Finale Winner

Dee Dee Simon

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Audition for Amateur Night

Amateur Night at The Apollo invites singers, dancers, comedians, rappers, spoken word artists, variety acts, and musicians to take the stage every Wednesday and compete for a grand prize of up to $20,000.

Audition for Amateur Night at The Apollo anytime by completing the online audition form below. Those selected from the online audition have the opportunity to compete in Amateur Night at The Apollo.

Only one online audition per contestant. Multiple submissions will not be considered. No phone calls or emails please.

APPLY NOW

Grand Prize Offerings

Adult Category

Price

$20,000

Net
profit

Grand Prize Offerings

Child Category

Price

$5,000

Net
profit

Live auditions are held at The Apollo Stages at The Victoria located at 233 West 125th Street, New York, NY 10027 on Saturday, March 22, 2025. Please arrive early. Only the first 200 acts will be seen.

Grand Prize Offerings

Adult Category

Price

$20,000

Net
profit

Grand Prize Offerings

Child Category

Price

$5,000

Net
profit

About
The Show

Introduced in 1934, Amateur Night at The Apollo is known as one of New York’s most popular live entertainment experiences. The classic talent competition attracts performers from around the world and has launched the careers of countless legendary artists, from Ella Fitzgerald to Lauryn Hill, H.E.R, D’Angelo, Jazmine Sullivan, and Machine Gun Kelly. Join the notoriously “tough” audience in an interactive evening unlike any other, and lend your voice to decide who will “be good or be gone” to win the triumphant grand prize of up to $20,000. Amateur Night is a family-friendly show, great for all ages, and also includes the Child Stars of Tomorrow competition where performers under 18 years of age vie for a chance to win $5,000.

The Legacy of Amateur Night

The Iconic Talent Show Is Born

Amateur Night’s history begins with Ralph Cooper, an actor and producer who started the original Harlem Amateur Hour in April 1933 at Frank Schiffman’s Lafayette Theater. In 1934, Cooper began the Wednesday Amateur Night at Sidney Cohen and Morris Sussman’s 125th Street Apollo Theatre. Cooper’s Amateur Night in Harlem radio shows were broadcast live from The Apollo over WMCA and were carried on a national network of 21 stations. Photo Courtesy of Apollo Archives

From Amateur To Legend

After Amateur Night debuted at The Apollo in 1934, it quickly became the leading showcase for many young, talented, new performers, including a 15-year-old Ella Fitzgerald who went on to become the first female artist to win Amateur Night. Photo Courtesy of 1937 Duncan Butler/Frank Driggs Collection.

Be Good or Be Gone

Winners or competitors of the legendary show include James Brown, Busta Rhymes, Luther Vandross, D’Angelo, Sarah Vaughan, Lauryn Hill, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Jazmine Sullivan, H.E.R., Machine Gun Kelly, and many more. Amateur Night continues to maintain its position as the nation’s most popular arena for emerging and established Black performers.

An Icon Goes International

In recent years, The Apollo has increased its global reach by bringing Amateur Night to audiences around the world with international editions in England and Japan, as well as livestream broadcasts viewed by audiences from all corners of the globe.

A Competition Like No Other

Amateur Night at The Apollo becomes the quintessential talent competition, serving as the model for Star Search and American Idol. The show marries world-class talent with a distinctive, vaudeville-like atmosphere that has depended on audience participation since the very beginning. This popularity contest has proven an effective measure of star potential, becoming a launch pad for some of the nation’s greatest entertainers.

An Incubator for Artistic Expression

The showcase has played a major role in the emergence of innovative musical genres including jazz, swing, bebop, R&B, gospel, blues, soul, and hip-hop. It works to cultivate aspiring performers in their artistic evolution as entertainers while creating access to professional performance and recording opportunities. Many Amateur Night performers have had professional success, and others have performed on American Idol, The Voice, America’s Got Talent, and other network television shows.

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