How are GROHN Awards decided?
The GROHN Awards celebrate excellence in live performances seen by the Nomination Committee each calendar year. There are 9 categories, with 9 winners in each—though 9th place is split among 9 Honorable Mentions (democracy is alive and chaotic).
Each category awards:
- 1st place: 9 points
- 2nd: 8 points
- …and so on…
- Honorable Mentions: 1/9th of a point each
That’s 45 points per category, totaling 405 points across all categories—a very intentional nod to Interstate 405, where Greg spent 9 years solving traffic problems and, quite possibly, dreaming up this exact system.
While the math sounds fixed and fair, point distributions can absolutely be reshuffled at the whim of the Voting Committee, provided the Rules Committee confirms each category still totals 45. The backroom deals, petty vendettas, and emotionally charged spreadsheet negotiations are, frankly, scandalous.
And finally, one performance each season is crowned for earning the most total GROHN points overall—because yes, math can be deeply dramatic.
Who determines eligibility, nominates, and votes?
The GROHN Awards are supported by a sprawling network of highly specialized sub-committees. Curious who’s who? Check out our team for the full details.
Every live performance seen by all members of the Nomination Committee are eligible for the GROHNs.
Ultimately, all eligibility decisions, nominations, and final votes come from one singular, opinionated, and occasionally over-caffeinated committee member. Yes, it’s the same person. Yes, they argue with themselves. And yes, those internal committee meetings get surprisingly intense.
The Nomination Committee is frequently outraged by the irrational decisions of the Voting Committee—and bemoans that the PR Committee has not done any public shaming of them.
What’s the origin story?
In 2012, Greg and his partner John saw an incredible season of theater. One standout moment came when Greg said:
“If there were Tony-like awards for just the shows we saw, pundits would wonder how Jerick Hoffer would split votes for best supporting actor between Angel in Rent and Moritz in Spring Awakening.”
Thus, the first Supporting Actor GROHN went to Jerick for Angel at the 5th Avenue Theatre.
While Jerick was never seen on stage again, their metamorphosis into Jinkx Monsoon has continued to rack up GROHN honors season after season.
Why are they called GROHNs?
The name combines the original voting committee members: Greg + John = GROHN.
They’re pronounced to reflect the groan John made upon learning he’d have to fill out a spreadsheet to vote on shows he’d seen the previous year.
What’s with all the 9s?
The number 9 is a recurring theme in the GROHNs, inspired by a lyric from the musical [title of show]:
“I’d rather be 9 people’s favorite thing than a hundred people’s ninth favorite thing.”
That show competed in the inaugural 2012 GROHNs—and the philosophy stuck.
Key Historical Milestones
- 2012: The first GROHN season and awards are presented!
- 2013: The Data Management & Statistics committee is formed, bringing clarity and order after what some critics called a ‘chaotic’ first season.
- 2014: The awards nearly ended with the sudden passing of original voting committee member John. The GROHNs continued on with a solo voter in his honor.
- 2018: Record-breaking year with 90 eligible live performances!
- 2019: First GROHN season with no gendered performance categories – Fuck you, patriarchy.
- 2020 & 2021: Seasons canceled due to you-know-what. Instead, 2021 featured a special 9-Year Anniversary Awards, combining shows from all previous GROHN years + a few from 2020.
- 2023: Introduced the Special GROHN category to recognize excellence outside of standard categories.
- 2024: Greg’s Special GROHN may or may not have involved sexual favors. (It did.)
- 2025: The launch of GROHNs.org brought the awards online with more content, features, and ways to engage.
Note: The tabloid headlines from 2013, 2015, 2016, 2019, and 2022 about vote-buying scandals? 100% false. (Except 2024. That one’s real.)