SHREVEPORT, La. — Caddo Parish's most talented young performers took center stage Sunday at the Shreveport Convention Center for the finale of the inaugural Caddo's Rising Star competition.
Families, friends and supporters filled the convention center to cheer on the eleven finalists as they performed before a panel of judges. After two rounds of performances, 13-year-old Carla Heard was named Caddo's Rising Star and took home the competition's top prize.
"It feels absolutely surreal. This process has been amazing," Heard said after being crowned the winner.
In addition to winning first place and a $5,000 cash prize, Heard also received the Caddo Choice Award, a fan-voted honor decided by the audience that came with an additional $500 prize.
The competition, launched earlier this year, invited students ages 6 to 19 to compete in a variety of performance categories, including singing, dance, musical performance, acting, comedy, magic and spoken word. Contestants advanced through auditions and qualifying rounds before earning a spot in the finale.
Organizers, judges and audience members alike said they were impressed by the level of talent showcased throughout the competition.
"And I know that I envisioned this several years ago, but it has exceeded my expectations," Caddo Parish Commission President Gregory Young said. "The talent here is otherworldly, and I'm just so happy for these kids and I'm happy for our community that they are able to see these kids perform in real time, because I really think it's a confidence builder for our community."
Celebrity judge Haley Brooke echoed Young's praise for both the contestants and the event itself.
"From the production to these talented kids that we had, like, I'm truly blown away," Brooke said. "And I don't say that lightly. I'm so impressed."
Malachi Carraway, a 12-year-old self-taught pianist, earned second place and a $1,500 cash prize. Adiel Allison, a sophomore at Caddo Magnet High School, finished third and received a $1,000 prize.
The 2026 competition marked the inaugural year of Caddo's Rising Star, with parish officials expressing hopes of making the talent showcase an annual tradition celebrating young artists and performers from across the community.
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything. Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism
that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness
accounts, the history behind an article.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.