Sydney Mathews, 11, of Forgan, Okla., was judged in the top 10 percent and honored for her performance abilities during the recent American Kids Inc. National Finals held in Branson, Mo. Her song, I Canź??t Say No, was selected as part of the AllStar Show following a week of talent competition and workshops.

Winners in 24 talent categories were awarded more than $9,000 in cash prizes, trophies and medals along with two college scholarships, the Performer of the Year title and American Kids Member of the Year. The top 25 acts of the week competed in a special show for the AllStar honor. AllStar judges were Penny Gilley of the Penny Gilley Show on RFD TV, Todd Walker singer, dancer and actor of Peter Pan in Branson, Deana Martin, singer, actor and performer and daughter of Dean Martin, and Mike Stanglin, producer and manager, and former regional country promotion manager for Capitol Records and Columbia/Epic Records.

Young performers traveled from as far away as the Gulf coast and Florida for Nationals, according to Brenda Hoffstatter, director of national programs. A panel of distinguished judges from the entertainment industry critiqued the young performers and selected the winners.