The Alamo Theatre Arts Council (ATAC) gives annual recognition to excellence in live theatre in the San Antonio area. ATAC Globe Awards are presented annually for approximately 30 categories including excellence in production, direction, lead and supporting actors and actresses, music direction, choreography, and technical designs in local productions of comedies, dramas, musicals as well as college productions.

Qualified judges are selected and vetted carefully under the oversight and selection by the entire ATAC board of directors, then assigned to appropriate categories. The board of directors, a rotating group of leaders elected for their history and commitment within the local theatre community, provides extensive training for the thirty or more judges at least twice each season.  Immediately after attending a show in their assigned category, each judge completes and submits a ballot to an impartial third-party tabulation firm within a defined period of time. Only productions submitted by their producing theatre for judging are eligible for a nomination. After the conclusion of each season and all eligible productions have been evaluated, results are reviewed by a committee of ATAC Board members who were not part of the production of any theatre considered in order to assure fairness and accuracy. In general, recipients of the top five average scores in each category are honored with a Globe award nomination. The awards are announced and presented to the person(s) receiving the highest average score at an annual gala hosted in the fall of each year by the ATAC board of directors. The award includes recognition of work celebrated by the entire theatre community and an award trophy. Typically, 30-35 performances, productions, designs and directions are bestowed on deserving theatre artists each year. Inaugurated with the first Globe Awards in the fall of 1991, the Alamo Theatre Arts Council has encouraged excellence in San Antonio theatre by bestowing more than 2500 Globe awards.