The Bruntwood Prize is the biggest national competition for playwriting. It is a search for great plays and great writers. We look for scripts that are original and unperformed, by writers of any experience. You can find out about what you might win below. The 2011 Prize is closed for entries but the next competition will open to submissions at the start of 2013.
Entering your play for the competition is simple and straightforward. We only accept entries online – through this website – so it can all be done right here.
This section of the website tells you everything you need to know about the Prize: what kind of work we accept, how to enter and what happens after you enter and if you win. Sign up to our newsletter on the right to receive updates about the next competition, which will launch next year. The details available here are for reference and based on the 2011 competition rules and process. Information and rules may be updated before the launch of the 2013 Prize.
If you are ready to submit your play, click here.
CAN I ENTER?
Writers entering the competition must be:
- Aged 16 or over
- Resident in the UK or Ireland
- Only submitting one play for the competition
To read the rules in full before you enter, click here.
WHAT SCRIPTS DO YOU ACCEPT?
The Prize aims to accept as wide a range of scripts as possible. There are no restrictions on subject matter, style or the way you choose to write.
Plays submitted must be:
- Original, unperformed and unproduced
- Over one hour in stage/playing time
- Available for production
To read the rules in full before you enter, click here.
HOW DO I ENTER?
We only accept entries online for the Prize, through the entry process on this website. Entry is entirely FREE. To start that process, you will need:
- A pseudonym, a name that’s anything other than your real one. This can be anything you like.
We don’t ask for your real name, so that all entries are judged equally. Your real name should appear nowhere in your application and shouldn’t appear on the play itself. Your pseudonym and the play’s title should appear in the body of the text of your play.
- Your play as a file or document (accepted file types are DOC, DOCX and PDF). You can save this under any name, but you will also be asked for the play’s title.
- A contact email address – if you open a new account to disguise your name, please make sure you check that account regularly.
- A postal address in the UK or Ireland and a contact telephone number.
Submission for the 2011 Prize has closed, but submission for the next Prize will open at the start of 2013.
WHAT ARE THE PRIZES?
In 2011 the Bruntwood Prize will make the following awards:
- A First Prize of £16,000 – with the offer of a year-long attachment with the Royal Exchange Theatre
- Three Judges’ Awards of £8,000 each.
All four winners will have the opportunity to develop their play at the Royal Exchange with a view to production. In addition, leading publisher Nick Hern Books will publish those plays that go on to receive a production at the Exchange.
These awards are designed to support each writer in the development of the play they have produced and their craft. Check our Prize Rules to find out the terms and conditions of the awards.
You can find out more about what has happened to previous winners here.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
After you have submitted your play:
- It is read by our team of readers. Every play is read up to at least page 40.
- A shortlist of plays is announced on Wednesday 5th October 2011.
- The shortlisted plays go forward to our panel of judges.
- Winners are announced at the Bruntwood Prize Awards Ceremony in Manchester on Tuesday 15th November 2011, to which all shortlisted writers are invited.
We aim to respond to writers about the success of their entry as quickly as possible. The top 100 scripts entered will receive detailed feedback and a report from the Royal Exchange Theatre.
To read more about how the reading and judging process works, click here.
