Theatre503 is an award-winning home of new writers and a launchpad for the artists who bring their words to life. They stage the work of more debut writers than any other theatre in the world and can now announce the re-opening of the Theatre503 Playwriting Award, their bi-annual search for the best new plays and most talented debut playwrights in the world.

The winning play receives £6,000 with a guaranteed production, and they do everything they can do to find a home for the four remaining finalists – with all five finalists of the 2018 International Award being premiered at Theatre503 by the end of November 2020.

If you are the winner you will receive £3,000 in prize money and £3,000 as an advance against 8% of the gross box office, to grant Theatre503 the exclusive license to produce the play for up to 18 months after the announcement of the award

Theatre 503’s publishing partner will have first refusal to publish the winning play in the UK, with other territories to be negotiated with them and the writer

Criteria

• The 2020 Theatre503 International Playwriting Award aims to identify and champion debut and emerging writers. They therefore cannot consider any submission if the writer has had another full-length play of more than 65 minutes produced professionally for 4 weeks or more in any theatre
• Work must be submitted by the writer or the translator and not through a third party/agent
• Adaptations are not eligible
• Plays must be written/translated into the English Language
• Plays (including translations) must never have been professionally optioned, produced or published at the point of submission
• Only one script may be submitted by each writer
• Should a translated play win the award, the prize money and advance shall be split equally between both parties
• Both parties shall also be credited as winning writer and translator (or as finalists) in all subsequent award information and publicity
• More than one translation can be submitted but each must have a different original writer
• By submitting a script for consideration you agree that
  • You are over 16 years of age
  • You have not had a play produced professionally for a 4 week run in any theatre
  • The script does not contain any detail of your identity
  • You are the writer of the play and exclusively own and control all copyright and all other related rights to the play (and the translator owns and controls the rights to the translation)
  • The play is over 65 minutes in length
  • The play is original, unperformed, unpublished work for the stage and has not been produced anywhere in the world. In the case of a translation, this applies to both the English language translation and the work in its original language.
  • The play is available for production and unattached to any other theatre or company

Deadline:

29th February 2020

https://theatre503.com/writers/award2020/