Papatango are not prescriptive in the plays we consider, asking only that they have never before been professionally performed, although musicals, adaptations and children’s plays are not eligible.

We look favourably on plays that say something about the contemporary world or the way we live now, and which have a distinct theatrical language that makes them beautiful and unforgettable on stage. We are not in general keen on plays about people trying to put on a play, plays drawn from literary biographies, or plays which are heavily rooted in documented historical events.

To submit a script for the Papatango New Writing Prize 2015, please read the following submissions guidelines, before  mailing your play to scripts@papatango.co.uk. Please remember anonymity is a key requirement of entering and the only contact details you should include on the front of your script are up to two phone numbers which will still be active in May 2015. Good luck.

Papatango New Writing Prize 2015 – Submission Guidelines

The Papatango New Writing Prize 2015 will be open for submissions from 10 December 2014 – midnight, 31 March 2015.

The competition is open to anyone resident in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland only.

There is no age limit.

The play must have a playing time of at least ninety minutes.

We can only accept one entry per person.

All entries should include page numbers on every page.

The deadline for entry is midnight on 31 March 2015. Any entries received after this time will not be read, and no extension is possible.

We are only able to accept entries submitted by email in Word or PDF format. Entries must be entirely complete and in one document only.

All entries should be emailed to scripts@papatango.co.uk. Any entry made to Southwark Playhouse will be disqualified.

SCRIPTS MUST NOT INCLUDE THE AUTHOR’S NAME (OR ANY PSEUDONYM), ADDRESS OR EMAIL ANYWHERE IN THE DOCUMENT. All scripts must include a phone number only on the front page of the script. (Please make sure that any phone number you give is one that you will still have in May 2015 when the winner is announced. You may include up to 2 phone numbers if you wish). As anonymity is a key requirement of the process, any scripts that break this rule will be automatically disqualified.

The play must be an original, unperformed and unproduced piece of work. It cannot have received a professional production in any form, anywhere in the world, apart from an absolute maximum of three rehearsed/staged readings or workshops only. Amateur productions do not apply. Any scripts that have been professionally produced or published will be automatically disqualified.

Translations, children’s plays, adaptations, music theatre, television, film or radio scripts are not eligible for the competition.

The entrant must exclusively own and control all copyright and all other related rights to the submitted script. It must be available for production and unattached to any other organisation or individual.

The winner is automatically under exclusive option to Papatango for a period of eighteen months after the announcement of the awards. The terms for any subsequent production mounted by Papatango will be negotiated in good faith at that time.

We regret that no correspondence can be entered into regarding any part of the judging process.

Only the winning play and plays shortlisted will be contacted, once the winner has been decided; if an entrant has not heard from Papatango by 1 May 2015 they should consider their entry unsuccessful.

ENTERING A SCRIPT INTO THE PRIZE CONSTITUTES YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF THESE TERMS.