Sixteen year old Hench and his younger brother Bobbie live alone with their dog, Taliban, playing videogames and watching pornography. Their mother occasionally passes out on their front door. Lost childhoods, lost innocence, love and violence, Bobbie and Hench’s world is turned upside down with tragic consequences when Jenny knocks on their door.

‘It’s been an extraordinary shortlist this year and very difficult to decide on a winner. Yen is a play of great depth and relevance. In an incredibly dark world each of the characters are drawn with beautiful empathy, and a humanity which stood out to all the judges.’ Dame Jenni Murray.

Anna trained as an actor at LAMDA before she started writing. Her plays include Stay Happy Keep Smiling (Soho Theatre), Freak/ Staunch/ Closure (Theatre503), Coming Home (Bush Theatre), Fragments (Riverside Studios), Bender (Old Red Lion), and Just For Fun – Totally Random (Winner – Best New Writing, Lost One Act Festival). Her play Closer to God won the inaugural Off Cut Festival. Anna has developed a drama series about addiction called Cluck, with Little Brother Productions. Epsilon Productions are producing her play Chicken Shop in 2014. She is also a freelance director, acting tutor and Artistic Director of award-winning Without a Paddle Theatre.

As well as receiving the first prize award of £16,000, Anna will go on to develop her work with the Royal Exchange Theatre. The leading theatre publishers, Nick Hern Books, will also publish all winning plays that receive a production at the theatre.