The Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting – which seeks scripts from established, emerging and debut writers to develop for the stage – returns in 2022. Our submissions will open in late January 2022 along with the announcement of the judging panel, before closing on 6th June. Established writers and those who may never have written a play will be encouraged to submit through an anonymous judging process, meaning each entry is judged on its own merit. Further details – including the 2022 prize categories, events and new learning resources – will be released in due course.
You can still find a wealth of free resources on this site, including our hugely popular online workshops from some of the industry’s top professionals.
The biennial prize is a partnership between property company Bruntwood, a major supporter of the arts, and world-class producing theatre, the Royal Exchange Theatre, in Manchester. Launched in 2005, it is now recognised as a launch-pad for some of the country’s most respected and produced playwrights and screenwriters, including Anna Jordan, Laurie Nunn, Duncan Macmillan, Janice Okoh and Kendal Fever. In Katherine Soper’s case, winning in 2015 was life-changing: she submitted WISH LIST whilst working in a perfume shop in London, and the play went on to premiere at the Royal Exchange Theatre in 2016, co-produced with the Royal Court – where it went on to make its sell-out London debut in 2017.
The Prize received a record-breaking 2,561 entries during its last cycle, which culminated in Phoebe Eclair-Powell’s play, SHED: EXPLODED VIEW, being named overall winner in November 2019. Winning plays are selected across four categories, with each winner entering into a development process with the Royal Exchange Theatre in an endeavour to bring their work to production.
The announcement of the 2022 Prize coincides with the opening of 2019 Bruntwood Judges Prize-Winning dark comedy, GLEE & ME, by Stuart Slade at the Royal Exchange Theatre. Starring Liv Hill as 16-year-old cancer patient Lola, it’s an unexpectedly optimistic portrayal of love and the extraordinary resilience of the human spirit. Slade comments: “Entering the Bruntwood Prize was one of the very best decisions I’ve ever made. Having a play on at the truly wonderful Royal Exchange is a dream come true for me – so please, please enter the competition, because one day your dream could come true as well.”
Deadline: 6 June 2022
Source: Write A Play