The Women’s Prize for Playwriting, now partnered with Sheffield Theatres, has returned, this year boasting a £20,000 first prize, the largest in the award’s history.
The annual accolade, produced by Ellie Keel & arts provider Paines Plough, aims to “celebrate and support exceptional female and non-binary playwrights”, as well as platforming their works on national stages in the UK and Ireland.
In an announcement yesterday, Sheffield Theatres revealed that, as well as the headline prize, the “judging panel for this year’s Prize will be chaired once again by incoming Director and Co-Chief Executive of the National Theatre Indhu Rubasingham”.
The announcement, which came with a variety of new details, also revealed that the Prize has become a registered charity, that Charlie Coulthard will become Literary Manager, and the full judging panel, which will also include Artistic Director of Bristol Old Vic Nancy Medina and Guardian Editor-in-Chief Katharine Viner.
Open to female and non-binary playwrights, submissions to this year’s prize simply must be a full-length play of over 60 minutes total length.
As well as the headline £20,000 financial reward for the winning submission, the playwright also gives Ellie Keel Productions, Paines Plough and Sheffield Theatres the opportunity to co-produce the play.
Past winners of the prize include Olivier award-winning actress Amy Trigg, who was recently seen playing Agnes in The Little Big Things, for her play Reasons You Should(n’t) Love Me, about “a disabled woman, but at its heart it is a universal story about love, growing up and feeling unfinished”.
In a statement, Sheffield Theatres’ Artistic Director Elizabeth Newman has said “I am thrilled we are becoming the Theatre Partner of The Women’s Prize for Playwriting”.
“Sheffield Theatres has a long-standing reputation for being committed to producing exceptional new work and, as I begin my tenure as Artistic Director, I want to make it clear that we will continue this mission and develop our reputation of being an exciting place that fosters exceptional talent”.
As the theatre industry seeks to increase the number of women and non-binary people involved in all aspects of its creation, including in high-level creative positions, the announcement of the return of the Women’s Prize for Playwriting is an exciting prospect for budding writers across the country.
With a month until submissions open and four until they close, there is ample time for playwrights from all backgrounds to prepare their pieces, and potentially receive an illustrious reward for their work.
Submissions for the 2025 Women’s Prize for Playwriting open on January 13th, & close on April 22nd. More information can be found here
