Matt Grinter has been announced as the winner of the 8th Papatango New Writing Prize for his play Orca, which will première at Southwark Playhouse in November and be published by Nick Hern Books.
Grinter's play was chosen from a shortlist that also included Tarn by Chris Salt, Alkaline by Gareth Jandrell, Gnaw by Dean Poulter and Full Tilt by Sarah Pitard, which in turn were chosen from 1053 entrants, all of whom will receive individual feedback.
Grinter, who lives in Bristol, said, "I am absolutely thrilled to be working with Papatango and to have won such an incredible accolade from a company that are at the forefront of new writing. When it comes to creating engaging and exciting theatre they are bullet proof. I am honoured that I get to continue my development as a writer under their expert guidance."
Papatango Artistic Director George Turvey called Grinter's play, “hugely imaginative, absorbing and provocative," adding, "it felt particularly rewarding when we discovered Matt was our winner because we had encouraged his writing in our own early days in 2008, when we developed and produced his first short play Angel for Lost Theatre’s One Act Play Festival.
"In a way, it feels like we are completing a journey started eight years ago, and it’s wonderful to be able to have another chance to support his talent.”