Submissions can be made from 13 December until 30 January for the fourteenth Papatango New Writing Prize.
Eligible writers will be residents of the UK or Ireland and could be in with a chance of their work being produced in the main space at Southwark Playhouse receiving 8% of the net box office, alongside £7,000. The winning play will also be published by Nick Hern Books.
For the first time in 2022, four shortlisted writers will each receive £500. This new collaboration with The Playwright’s Laboratory will also film readings of their submissions for sharing over a private international network of industry professionals.
Every submission to the Prize, which is considered anonymously, will be the subject of individual feedback.
Chris Foxon, executive director of Papatango, said, "every year, we ask ourselves—and playwrights—what the Papatango Prize should offer. Every year, we try to add to or reimagine it, to give writers an opportunity that speaks to present needs. To be taking the 2022 Prize to its biggest ever stage, and for the first time providing the shortlist with an international showcase, reflects that mission. We can't wait to champion brilliant new playwrights and their plays more visibly and ambitiously than ever before."
For 2021, the Prize was reimagined in light of the industry closedown. The work of three winners was published digitally and had an audio production with free access to audiences on a nationwide tour. The previous year, Igor Memic won the prize with Old Bridge.
The deadline is 30 January. The winner will be revealed in the summer and the production will run in the winter.