Annual Frostburg State International Playwriting Competition Opens for Submissions

The Frostburg State University Center for Literary Arts is accepting submissions for its eighth annual international One-Act Playwriting Competition. The competition remains open for submissions through April 7.

The winning playwright will receive a prize of $750 and a full-stage production of their play during Frostburg's annual One-Act Play Festival in September at the Palace Theatre in downtown Frostburg. Second- and third-place playwrights will respectively receive prizes of $250 and $100, and their plays will have staged readings during the One-Act Play Fest.

Plays are judged based on plot, character development, dialogue and overall writing quality. Eligible plays may not have been produced prior to submission, must have runtimes of 40 minutes or less and can feature a maximum of eight actors. Staging and technical needs should be simple, and a character list with brief physical descriptors should be included.

Entries must include three bound copies of the play postmarked no later than April 7. The author's name may not appear anywhere on the work, and a cover letter should be affixed with the name of the play, the author's address and contact information, a brief synopsis of the play and a brief biography.

Before submitting an entry, playwrights should carefully review all submission guidelines. Submissions that are incomplete or fail to follow guidelines will be disqualified.

Playwrights may submit a maximum of two plays. Each entered play must include a check for $20, made payable to Frostburg State University, with One-Act Competition written in the memo line. Submissions should be mailed to Frostburg One-Act Playwriting Competition, FSU Center for Literary Arts, Frostburg State University, 101 Braddock Road, Frostburg, MD 21532.

For complete entry guidelines and additional information about the One-Act Playwriting Competition and Festival, visit www.frostburg.edu/cla/contests-opportunities/one-act-play-competition.

Situated in the mountains of Allegany County, Frostburg State University is one of the 12 institutions of the University System of Maryland. FSU is a comprehensive, residential regional university and serves as an educational and cultural center for Western Maryland. For more information, visit www.frostburg.edu or facebook.com/frostburgstateuniversity. Follow FSU on Twitter @frostburgstate.