Submissions Open For 16th National Jewish Playwriting Contest
Artistic director David Winitsky seeks unproduced full-length plays on 21st century Jewish identity.
The Jewish Plays Project (Artistic Director David Winitsky, Literary Manager Heather Helinsky) has announced that submissions are now open for the 16th National Jewish Playwriting Contest.
The JPP wants to engage with a broad, creative community of playwrights to reflect, reinterpret and refocus current challenges with the joy, humor, and deep ethical thinking.
"We need playwrights right now," said David Winitsky. "We need artists to point the way forward and give us new stories that lead us to brighter futures."
They are currently seeking unproduced full-length (65+ minutes) plays that focus on aspects of 21st Century Jewish identity, culture, and ideas, and the complex and intersectional nature of contemporary Jewish life. They are leaning toward plays that tackle vibrant strands of today's world: social, racial and economic justice; strong women in Jewish life; diverse stories of Jews of Color; LGBTQIA inclusion; new perspectives on the middle east, environmentalism, and interfaith relations in addition to deep conversations about our complex and multifaceted identities.
Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis, but the current review cycle will close on Tuesday, June 30th, 2026. Plays are accepted in many formats, but the prefered format would be Dramatists Guild's Standard Format. There is no submission fee for entering. Writers may submit more than one script. Submissions from previous years are accepted, particularly if there is a new draft of the script. For more information, or any writing or submission questions, email literary@jewishplaysproject.org
All applications will be reviewed by paid, professional Artist Panel readers in Spring/Summer/Fall 2026, with a letter of determination emailed to every applicant before announcements are made. Announcements for the National Jewish Playwriting Contest are typically made around Chanukah. Six or seven Finalists are chosen, and 25-30 Semi-Finalists are announced. JPP does not have the capacity to offer personalized feedback to applicants who do not advance to the Semi-Finalist round.
Guidelines for Submissions
The following must be true of a submitted play or musical:
1. It contains significant Jewish themes, characters, content, or points of view.
2. It does not deal directly with the history of the Shoah or the World War II period generally.
3. It does NOT fall into the beloved category of "ethnically stereotypical comedy".
4. It is in English, or primarily in English - we love plays that play with languages.
5. It is full length, meaning over 65 minutes or 60-70 pages.
6. It has not had a full production in the NY Metro region, or a major regional theater (LORT C or above) production.
7. The play has never been published in any form*.
* Our primary concern is that a play is still in active development. If you feel that your play has been produced or published but is still in progress, contact the Literary department.
Photo Credit: Basil Roderick and Face It Foto
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