THE WILDERNESS Wins Soho Theatre's Verity Bargate Award

During a ceremony at Soho Theatre this morning, Philippa Lawford's THE WILDERNESS was announced as the winner for this year's Verity Bargate Award, Soho Theatre's biennial new playwriting prize. Her play follows a young English teenager as she experiences a spiritual awakening on a Texan farm during a hot summer. Philippa will receive £12,000 for an exclusive option for Soho Theatre to produce the prize-winning play, and a full London run of the play staged at Soho Theatre, to be announced later.

Writer Monica Ali, from the judging panel, said: 'The Wilderness is a beautiful, intelligent and deeply affecting play. What is so striking is the way its largest ideas arise so naturally from character. Through Meg, Rhoda and John, three profoundly different responses to faith become an unexpectedly resonant portrait of contemporary life: Meg's fierce longing to be chosen speaks to loneliness and atomisation; Rhoda's generous, communitarian faith to our need to give, receive and belong; while John's secular rationalism asks what is left when meaning and responsibility rest with us alone. It is a remarkably subtle play about faith, but also about the much larger human hunger for connection, purpose and somewhere to belong.'

The Character 7 Commission was awarded to THE LAST OF THE WATERMELON KID by Robert Akodoto, a coming-of-age story following the tumultuous life of a young boy in foster care. The Character 7 Commission is selected by Verity Bargate Award sponsor Character 7 in consultation with Soho Theatre. Robert will join the 2027 cohort of writers on Soho ReDraft, a writing programme aimed at supporting playwrights in developing existing first drafts of their plays into production-ready scripts.

Stephen Garrett, Character 7 Founder and Executive Producer and Verity Bargate Award judging panel Chair, said: 'Robert's THE LAST OF THE WATERMELON KID is not just one of the most kinetic and cinematic pieces of theatre I've ever read, it feels magically plucked from the headlines. It's as funny as it is dark, as moving as it is necessary. We're excited to start with him to bring what promises to be an electrifying, wild and hugely entertaining story to the screen.'

Finally, Elham Ehsas's play THE FAITHFULS, following two Taliban fighters atop an ancient Budha statue engaging in banter, prayer and debate, came highly commended from the jury.

Soho Theatre's Rose Abderabbani (Head of Theatre Programme), Max Elton (Associate Director: Literary) and Pooja Sivaraman (Creative Associate) said: 'The Verity Bargate Award is the longest-established new writing award in the UK, with the winning play receiving a full production at Soho Theatre. It sits at the heart of our work with writers, allowing us to discover distinctive new voices, develop meaningful relationships and take creative risks; the Award gives us an invaluable opportunity to hear what writers want to say now and to support ambitious new work from page to stage.'

The full Verity Bargate Award 2026 shortlist:

• The Faithfuls by Elham Ehsas – HIGHLY COMMENDED
• The History by Tife Kusoro
• The Last of the Watermelon Kid by Robert Akodoto – CHARACTER 7 COMMISSION
• Voyagers by Ava Wong Davies
• Water After Ajax by Billie Collins
• The Wilderness by Philippa Lawford – VERITY BARGATE AWARD WINNER