The 23rd Annual Downtown Urban Arts Festival Reveals Winners

Winners have been revealed for the 23rd The Downtown Urban Arts Festival, which took place from June 11-28. This year, they presented the works of 18 playwrights, including that of Tony Award winner Sarah Jones.
 
The winners are:
 

Best Play – Admitted by Juan Ramirez, Jr.

Runner-up – Face Value by Leah Mijalski-Fahim
 

Best Short – Twenty-Six Minutes by Camryn Cox and

The Train Stoppers Adam LaPorte and Amanda Freedman (Tie)
Runner-up – Black in the First Degree by Reginald T. Jackson and Salome’, Tragedy of the Femme Fatale by Maryam Holleman (Tie)
 

Audience Award - Twenty-Six Minutes by Camryn Cox and The Train Stoppers by Adam

LaPorte and Amanda Freedman (Tie)
 

The winning honoree in each category will receive a trophy and a $1,000 prize. Ties will split the monetary prize. 
 
“Congratulations to the winners of this year’s Downtown Urban Arts Festival,” said T. Marc Newell and Reg E. Gaines in a statement. “We had a record number of submissions this year and it is always gratifying to help emerging playwrights on their journey. We look forward to seeing what these gifted writers do next.”
 
In 2001, the theater program at DUAF was founded with the purpose to build a repertoire of new American theatre that echoes the true spirit of urban life and speaks to a whole new generation whose lives defy categorizing along conventional lines. That purpose has been realized, as 221 writers have created and refined their work for the stage.