2026 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize Judges and Key Dates Revealed

The 2026 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize has announced the Judging Panel for the 48th Annual Award.  Founded in 1978, the Prize is the largest and oldest international prize honoring women+ playwrights for writing works of outstanding quality for the English-speaking theatre. The Winner of the 2026 Prize will be announced on February 26 in a special invitation-only celebration at London's Royal Court Theatre.

Judges for the 48th Annual Susan Smith Blackburn Prize are:

Julie Hesmondhalgh (UK) – Award Winning Television and Theatre Actress

Mara Isaacs (US) – Tony Award-Winning Broadway Producer

Mimi Lien (US) – Tony Award-Winning Set Designer

Benedict Lombe (UK) – Award-Winning Playwright

Audra McDonald (US) – Emmy, Grammy, and six-time Tony Award Winning Singer and Actor

Ian Rickson (UK) – Celebrated Theatre Director and former Artistic Director of the Royal Court

Prize Executive Director Leslie Swackhamer said, “We are thrilled to announce this year's panel of judges, who represent excellence in all areas of the theatre. Each one has had a major impact on our field. Their expertise, talent and vision are central to our process of curating and celebrating the Prize's incredible roster of playwrights.” 

Past Judges of The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize constitute a Who's Who of the English-speaking theatre and include Edward Albee, Adjoa Andoh, Eileen Atkins, Zoe Caldwell, Glenn Close, Paule Constable, Harold Clurman, Colleen Dewhurst, Marianne Elliot, Ralph Fiennes, Greta Gerwig, John Guare, David Hare, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Tony Kushner, Marsha Norman, Joan Plowright, Indhu Rubasingham, Fiona Shaw, Tom Stoppard, Meryl Streep, Paula Vogel, Wendy Wasserstein, and August Wilson among over 250 artists in the United States, England and Ireland.

The ten Finalists for the 2026 Prize are:

Barbara Bergin (Ireland) Dublin Gothic

Hannah Doran (UK/Ireland) The Meat Kings! (Inc.) of Brooklyn Heights

Amy Jephta (South Africa) A Good House

Frances Poet (UK) Small Acts of Love

Ro Reddick (US) Cold War Choir Practice

Jasmine Sharma (US) Pigeonhole

Jen Silverman (US) Regressions

DeLanna Studi (Cherokee Nation) “I” is for Invisible

Else Went (US) Initiative

Bess Wohl (US) Liberation

The Winner will be awarded $25,000 and a special print created especially for Winners and signed by renowned artist Willem De Kooning.  A Special Commendation of $10,000 may be given at the discretion of the Judges, and each Finalist will receive $5,000.

Over 500 plays have been honored as Finalists of the Prize and many have gone on to receive other top honors, including Olivier, Lilly, Evening Standard and Tony Awards for Best Play.

Eleven Susan Smith Blackburn Finalist playwrights have subsequently won the Pulitzer

Prize for Drama. The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize results in more productions of plays by women+ writers and fosters the interchange of plays between the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and other English-speaking countries.