PALM SPRINGS YOUNG PLAYWRIGHT’S FESTIVAL Announces Call for Submissions

Palm Springs Young Playwrights Festival Announces 9th Annual Call for Submissions

The Palm Springs Young Playwrights Festival (PSYPF), which promotes and encourages theatrical creative writing among elementary, middle, and high school students within Riverside County, has announced that it is now accepting submissions for the 9th Annual Palm Springs Young Playwrights Festival.

Submissions will be accepted through March 6, 2026, from students enrolled in any Riverside County school. Once submissions close, a selection committee will review all entries and choose the most outstanding plays. Each winning playwright will receive:

• • A mentorship to enhance their play

• • A free public staged reading performed by professional actors

• • A $500 scholarship to help further their education in the arts

Winning plays will be announced by March 20, 2026, and the 9th Annual Festival will be held in June 2026 at The Palm Springs Cultural Center. More information is available at psypf.org.

The Bent Partnership and LGBTQ+ Scholarship

The Festival also announced that The Bent, a professional theatre company in Palm Springs, will support PSYPF with a $500 scholarship for the winning play with an LGBTQ+ theme, aligning with their mission to uplift and resource the talents and needs of LGBTQIA+ communities.

“I was thrilled when approached by Terry Ray and Steven Rosenbaum with their passion for our youth in the arts. Keeping with their mission at The Bent, their offer of supporting a young playwright telling stories about the LGBTQ+ community is a perfect fit for our young playwrights. Every year we receive several LGBTQ+ plays, and having Terry and Steve support them through PSYPF is a welcome fit.”
— David Youse, Executive Director, PSYPF

“We are thrilled to now name one of our scholarship awards after their generous efforts — The Bent Award.”
— David Youse, Executive Director, PSYPF

“THE BENT is honored to be a participant in this year's Palm Springs Young Playwrights Festival. With the cancellation of so many arts programs across the country, supporting artists—especially young ones—is imperative, and PSYPF’s importance to the community cannot be underestimated. And who knows, we may be helping to find the next Tennessee Williams or Paula Vogel.”
— Terry Ray and Steve Rosenbaum, The Bent

Alumni Advisory Board

Members of the PSYPF Alumni Advisory Board return each year to participate in and help run the festival. The board is composed of previous festival winners, including:

Kayla McCarty (2025), Abigail Alldredge (2024), Erik Evans (2024), Anthony Banuelos (2024), George Sandoval (2023), Brooklyn Rutledge (2022), Yamani Scoggins (2021), Cal Vaughan (2020 & 2021), Ava Hemstreet (2020), and Xuan Anh Ly Biggs (2020 & 2023).

Community Partnerships and Sponsors

PSYPF partners with the Riverside County Office of Education (RCOE) to expand its outreach across the county, ensuring that young playwrights from all communities can participate. The Festival is supported by Louisa Higgins, Visual and Performing Arts Administrator for RCOE.

Funding and sponsorship are provided by: Cherry Lane Alternative (Angelina Fiordellisi, Jason Smith, and Tom Valach), Tom Hartnett and Paul Reid, Kevin Stotts and Joe Corner, Eddie Nestlebush and Scott Poland, and Alberto Tejero.

Sponsors include: The Riverside County Office of Education, Kimpton Rowan Hotel Palm Springs (Peggy Trott, General Manager), The Anderson Children’s Foundation, The City of Palm Springs, and The Palm Springs Cultural Center (Michael Green, Executive Director).

About the Palm Springs Young Playwrights Festival

The Palm Springs Young Playwrights Festival (PSYPF) promotes and encourages creative writing in the theatrical form among students in elementary, middle, and high schools throughout Riverside County, California. The Festival provides mentorship, public readings by professional actors, and scholarships to help young playwrights continue their education in the arts.