SAPLING By Georgina Duncan Wins The Women’s Prize For Playwriting

SAPLING, written by Georgina Duncan, has been named the winner of the 2025 Women’s Prize for Playwriting. The award, produced by Ellie Keel Productions and Paines Plough, is the only national prize dedicated to supporting playwrights who identify as female or non-binary.

The announcement was made at an awards ceremony held at @sohoplace, attended by invited guests and members of the UK theatre community. The 2025 Prize received a record 1,275 submissions.

The judging panel was chaired by Indhu Rubasingham and included directors Milli Bhatia and Alice Hamilton; actor Romola Garai; literary agent Mel Kenyon; playwright and screenwriter Morgan Lloyd Malcolm; Artistic Director of Bristol Old Vic NANCY MEDINA; Kat Pierce of Wessex Grove; The National Theatre’s Director of New Work Nina Steiger; and Guardian Editor-in-Chief Katharine Viner.

Also announced at the ceremony, Kristin Scott Thomas received the inaugural Leading Light Award, which recognises a female artist for sustained impact and contribution to the arts. The event also included a special monologue written by Abi Morgan, with contributions from longlisted writers, performed by Meera Syal.

Ellie Keel, Founder Director of the Women’s Prize for Playwriting, said the winning script stood out in an especially competitive year, noting the strength of the Final Five selected from the highest submission total to date.

Joint Artistic Directors of Paines Plough Katie Posner and Charlotte Bennett, alongside Deputy Artistic Director Debo Adebayo, said the Prize continues to have a tangible impact on opportunities for female and non-binary writers, with Sapling selected following an extensive judging process.

Elizabeth Newman, Artistic Director of Sheffield Theatres, confirmed that the venue is a new partner of the Prize and is already planning a future production of Sapling.

Founded in 2019, the Women’s Prize for Playwriting champions female and non-binary writers and campaigns for their work to be presented on major stages across the UK and Ireland. The First Prize includes £20,000 and an option for Ellie Keel Productions, Paines Plough, and Sheffield Theatres to co-produce the winning play. The Prize is sponsored by Samuel French Ltd, a Concord Theatricals company.

Previous winners include Amy Trigg (Reasons You Should(n’t) Love Me), Ahlam (You Bury Me), and Karis Kelly (Consumed). Recent winner Sarah Grochala is currently developing her play Intelligence with Paines Plough and Ellie Keel Productions.

About Sapling

Sapling is set in Belfast during the final years of The Troubles and follows 16-year-old Gerry Flynn as he navigates adolescence in the long shadow of his brother’s murder. When past violence resurfaces and a new figure enters his life, Gerry is forced to confront unresolved grief and the consequences of inherited trauma. The play is described as a darkly comic exploration of community, memory, and what grows when pain is left unaddressed.