Royal Court Theatre Reveals Inaugural Young Playwrights Winners

The Royal Court Theatre has announced the winners of the first ever Young Playwrights Award. The six winning writers, aged 13-18, will have their plays showcased in a Festival at the Royal Court's Jerwood Theatre Upstairs this summer between 10-12 July and published in an anthology by Nick Hern Books.

The award was launched by The Royal Court Theatre to support playwriting in children of secondary school age for whom playwriting is not a compulsory part of the curriculum, unlike short stories and poetry. This is the pilot year of the scheme which will run across the UK in the future.

The shortlisted works range from comedy, family drama and spoken word though to the more surreal and fantastical. They feature ghosts, magical libraries, estranged aunts and omniscient voice assistants and cover everything from a real life look at the struggles of Black girlhood through to a Beckettian take on artificial intelligence. 

Over 150 entries were submitted from all over London, a shortlist of 21 was decided upon by The Royal Court Theatre and then read by a judging panel. The Young Playwrights Award Festival will showcase plays from each age category as well as an Awards Ceremony. The Royal Court Theatre is inviting schools across the city to attend the play readings for £1 a ticket. The Award is being led by Beth Flintoff, Associate Playwright and Young Writers Associate at the Royal Court.

Beth Flintoff said: We were so impressed by the imagination, creativity and writing talent on display in all the entries we received, it has been a real joy reading  them. Congratulations to the shortlisted writers, whose outstanding plays have surprised and moved us, thrilled us and made us laugh. A huge thank you to everyone who entered, for trusting us with your writing and making this such an impressive first year for the Young Playwrights Award.