Here you'll find a listing of CONTESTS AND SUBMISSION OPPORTUNITIES for high school, middle school, elementary school and college age playwrights in the United States and abroad. They have different age and geographical restrictions, so It's up to you to research each one and see whether you qualify. None of these listings constitute an endorsement unless I explicitly say so.
NOTE ABOUT ENTRY FEES: I am against entry/reading fees in general, but I am particularly against them for young writers. Postage, copying and envelopes cost enough without adding a fee to them, and entry fees discriminate against talented young writers who may not be able to afford this extra expense. None of the contests below charge fees--if you find that one of them does, please let me know.
Competitions for High School and Younger Students in the United States
YouthPLAYS New Voices One-Act Playwriting Competition (May 1)
Why is this one first? Because I help run it! Open to anyone 19 years old or younger.
Alabama Shakespeare Festival (March 13)
Open to Alabama high school students in grades 9-12.
All Children’s Theatre Youth Playwriting Competition (December 8)
Open to Rhode Island high school students.
Arena Stage Student Ten-Minute Competition (deadline TBA)
Open to students from the District of Columbia , the City of Alexandria , or one of the following counties: Loudoun, Prince Georges, Prince William, Montgomery , Fairfax or Arlington . Students must be in grades 6-12.
Arlington Children's Theater Young Playwrights (September 1)
Open to all. 18 years old or younger.
Baker's Plays (January 30)
Open to all high school students.
Blank Theatre Young Playwrights Festival (March 15)
Open to anyone 19 years old or younger.
Blueberry Pond Theatre Ensemble (February 25)
Open to middle and high school students from the Lower Hudson Valley.
California Young Playwrights Project (June 1)
Open to residents of California under the age of 19.
CenterStage Young Playwrights Festival (February 17)
Open to students in Maryland.
City Theatre Company Young Playwright's Contest (April 15)
Open to students in Western Pennsylvania in grades 7-12.
Curious Theatre Company (see website for details)
Their New Voices program is open to young playwrights ages 15-21 and offers play development (culminating in public staged readings) and instruction with seasoned professional playwrights, with all participants receiving full scholarships. The company is based in Denver , though not all past participants have been from Colorado .
Delaware Theatre Company, Delaware Young Playwrights Festival (deadline TBA)
Open to Delaware students. Check website for more information.
Dobama Theatre's Marilyn Bianchi Kids' Playwriting Festival (see website for deadlines)
Open to Cuyahoga County (OH) students in grades 1-12. Deadlines are staggered according to student grade level during February and March.
Florida Stage (December 16)
Open to any Palm Beach County student in grades K-12.
Geva Theatre (winter deadline)
Open to Rochester-area writers, ages 13-18. For more information, send an email to gevatalk@gevatheatre.org .
Gorilla Theatre, Young Dramatists Project (February 18)
Open to middle or high school students in Hillsborough or Pinellas County (FL).
Innovative Stages’ Young Playwrights Competition (March 15)
Open to residents of Westchester County (NY), grades 9-12.
Lebanon Community Theater's Playwriting Contest (April 30)
Open to playwrights of all ages and experience. All plays must be written only for this contest and must not exceed 20 minutes of production time. Check website for more information.
Metro Milwaukee Young Playwrights Competition (June 1)
Open to high school students in the greater Milwaukee (WI) area.
The Midwest High School Playwriting Competition ( March 25)
Open to high school students in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Students who are new to playwriting are especially encouraged to write a play and submit it to the competition.
New South Young Playwrights Festival Contest (deadline TBA)
Sponsored by Horizon Theatre Company, this festival for southern young writers has divisions for middle school and high school (as well as college) playwrights. Check their website for details.
Pegasus Players (deadline TBA)
This is open to Chicago residents, but while the contest still exists, there’s little info online, so you’ll have to contact the theatre for details.
Philadelphia Young Playwrights (May 16)
Open to high school students in the Philadelphia area.
Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey, New Jersey Young Playwrights Contest (January 26 for high school; February 16 for junior high and elementary)
Open to New Jersey students in grades 4-12.
Princeton University Ten-Minute Play Contest (March 1)
Open to any student in grade 11 during the current academic year.
San Francisco Young Playwrights Festival (December 16)
Open to high school students in San Francisco.
Scholastic Writing Awards (deadlines vary according to region)
Open to students enrolled in grades 7-12 .
Shenandoah Valley Regional Playwright’s Festival (January 13)
Open to students under the age of 19 on the submission deadline, residing in Virginia or West Virginia (see entry instructions for specific counties of residence).
Syracuse Stage (February 14)
Open to Central New York students.
TADA! (January 4)
Open to all. To enter the “young writers” category, entrants must be 19 or under, though there is also a category for writers over 19. Separate instructions for musicals.
Thespian Playworks (February 17)
Open to any active member of the Thespian Society who is a high school student during the current school year.
Vermont Young Playwright's Project (deadline TBA)
Open to middle and high school students from Vermont. Scripts selected through school workshops. Contact them for more information.
VSA Playwright Discovery Program (mid-April)
Open to entrants 21 and under. Plays must deal with some aspect of disability.
Waterfront Ensemble/ New Jersey Dramatists (February 1)
Open to all students from New Jersey. Plays and monologues should be no more than 20 minutes in length.
Write A Play! NYC School Playwriting Contest (April 1)
Open to all New York City students.
Young Playwrights Festival National Playwriting Contest (December 1)
Open to all entrants ages 18 or younger.
Competitions for College Students in the United States
Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (see website for deadlines)
You need to be an undergraduate or graduate student produced by a college that participates in ACTF—check the website for information on participation and the many awards ACTF sponsors.
Marc A. Klein Playwriting Award (December 1)
Department of Theater Arts, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106-7077, c/o John Orlock, Chair. Open to American college students.
New South Young Playwrights Festival Contest (deadline TBA)
Sponsored by Horizon Theatre Company, this festival is open to southern college writers. Check their website or contact them for details.
Wichita State University (February 15)
Open to all undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at any college or university.
Competitions Outside the United States
Interplay Europe (festival takes place in June in even-numbered years)
A biennial festival in Europe for playwrights aged 18-26, held in opposite years from World Interplay. Email them for submission info.
Magnus Theatre (deadline TBA)
Open to residents of Northern Ontario ( Canada), ages 12-19. Contact them for submission details.
New Zealand Young Playwrights' Competition (December 6)
Open to New Zealand residents ages 16-22.
Sydney Theatre Company's Young Playwrights' Award (August 5)
Open to Australian residents of NSW or the ACT 19 years or under.
Under 20 for Under 20’s Competition/Tarragon Theatre (January 17)
Open to Ontario ( Canada) residents under the age of 20 as of the contest deadline.
Open to All
Fledgling Films (ongoing for production in July) solicits teen and pre-teen written plays, screenplays, and short stories to be produced as short films at the Fledgling Films Summer Institute. Accepts national and international submissions, with a strong preference toward works written primarily in English. Writers receive small honorarium, an invitation to be involved in the filming process and a copy of the finished film. Ideal script is 10-30 pages. Submit to: Fledgling Films, 949 Somers Road, Barnet, Vermont 05821, USA. Send SASE for return of materials. E-mail kcp@pshift.com for more information.
International Student Playscript Competition (November 30)
Must be a current student or recent graduate. See website for details.
World Interplay (mid-May in odd-numbered years)
A biennial festival in Townsville , Australia which includes playwrights ages 18-26 from all over the world. They also work with Australian playwrights aged 11-17. Contact them through their website for more information.
Remember, deadlines can change from year to year, and contests sometimes get discontinued—so confirm the information on each specific competition before submitting. Let me know if you find any links that are no longer active.