Entries & Awards

The Young Playwrights Award 2027 is now open for entries, through the online portal on our website here. 

The awards are in two age categories: 13-15 and 16-18 years, and all plays must be written in English and between 1,000 to 5,000 words long (about 10 to 30 minutes). Other than that, there are no rules about your entry – so long as it’s a play, intended for performance on a stage, we want to read it! 

The deadline for entries is 12pm midday on Thursday 1 April 2027.

You can read full eligibility guidance and applicant information here.

Enter Here

Shortlisting & Winners 

The Award is decided by the Royal Court Theatre’s artistic team, with final decisions made by our panel. 

Everyone who enters receives personal feedback. All shortlisted writers will receive a certificate of recognition and a free book on playwriting to support their next steps, donated by Nick Hern Books. 

Winning plays will be showcased at a festival in July at the Royal Court Theatre, London, presented as a series of staged readings by professional directors and actors – with the plays also published in a special edition by Nick Hern Books. As part of the festival, we’ll also host a prizegiving, with unique trophies for every winning writer. 

For winning plays included in the festival, we will also be able to support with travel and accommodation costs for writers based outside London, ensuring you can attend the performance and ceremony. 

The prizes are supported by the Publishing Partner for the Royal Court Young Playwrights Award, Nick Hern Books. 

'Having your play performed is like going on a very high zipwire – you feel nervous before, but when it starts it feels great! I’m really glad I entered, and would encourage anyone else to, it was an amazing experience!' Leon Chin-Kemp, 2025 Winner


'It’s one thing to create a piece of work that you feel genuinely proud to call your own, but to then have it recognised by other people, is an experience I never expected. It has made me feel that perhaps I really can write, and that the ideas I have are worth sharing.' Dhaani Singh, 2026 Winner