For Schools & Groups
Do you know young people with something to say, a gift for writing, or a unique perspective on the world?
Do you want a completely free programme to support your creative learning offer and boost writing skills?
The Young Playwrights Award is for you – whether helping a student get involved or setting up your own playwriting club and using our free digital video course, inspiring more young people to develop their creativity, writing skills and confidence.
Read on for suggestions of how to get involved, and downloadable resources including teacher guidance, lesson plans and posters below.
WAYS TO GET INVOLVED
Teach playwriting in class
Any school or group can run their own playwriting course or use our resources in classrooms. The best part is, teachers and facilitators don’t need any specialist knowledge in playwriting.
We’ve created a full pack for schools to help you. Our adaptable PowerPoint lesson plans, with embedded videos from professional playwrights, can be used for an eight-lesson block. You can view the full video series here, access the full slide set on Google Slides, or download teacher guidance, individual lesson slides and supporting script extracts below (scroll down for links at the bottom of this page).
Set up a playwriting club
Using our video series, any school or group can run their own playwriting club, and teachers and facilitators don’t need any specialist knowledge in playwriting: the videos can effectively run the sessions for you!
Watch the full video series here.
All videos are also available in BSL versions.
Encourage young people to take part
We know that teachers and group leaders can be the most valuable connection to the young people who might benefit most from this programme.
You can share links to our website, or download and print our Young Playwrights Award poster below to display around young building (scroll down for links).
Taking part in the Young Playwrights Award is completely free of charge. Schools do not need to register and any young person is welcome to submit their play when the submissions window opens from 27 January - 22 April 2026.
Full Classroom Slide Set
In addition to the above, you can access the full 8-part lesson plan and powerpoint slide set here (via Google Slides).
'Participating in the Young Playwrights Award and seeing my first play staged at the Royal Court is something I will never forget. It was a pivotal moment for me and challenged me to create a piece of work I am incredibly proud of. The award has increased my confidence in my own writing - and has motivated me to continue!' George McAree, 2025 Winner
