Polka Playwriting Award
The Polka Playwriting Award will champion exceptional playwriting and the important creation of new work for Young Audiences. Through this award we want to draw attention to the quality, rigour and imagination needed to write for and inspire such an exciting audience base, who are so often overlooked, and the wonderful rewards that can come from this process. We want to celebrate writers, discover bold stories and new voices, and we encourage writers at any stage of their career to apply.
Applications are now closed for 2024. Shortlisted plays will be announced in early November.
Generously funded by The Garek Trust
Supported by Cockayne and London Community Foundation
Award Partner: Methuen Drama, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing PLc.
Remit:
Of all the major playwriting awards open to unsolicited submission, none platform and prioritise Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA), with the vast majority not accepting scripts for young audiences at all. We want to draw attention to the quality, rigour and imagination needed to write material for such an exciting audience base.
Prize:
- Full play commission under Writers’ Guild rates and associated Royalty.
- Script published with our Award Partners, Methuen Drama.
- Production staged at Polka Theatre, in Polka’s Adventure Theatre, within 2 years of the script being selected.
Who can apply?
- Age/Location
- All writers must be over the age of 16, and live in the UK or Republic of Ireland.
- There is no upper age limit on applicants.
- Length
- Play of no longer than 70 minutes.
- Experience
- Can be written by someone who has no experience in the TYA writing sector – we are looking for stories that have not been told before, and encourage people who may not have seen their experiences on stage as children to apply.
- Age of audience
- For any age range between 7-13
- Status of Script
- Hasn’t been performed before, with the only exception being as part of a workshop or R&D process.
- Isn’t an adaptation of a musical or play that already exists, or a TV or book adaptation – we are looking for an original work. The Writer must own all copyright and material in the script and it cannot be on attachment or in development with another producer or theatre.
- Can be co-written with another person, however the commission amount is for one script.
- Scripts must have a maximum cast of 4 performers (not characters).
- Shortlist Approach
- All plays are read anonymously so please do not add your name or contact details to the script itself.
- A shortlist of plays will be selected by a reading panel in consultation with Polka Grads Young Readers.
Process:
Please note applications for 2024 are now closed.
How to submit: email your script to [email protected] by midday on 20th August 2024. Your script must be submitted as an attachment anonymously, without your name on the document itself.
A panel of readers will read the scripts, anonymously, and decide on a shortlist of 5 plays by 30th October 2024.
Following consultation with Polka Grads, the judges will select the winning script from the shortlist by November, which will be announced in a ceremony at Polka Theatre in January 2025.
Shortlisted writers will be offered a 1:1 follow up with Polka’s Artistic Director.
Any questions please email [email protected] or check the FAQs below. We can’t wait to read your scripts!
FAQ
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Can I submit a play which has already been on at another theatre? No, and it cannot be in development already with another theatre or producer.
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Can I apply if I have had a play on at Polka before? Yes, the award is open to all playwrights at any stage of their career.
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Can I adapt a famous story, TV show or book? No, the work must be original. You must own all the rights to your script, and it can’t be an adaptation of an existing musical or play.
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Will my play be staged at Polka? Yes. We will work with you on the next stages of the script and collaboratively decide what format the public performances of the work will be and when they will happen.
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My play is for young teenage audiences, but over the age of 13, can I still apply? No, plays must be suitable for any ages within the 7-13 bracket.
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Will you accept script submissions after the deadline? No, we will not read any scripts received after the deadline.
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Can I submit a concept for a script which will be formed through a devising process? No, this award is purely for playwright(s) with a finished piece to submit.
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Can I meet with Polka ahead of submitting my script? Unfortunately we will not have the capacity to meet any writers ahead of submission. Should you have any specific questions or difficulties with applying please email [email protected]. You should also try to attend the online information sessions.
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