Polka Theatre Announces Details of the 2026 Polka Playwriting Award

CHAMPIONING BOLD NEW WRITING FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES AGED 7 – 13 

SUBMISSIONS OPEN NOW, WITH A DEADLINE OF 19 JULY 2026.

Polka Theatre’s Artistic Director and Joint Chief Executive Helen Matravers, Executive Director and Joint Chief Executive Lynette Shanbury, and the whole team are delighted to announce full details of the return of the Polka Playwriting Award for 2026, the only award of its kind, a major initiative dedicated to championing original theatre for young audiences aged 7–13.  

Delivered in association with The Garek Trust and with award partner Methuen Drama, the award responds to a significant gap in the industry, where few major playwriting prizes accept or prioritise work for young audiences. It aims to spotlight the craft and imagination required to write for this age group, while encouraging new voices and stories that reflect a wide range of lived experiences. 

The award builds on the success of its inaugural year, which culminated in the production of Dweeb-A-Mania, the winning play by Sarah Middleton which went on to receive multiple award nominations, including WhatsOnStage and Fringe Theatre Awards, following its run at Polka Theatre in 2025, underlining the impact and ambition of the initiative. 

Submissions will be accepted until midday on 19 July 2026 and must be sent anonymously by email to producing@polkatheatre.com. All eligible scripts will be read by a panel of readers, with a shortlist announced in early October before progressing to final judging, including crucial input from Polka’s young ambassadors. The winning playwright will be announced in late 2026, and a full staging of the production is part of the award prize, with the winning play being published by Methuen Drama. 

Alongside the award, Polka Theatre will host a series of free online masterclasses on writing for young audiences across May and June, led by leading theatre-makers including Nina Segal, Patrick Hughes and Sarah Middleton, offering practical insight into the process of writing for this age group and encouraging new writers to engage with the form. 

Helen Matravers said, “Following the most incredible inaugural year of Polka’s Playwriting Award, I am delighted that we are able once again to shine a vital spotlight on new writing for young audiences. As the only award of its kind, it holds exceptional significance across the whole theatre sector – creating inspiring, empowering work for an age group so overlooked when it comes to theatre productions. With data showing such worrying declines in students taking arts subjects at exam age, it feels more important than ever that we place a spotlight on the empowering and life changing qualities that access to theatre can have at a much younger age.”

“It is also placing a lens over the rigour, detail and quality needed in writing for the pre-teen age group, and in the possibility in discovering brand new stories. By providing free masterclasses alongside the award, we are able to give insight into this nuanced writing process and encourage those who haven’t ventured into the fantastic world of young audience scripting to have a go. I am incredibly grateful to The Garek Trust for making the award possible, and so delighted that Methuen Drama are partnering with us again to publish the winning script. Polka is placing new writing for children on the map with this award, and we cannot wait to be transported into new worlds by the very best writers out there.” 

Book tickets to the online masterclasses here.