Urban Stages Emerging Playwright Award

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Emerging Playwright Award
Established in 1986, Urban Stages' EMERGING PLAYWRIGHT AWARD has been presented to the best of new, innovative playwrights whose works speak to the whole of our society. Urban Stages' on-going mission is to develop and produce new, exciting multi-cultural works that are issue-oriented.


The Guidelines
WHEN TO SUBMIT
Submissions are received throughout the year. Finalists are first included as part of the Urban Stages fall or spring reading series. The award is then announced in the spring. Plays that are finalists are presented as staged and workshop readings. These readings are a collaboration between playwright and director.

AWARD
A cash prize of $500 (in lieu of royalties) will be awarded to the winner. There will also be a staged production of the play in New York City. Urban Stages reserves the right to withhold the prize and not declare a winner if no play of merit is found. Before production of the award winning play, a contract will be signed between the playwright and the company. This contract is approved by the DRAMATISTS GUILD.

ELIGIBILITY
Full length plays are preferred. Submissions are open to playwrights in the United States. Plays may have been developed elsewhere, but never produced in New York City. There is no limit to submission. Subject matter and character variations are open.

GENRE
We prefer full length plays for submission. No translations or adaptations. On RARE occasions, Urban Stages will consider exceptional musicals and one-act plays that fit our mission. We do; however, consider plays for younger audiences for our outreach program.

CAST SIZE
Cast size is limited to no more than nine actors.

TO BE INCLUDED WITH EVERY SUBMISSION
A biography and/or author's history of the play, character breakdown, and brief description or synopsis of the play.

SUBMISSION FORM
All scripts must be firmly bound. No changes or revisions accepted after submission. No double-sided pages.

SUBMISSION REVIEW
It usually takes two to six months for us to read and process your script. We ask that you please do not call or email our offices in the interim to inquire on the status of your play.

PLAYS RETURNED
The play should be accompanied by a manuscript size SASE with appropriate postage. If there is no manuscript size SASE, the play will not be returned. Please do not include loose cash, stamps, labels or metered postage. A SAS Post Card should be included if you want acknowledgment of arrival. If you do NOT want your manuscript returned, but want a response letter of our decision, include a #10 SASE. If no SASE's are included with your submission, it will be discarded at time of rejection. If we are interested in your play, we will contact you by phone or mail. Please include the name, address and phone number of author on the title page.

HANDLING
All scripts will be handled with care, but Urban Stages will not assume responsibility for lost or damaged scripts. RETAIN A COPY OF YOUR SCRIPT.

WHERE TO SEND
Please send manuscripts to:

Urban Stages
555 8th Avenue, #1800
New York, New York 10018

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Thank you for your interest.