BRIDGE: The Bluffton University Literary Journal seeks short plays from writers 14-24

Website

Deadline: January 1, 2026 11:59 PM

SUBMIT VIA SUBMITTABLE

Bridge only publishes original work by writers age 14-24. Drama submissions are limited to 5000 words (roughly 10-12 formatted pages). Submissions that have enjoyed full or partial production (stage plays, films, staged readings) are eligible for publication; submissions that have been previously published online or in print are not.

Bridge: The Bluffton University Literary Journal is a magazine of arts and letters compiled by Bluffton University's Department of English and Writing Program. Our current publication schedule includes fall and Spring online issues. Bridge only publishes artists and writers age 14-24.

We are now operating as rolling submissions.

To see the kind of work we are engaging with, please check out our previous issues:

SPRING 2021 Edition online: https://www.bluffton.edu/bridge/Spring2021/

FALL 2020 Edition online: https://www.bluffton.edu/bridge/fall2020/index.aspx

FALL 2019 Edition online: https://www.bluffton.edu/bridge/fall2019/index.aspx

FALL 2018 Edition online: http://www.bluffton.edu/bridge/fall2018/

and FALL 2017 EDITION online: http://www.bluffton.edu/bridge/fall2017/

Visit our website at https://www.bluffton.edu/bridge/


SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

• Bridge publishes original work by writers and artists age 14-24. We look for work that demonstrates virtuosity and wonder, work that interrogates norms and assumptions, and delights us all along the way. Bridge ONLY publishes writers and artists age 14-24. 
• Bridge accepts work from young writers in the following genres: short fiction, nonfiction, poetry, comics, art, graphic novels and short plays for stage and screen. Please, no fan-fiction or excerpts from novels. 
• Contributors can submit only ONCE per genre, per submission period. 
• There are no restrictions on content or theme. 
• Work submitted to Bridge must not be previously published online or print. We cannot consider work you posted on WattPad, your blog, website, or social media. 
• Bridge welcomes international submissions; however, all work submitted must be composed primarily in English. 
• Bridge does not accept anonymous submissions. 
• Bridge cannot accept third-party submissions. Writers and artists must submit their own work and correspond directly with our staff. Parents/teachers/mentors cannot submit work for you or on your behalf. If your work is collaborative and includes artists over the age of 24, it is not eligible for publication in Bridge. 
• If selected for publication, Bridge retains First North American Serial Rights to your work. However, all rights revert to the author upon publication. 
• Bridge is unable to pay contributors. 
• Current or former Bluffton University students, and the household family members of Bluffton University faculty, staff, and administrators are not eligible to submit work to Bridge.

Bridge's Top Tips for Getting Accepted

• We love working with our authors. We feel mentorship is part of our mission. So please read carefully through our tips. Given that we receive submissions per reading period, we want your work to show at its very best. These are helpful for submitting anywhere!We appreciate fresh, unique perspectives and imagery on issues. We have found that means strong language and word choice. The more specific you can be in detail, the less a reader will be wondering what was going on or how that character was reacting to a certain situation. 
• We are open to what our authors submit from genre to form to style to topic. We love discovering new ways of seeing the world, but we also value work that shows the writer has thoroughly done their homework. If this is a topic or character outside of your own experience or background, do in-depth research on that topic and its histories! Nothing hurts a piece more than discussing an important issue, yet using stereotypes or cliches or incorrect information.
• Check your Submittable account regularly, and update your email address if it changes! We have accepted authors that never got back to us. Then, too, we have accepted authors, signed contracts, and then never heard back about revisions sent out.
• List all of your contact information in a proper cover letter. This helps us get in touch with you if need be. Here is a link to a good cover letter example: How to Write a Cover Letter... https://theadroitjournal.org/2019/08/09/how-to-write-a-cover-letter-for-a-literary-journal-magazine-or-publication/ . Here is a link to good advice on submissions. We recommend following the above for cover letters, however, rather than this one's: https://electricliterature.com/lit-mag-submissions-101-how-when-and-where-to-send-your-work/
• Be sure to copy edit the piece very carefully before submitting. Look for typos and sentence errors. Remove any comments from readers or notations that this was submitted for a class. Don't put in your cover letter another journal's address and information. In other words, be professional.
• Submit within your proper genre.
• If your piece is accepted elsewhere, please immediately withdraw it from Bridge and anywhere else you submitted it. Editors spend a lot of time considering pieces. If you withdraw, they can then give their time to other pieces.

RELENTLESS AWARD

Website

Deadline: January 1, 2026  at 11:59 PM

SUBMIT VIA SUBMITTABLE

The Relentless Award, established in honor of Philip Seymour Hoffman and his pursuit of truth in the theater, is the largest annual cash prize in American theater awarded to a playwright in recognition of a new play. 

Eligibility/Criteria for Submission: 

•  Play must be unproduced, with no production commitment.
• Author(s) must have either United States citizenship, possess a green card, or currently reside in the United States and have lived here for at least four years.
• Plays with a producer, producing organization, or theater attached for future production are not eligible.
• Plays that have received more than $10,000 in commission, author fee, or other award prize money (cumulatively) are not eligible.
• One-act plays, musicals, and plays for children are not eligible.
• The author(s) must be at least 21 years old at time of submission. 

*Please note: the Relentless Award uses a blind submissions process(the names and identifying details about the authors are hidden from the judges.) It is imperative that all submitting writers create a draft of their submission with all identifying information (name, contact information, representation information if applicable, development history, any identity-describing author's note/dedication) redacted.

Failure to do so may disqualify your script and render it ineligible for consideration. **Please note: our submission window will close automatically at 11:59pm EST on January 1st, 2026 and no late submissions will be accepted. Due to Submittable's 48 hour turn around time for user inquiries, we strongly urge you to allow yourself ample time before the deadline, in case of any technological or other difficulties.

***Please see our FAQ here for more information. We highly recommend reading the FAQ before submitting, as some of the details provided are relevant to the eligibility of your submission.

Door is a Jar literary magazine seeks short plays

Website

Deadline: none listed

SUBMISSION FORM 

Following the Standard American Format 

Submit up to 2 short plays. Each play can range between 1 and 10 pages in length as a .doc or .docx.

Door Is A Jar Literary Magazine is looking for well-crafted poetry, fiction, nonfiction, drama, artwork, and book reviews for our print and digital publication. Please read over these submission guidelines carefully and look at our current and archived issues before submitting your work.

Our publication steers away from academic writing and publishes short, conversational works that use familiar language. Each new issue features artists and writers and works that are accessible for all readers.

Our issues are don't have specific themes, and we accept all genres and literary styles.

Submit all work in Times New Roman font size 11

We only accept new, unpublished work. If you have posted something to your website or social media, this counts as being published.


For book reviews please include the following information: the title, author, publisher, year of publication, page count, ISBN, and price.

Under the "Title(s)" section, please list all the titles of the pieces you are submitting, and not something general like "My Poems". Make sure you are consistent with how you present the titles in your attached document and in this space.

If you are unable to fit all the titles into the "Title(s)" section, please list them in your cover letter section of the submission form.

Please provide your name as you would like published, email, mailing address, and a fun 3-sentence bio. (We're not as interested in how many degrees you have, or how widely you've been published. Instead, we want to hear about the real you. We want to know about the little things that spur you along.)

Contributors can submit to multiple categories; however, only submit once to each category until you have received our decision about your piece.

You will receive an acceptance or rejection letter from our editorial staff within 6 months from the day of submission.​


We accept simultaneous submissions; however, please notify us immediately if your work is accepted elsewhere. If accepted, please withdraw the piece from other publications.
​
We reserve first initial publishing rights, and the rights reprint right to use quotes or pieces for promotional use. We do not pay contributors at this time, but we will send out a contributor copy.

Submissions are only accepted through our website. Any submissions sent directly to our email will be deleted without response.

Please note that submissions that exceed word counts or maximum amount of material will be disqualified from consideration.

Do not send in writing or art that was created using Artificial Intelligence. Submitting work generated by A.I. technology will be considered as plagiarism.

Be the sole author/ creator of your work. We do not publish collaborative pieces.

We do not publish translations.

We do not publish craft essays.
​


If you have trouble uploading your file, the problem could have been an issue when saving, which corrupted the file, or your computer could have virus. Some people have had issues when downloading files from Google Documents. The best way around this is to copy and paste the document into a new .docx and trying to submit again.

2026 Carlo Annoni International Playwriting Prize (9th Edition)

Website

Deadline: April 30, 2026

Send your submission to info@premiocarloannoni.eu

The Carlo Annoni International Playwriting Prize is now open for submissions with topics concerning the LGBTQ+ community, including love, diversity, and identity in a time of gender fluidity

Submissions of any length are accepted: full-length plays, as well as short plays, 10 minutes, including those already performed.

1000 € Awarded to the two best plays (English and Italian), ceremony in Milan, September 2026, and special jury mentions on multiple categories.

Musical theater challenge for high school students 2026

Website

Deadline: February 3, 2026 3:00 AM

SUBMIT VIA SUBMITTABLE

ELIGIBILITY & GUIDELINES

Who can Participate in the Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge? High School Students from all 50 States, Washington D.C. and U.S. territories are eligible.

Entry Requirements

Each Participant can submit one original composition tailored for a musical theater production. The full musical does not need to be written, but the student will be asked to justify the song as a storytelling moment as part of the larger hypothetical work.

Collaborative entries (up to three Writers) are accepted, but all members of the team must meet the age and schooling requirements.

Limit of one solo entry and one collaborative entry per Participant.

Entries must be the wholly original work of the entrant(s) and should not infringe on any copyrights or any other rights of third parties.

If under the age of 18, the student must have permission from their parent or legal guardian by providing their parent/guardian’s signature and other requested information, which indicates their parent/guardian’s agreement and consent to the terms and conditions herein.

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT) advocate for creativity, originality and artistic expression. Any form of plagiarism will lead to disqualification.

What’s Not Allowed

• Remixes or covers of existing work.
• New works that sample or include stems/tracks from existing work.
• Adaptations of popular movies, books, TV shows and other pre-existing media.
• Songs promoting hate, discrimination or any form of offensive content.

Denver Quarterly seeking short plays & monologues

Website

Deadline: February 16, 2026 2:00 AM

SUBMIT VIA SUBMITTABLE

Denver Quarterly is interested in texts intended to be performed in some capacity-- including one-act plays, flash mobs, performance art, monologues, scripted choreography-- or work that is meant to be performed solely on the page but bears in mind certain conventions of the theater/stage. Poems and short stories are not accepted under this category.

Policies:

Performance submissions should generally consist of no more than 4,000 words, but may be much shorter as the project requires.

Excerpts from longer works are permissible.

If you are submitting performance texts with particular formatting, we recommend saving your file as a PDF.

Please submit only one piece to one category for our consideration, and please wait until you have heard back from us before submitting again.

Simultaneous submissions are permitted, and please notify us promptly if your work has been accepted elsewhere by adding a note withdrawing your piece in Submittable. We do not read previously published work.

Arkana Magazine seeks short plays for its Micro issue

Website

Deadline: March 16, 2026 at 1AM

SUBMIT VIA SUBMITTABLE

For our Micro Issue, please submit scripts for the stage or screen that would last, if performed, five minutes or less.

We publish work by established and emerging writers unaffiliated with the University of Central Arkansas. We accept previously unpublished fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, scripts for the stage or screen, translation, artwork, and illustrated narrative through our Submittable submission manager.

Simultaneous submissions are always welcome. We only ask that you withdraw your piece as soon as you accept another opportunity.

As a compendium of the rare, intriguing, and unheard, we’re looking for quality writing that is thought-provoking and literary. 

We are especially interested in work that explores the identities and experiences of writers from the Delta region, BIPOC, immigrant, LGBTQ+, women, disabled, and neurodivergent writers, the resource-poor, writers over 50, those who have experienced or been impacted by incarceration, or anyone whose voices have traditionally been silenced.

MICRO ISSUE SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

• Up to 500 words of prose (fiction or nonfiction), double-spaced
• Limit 1 submission per genre until you’ve received a response
• Up to three poems per submission, up to 10 lines per poem
• Up to 5 photographs or pieces of art. For illustrated narrative, one page or panel.
• Cover letter with a brief biographical statement
• Up to 5 minutes of script for the stage or screen
• Up to 1 minute for a video essay

The Robert J. Pickering / J.R. Colbeck Award for Playwriting Excellence 2026

Website

Deadline: December 31, 2025

This annual award was established to honor past member and playwright, Bob Pickering, and to provide a vehicle for playwrights to see their works produced. In 2020, the award was renamed to also honor longtime BCCT member and Pickering director, J.R. Colbeck. $200 is awarded for first place, $50 for second place and $25 for third place.

Types of Plays Accepted

Full length, unproduced plays and musicals. Children's plays are accepted. We are unable to return without a self-addressed stamped envelope.

Selection Process

BCCT committee members read and review each entry and select ten finalists from which the first, second, and third place winners are chosen by the membership at large.
Production

BCCT reserves the right and agrees to produce the first place winner in this yearly competition. First place winners are required to sign a production contract.
Production House

BCCT productions are staged in the historic Tibbits Opera House in Coldwater, Michigan. Built in 1882, Tibbits is a completely restored 500-seat proscenium theater.
How to Submit

BCCT does not accept digital submissions. Send hard-copy submissions to:

Branch County Community Theatre
14 S. Hanchett St.
Coldwater, MI 49036

Curtain Rising: Staged Readings of New Works seeks short plays

Website

Deadline: January 12th, 2026

To submit your play, follow this link. 

Playwrights may submit more than one play.

Plays will be announced in early February 2026. 

The 2nd Stage at Burlington County Footlighters Theatre in Cinnaminson NJ is producing our fourth annual Curtain Rising: Staged Readings of New Works as part of our 2025-2026 season. 

This thought-provoking event will showcase short one-act plays which explore the underlying theme of If Not Now, Then When?

We are currently accepting script submissions (previously unproduced) and will select plays for minimally staged readings to be performed on Friday February 27th & Saturday February 28th, 2026. The 2nd Stage is our black box performance space, seating about 30 people. Playwrights agree to have their work be presented with no monetary compensation. Playwrights will receive production stills and two (2) comp tickets (one for the playwright and one guest) for Saturday night’s performance.

Playwrights must be present at the Saturday evening performance to see their work and participate in our audience talkback session. Playwrights should be aware that our 2nd Stage is not ADA accessible. There is a staircase that attendees need to climb to access the space. If you cannot access the space, please let us know when you submit. We do have an alternative plan to accommodate playwrights with mobility challenges.

In order to be considered:

Plays need to fit within the theme, have no more than five characters, be performed in 10-15 minutes, and have minimal staging/technical requirements. Plays should not have been formally produced.

Questions? Contact Heidi at curtainrising@bcfootlighters.com

https://www.facebook.com/2ndStageAtBCF

Palace Theatre Short Play Festival

Website

Deadline: January 9, 2026

 SUBMISSION FORM

At The Rex Theatre, Manchester, New Hampshire 

To be eligible for the Palace Theatre Short-Play Festival you must be a United States Resident.

The 2026 Festival is seeking Short- Plays.

Each writer may submit no more than ONE Short Play.

All plays submitted for the festival must be between 8 and 15 Minutes.

Entries must be submitted in a PDF Document format.

Submitted plays should not have had a previous professional production (readings and workshops are OK).

Playwrights will be responsible for casting + Directing their own Plays.

Please note if you require casting assistance from local theatre partners, please indicate so on the casting questions on the submission form.

-Plays may not be written using any generative artificial intelligence (AI).

-Plays must be written primarily in English (the use of non-English words or phrases within the context of the play are allowed).

Playwrights will be responsible for the accommodation of their cast during the festival – The Palace Theatre will work with you to acquire discount rates with our Hotel Partners.

Accepted Short Plays will be notified: Monday February 2nd 2026

Chosen Playwrights are asked to pay a one-time $100 Pre-Production Fee.

There is No-Fee for the following: Theatre Rental, Audio Visual, Sound Technician, Lighting Technician, Rehearsal Space.

Plays will have access to a Video Wall upstage Center. The Video Wall is 25’ Wide and 13’ Tall. 1080i resolution and can run MOV and JPEG files.

Performances will be:

• Friday April 10th 2026 @ 7:30pm
• Saturday April 11th 2026 @ 7:30pm

All Performances at The Rex Theatre, Manchester New Hampshire 03104

Cash Awards for Best Play

Each ticketholder to the festival will have a chance to vote in Audience Choice.

Awards for the following:

Audience Award for Best Play 2026

Judges Award for Best Play 2026

Crowname seeks submissions for Issue #8

Website

Deadline: March 1, 2026

Please email crownamestudios@gmail.com to submit.

Please submit writing and art you feel represents a topic, item, people, etc. that is often overlooked, censored, or pushed into the footnotes. 

Examples: disability, LBGTQIA+, homelessness, women’s rights, underserved and neglected communities, etc. If you are part of any of these communities, you are strongly urged to submit!

Guidelines (Please Read)

Please note that at this time we cannot offer payment for publication. We hope this changes in the future, but until then, publication in Crow Name is unpaid. Contributors will always, however, receive a high-quality PDF of our magazine for their own printing/admiring/saving pleasure.

We are committed to a safe and positive environment for our community. This means that we do not tolerate racist, sexist, bigoted, antisemitic, homo/trans/bi/queer/acephobic, Hinduphobic, Islamaphobic, ableist, violent, or otherwise hateful or discriminatory pieces and practices. Please note that we will not tolerate anyone who submits anything of this nature, and our no-tolerance policy extends to any hateful and/or unsafe practices not listed.

We are also committed to making sure people of all different backgrounds and abilities are able to enjoy our site. We encourage people from all different backgrounds to submit.

We will NOT accept anything created with or with help from artificial intelligence such as Chat GPT or any other generative AI model. Any author or artist found to have used AI in the creation of their submitted piece will be rejected and banned from submitting to Crow Name in the future, and your name may be shared with other literary magazines and publications, who may make their own determinations on whether or not to accept submissions from you. Your submission constitutes an unwritten agreement that your piece was not created wholly or in part by any generative AI software.

We are accepting submissions from December 19th to March 1st, and submissions will be considered based upon the current theme listed above. If we have already announced our decisions for the current theme, please re-submit if you would like to be considered for the next one. Please feel free to re-submit and withdraw.

We also accept previously published pieces so long that you, the writer/artist/maker, have full legal rights to the piece. 

Do:

• Submit via Microsoft Word or PDF. 
• Submit funky, fantasy, sci-fi, realistic fiction, poetry, script, comics, podcasts/audio essays, nonfiction, eccentric, playful formatting, art, short film, animation, and anything weird and cool.
• Submit excerpts.
• Submit 1-5 pieces at a time, up to 20 pages total. 
• Submit to other magazines, papers, and journals simultaneously (but tell us if you’ve been accepted elsewhere).
• Submit revisions.
• Submit art in CMYK color mode, in at least 300 dpi, and in TIFF or PNG files.
• Submit audio in the MP3 file format, and video in MP4.

Don’t: 

• Submit racist, sexist, bigoted, antisemitic, homo/trans/bi/queer/acephobic, Hinduphobic, Islamaphobic, ableist, violent, or otherwise hateful or discriminatory pieces not listed. 
• ABSOLUTELY NO AI ART, WRITING, OR OTHERWISE. 
• Try to send something to us via snail-mail (we don’t have an actual address).
• Send us things that don’t follow our “Do’s”
• If You’re Accepted:We will send you confirmation of your acceptance or rejection via email. 
• By accepting our acceptance, you give Crow Name permission to publish your work. 
• You will retain all ownership and copyright to your work.
• We will copy-edit your work, and/or may ask for small revisions. 
• We retain the right to remove any work from our site at any time with or without notification. 

Submit:

Please note that submission constitutes an acceptance of our guidelines.
Please email crownamestudios@gmail.com to submit. Thanks!!

Vivid Stage seeks full-length plays, 2025

Website

Deadline: December 31, 2025

DON'T SEND - THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR SUBMISSION WINDOW​
OR
​
Mail printed script to:

Laura Ekstrand, Artistic Director

VIVID STAGE
Oakes Center
120 Morris Avenue
Summit, NJ 07901

Playwrights, we'd love to read your script! Please take a look at the parameters below. Scripts will be considered for our Meet the Artist reading series in May, and for production on our mainstage.

SUBMISSIONS: We accept scripts from November 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025, or until we reach our cap of 300. Please DO NOT SUBMIT plays from January through October. Responses are made annually in late spring.

Also, please DO NOT SUBMIT BLIND COPIES of your script. Make sure your name and email address are on the script itself. We use your contact info in the script to reply to your submission. If you submit a blind copy, your script will not be considered.

Many thanks for sharing your time and talents.

Full-length comedies or dramas (no musicals)

Solo shows for our Summer Solo reading series are welcome

One script per writer

Cast size of no more than 9

Contemporary topics

Focus on “the human story”

Warmth and optimism

Please check spelling, punctuation and format

Review our mission and history for further information on what we’re seeking

​
Please note:

No teen or child casts

No historical or period pieces

No short plays (less than 60 minutes)

No musicals


Submission Guidelines

2026 Elizabeth Alexander Creative Writing Award

Website

Deadline: December 31, 2025 at 11:59 PM

SUBMISSION FORM

The Elizabeth Alexander Creative Writing Award celebrates an author whose work embodies the lyrically powerful and historically engaged nature of Dr. Alexander’s writing. We aim for this award to highlight different forms of knowledge production that emerge from the artistic, political, and cultural advocacy undertaken by women of color nationally, transnationally, and globally.

Each year we award two winners: one in Poetry and one in Prose. Each winner will receive a $500 Prize, publication in Meridians, and will have the opportunity to spend a week-long residency at Meridians at Smith College the following Fall or Spring.

The award is open to all genres, including: poetry, fiction, play scripts, and non-fiction. All submissions will be judged anonymously. 

Works engaging with feminism, race, and transnationalism will be prioritized. Translated works and manuscripts in languages other than English are encouraged as well.

We only accept previously unpublished work for publication. We only accept one submission for entry to the EACWA contest. Simultaneous submissions will not be considered.

PLAY SCRIPTS

Play scripts should be typed, Times New Roman font, and no more than 5,000 words.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES: 

• No identifying information or contact information on the manuscript itself. 
• All submissions for the award must be submitted through this Google Form. E-mailed and/or mailed hard copy submissions for the award will NOT be considered.
• Please attach your submission as a PDF
• Please make sure your submissions has the following: 
• Title on the manuscript
• Double-spaced (unless poetry or play which may utilize whatever formatting is necessary)
• 1-inch margins (unless poetry which may utilize whatever margins are necessary)
• 12-point, Times New Roman font (or similar, with exceptions for poetry submissions, translations, and plays which may require differing fonts)
• Include page numbers if work exceeds one page
• Award Review Process:
• All submissions will undergo preliminary review by the Meridians editorial staff, and finalists will be reviewed double-anonymously by members of the Meridians Creative Writing Advisory Board.
• Winners will be notified in February 2026. 

Nomad Theatre seeks 10-minute plays

Website

Deadline: January 1, 2026 at midnight

SUBMISSION FORM

Nomad Theatre seeks 6-10 short plays to be a part of our upcoming show, Down on Honey Dew Acres in May 2026. Submissions will open on August 11th and close on January 1st, 2026 at midnight. 

Selected playwrights will receive notification by April 7th, 2026. If you have not received notification from us by that date, we did not choose you for the production.

Down on Honey DEW Acres will blend immersive storytelling with the laid-back spirit of farm life.

Selected plays must take place in a cedar barn on a real Central Illinois farm: Honey DEW Acres. We encourage you to use the space creatively. They must be unpublished and unproduced at the time of submission.

Submission Guidelines:

• 1 submission per playwright.
• 8-15 pages long (or about ten minutes in length) 
• Formatted using the Dramatist Guild Guidelines: https://www.dramatistsguild.com/sites/default/files/2020-01/General-SFI-Formatting-Guidelines-Complete.pdf
• Cover page should include title, playwright’s name, contact information, brief synopsis, and character descriptions.
• Playwright’s name MUST NOT appear on any other pages.
• Pages should be numbered.
• Minimum of 1, maximum of 4 actors (characters may be double cast)
• Must take place in a barn.
• No musicals.

If you have questions or need any accommodations for submission, please email nomadtheatre@gmail.com

Nomad's mission is to provide an immersive theatre experience by exposing audience members to eclectic and moving stories, taking theatre outside of a traditional theatre space and into site-specific locations.

Untitled Musical Project Spring 2026 Writers' Group

Website

Deadline: December 31, 2025 at 11:59pm EST

APPLICATION FORM

UNTITLED Musical Project is now accepting applications for the the Spring 2026 UNTITLED Writers' Group! UNTITLED Musical Project is a 501c3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting musical theatre writers of BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and their intersecting identities by fostering their work from inception. Through writers’ groups, developmental readings, dramaturgical support, and resources aimed to further artists’ professional careers in the creation of new musical theatre, UNTITLED creates a space and community where BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ writers can create bold, new, and challenging works.

The UNTITLED Musical Writers' Group is a space for marginalized musical theatre writers of BIPOC/Global Majority, LGBTQIA+/Queer, and their intersecting identities to develop new musical theatre in community and engage in supporting and critiquing their colleague's work.

Once Upon a Crocodile open for short plays

Website

Deadline: December 31, 2026

Send your play pasted into the body of an e-mail with “Submission” in the Subject line, to: onceuponacrocodile@gmail.com

Seeks short plays:  2000 words maximum.

Black, 12pt Times New Roman font, please. Make sure to proofread your work before flapping it at us.

Once Upon A Crocodile publishes fiction to 6,000 words and poetry to 45 lines. “Once Upon A Crocodile is an e-zine that wants to bring a mile-wide grin to its readers (snaggle-toothed or not) with humorous stories and poetry.” Read the complete guidelines here.

Verbal abuse won’t be tolerated from writers or would-be writers. If you send insulting, angry messages at any point in the process (even after your piece is published) then the Crocodile won’t be reading anything else from you and your piece will be retracted. Thanks for your understanding.

The Crocodile aims to respond within one month, and you will be asked for a short biographical doohickey on acceptance. If you’ve heard nothing after a month, send a message to the same email address above but put “Query” in the subject line.

While acerbic or sarcastic humour is excellent, we draw a definite line at sexism, racism, or derogatory works about the LGBTQ community, including non-binary people.

The Crocodile can’t pay writers now, though that may change in the future. He will promote your work on social media, because he has opposable thumbs.

14th Annual Columbus Black Theatre Festival seeks monologues and one-act plays

Website

Deadline: February 28, 2026

SUBMISSION FORM

Mine 4 God Productions is accepting monologues and one-act plays that have diversity, inclusion, and equity of people of color characters for our 14th Annual Columbus Black Theatre Festival (CBTF) that will be held July 2nd, 3rd & 5th, 2026 at The Columbus Performing Arts Center Van Fleet Theatre, located in downtown Columbus, Ohio.

The theme for 2026 is Still Going Strong: Voices of Triumph! Our Founder/Artistic Director, Julie Whitney Scott, was given this theme, as usual, through prayer. It’s a theme that inspires hope and resilience in the face of trouble. The theme represents those that have continued to stay strong before, during, through and after personal storms have invaded their lives, and how they were victorious in the end. It must be a story that is a story and not a lecture to push your views on others. It must be about everyday people and their everyday lives and their voices of triumph.

The entries need to meet the following criteria:

1) No more than 6 characters (Actors can play double-roles if more needed.)

2) No derogatory, hate based, sexually explicit work will be reviewed or accepted.

3) Have minimal set/light requirements.

4) 15 to 20 minutes long for one-act plays. 5 to 10 minutes long for monologues.

5) Written blocking notes of the play can be rearranged by the director to meet venue space.

6) Submit in play format a titled script and a blind script without any identifying information, other than the title, in Time New Roman 12 font, normal spacing and Word Doc or PDF format.

7) Only one play submission per playwright.

8) Complete the submission entry form at www.mine4godproductions.com

Submissions are accepted December 1, 2025, to February 28, 2026. Submissions are free so don’t miss the deadline.

*Due to the number of plays received each year, you will not be notified unless your play is accepted. However, you can email us after March 15th, 2026, and we will be happy to give you feedback on your submission at mine4godproductionsllc@aol.com

Germ Magazine open for submissions

Website

Deadline: none given

Send to germ@germmagazine.com.

Send us your self-contained play excerpts or short films (original movies, documentaries, public service announcements, student films, etc). Attach your work to the body of your email. Include a short note and your bio in the body of your email, including your preferred pronouns. Plays should not exceed 2,000 words.

Films should not exceed 10 mins. in play time. You may submit up to three projects at one time.


Please attach all pieces of work to one email. Do not send multiple emails.

OUR MISSION

Germ’s goal is to provide young people—high school age and beyond—an inclusive space to share their experiences on a wide variety of topics: love, life, health, home, the world, school, career, the future, all things safety, the lighter issues—and the harder ones.
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

Please write us at germ@germmagazine.com if you’d like to:Say hi, propose a topic, or ask a question.
Submit your writing. See our Literary Submission Guidelines for all the details.
Submit your own works (music albums, books) to be considered for review.
Pitch us a piece for one of our categories, including the Daily Germ, which can be an inspiring/funny/memorable quote or word of the day.
Add some of your Bucket List items to our Before I Die page. Please send no more than five (5) items.
Send a suggestion for our How To…, Be Lovely, or Truth About… categories.

Other submission options:Write a Dear Me letter to your high school or future self.
Show us where you’re Wandering.

Whether you’re wandering in your hometown or traveling, if the place is big or small, we want to see it. You can record your journey via video, pictures, drawings, or words. Please use Google Drive and share your file(s) with germ@germmagazine.com.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

While we value your work very highly, we are unable to offer payment except publication at this time.

Although you can find us on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Tumblr, and Instagram, please do not pitch us ideas or send submissions there. Contact germ@germmagazine.com.

If you are pitching ideas, please know that we’ll respond as soon as we’re able. Unless it bounces back to you, we’ve gotten your email and will be in touch.

What to include in your email:Your nameYour hometownYour preferred pronounsA short (fewer than 100 words) description of your pitch/idea
The name of the category/subcategory/column where you think your piece belongs

We do not accept attachments. Please cut and paste your written work into the body of the email, directly following your short description of the work.

Word CountLove, Life, and Daily Germs category submissions: 10–250 words.Other article submissions: between 500–800 words.

We can’t wait to hear from you! ♥

Love,

The Germ Staff

***We will never promote bullying, racism, sexism, misogyny, xenophobia, homophobia, or transphobia, and we reserve the right to block users’ comments or submissions that do not adhere to these guidelines. We will not promote or produce mindlessly graphic or explicit content (violent, sexual, or otherwise), but we will be real when it comes to sex, relationships, and sexuality.***

Oakland Review: Inaugural Playwriting Prize [Vol. LII - "Gibbous" Issue]

Website

Deadline: December 31, 2025 at 11:59 PM

SUBMIT VIA SUBMITTABLE

Inaugural Playwriting Prize [Vol. LII - "Gibbous" Issue]

Playwriting Prize: A competition for twenty-minute stage scripts. Only one playwriting piece will be accepted per issue. The final round will be judged by CMU Drama faculty (ranked #4 globally by The Hollywood Reporter in their 2025 list of best drama schools).

One piece per submission. Your name should not be printed anywhere on your submission, save the document title. Prize pot is $250.

Titles should follow the format “Name, Genre”.

Editors’ Foreword:

Having recently published our half-century issue, the Oakland Review is growing, working, waxing. Taken on its own, “gibbous” represents a concept still in the works, under construction, nearly-there. Perhaps this is what it means to live in a gibbous phase of the decade: something swollen, marked by tension and possibility. How do you—and your work—handle the half-light?

NOVA Lab 2026: Open Call for Scripts

Website

Deadline: January 5, 2026 @11:59PM

Application Form

Theme: Our Future

We are excited to announce our new year-round incubator program NOVA Lab as Cellunova's 2026 Season!

Two selected works will receive creative support throughout the year. The playwrights will participate in an internal workshop and a public script reading workshop in the first half of the year to gather early general feedback. In the Fall, we will present a curated full production series showcasing works developed through the program.

Cellunova Productions invites submissions for a new full-length play (70–80 minutes) under the theme OUR FUTURE. We are seeking works that examine the transformations shaping our community, society, and world today—and chart where we are headed next. We welcome stories that don’t dwell in the past or settle for the present, but look forward with urgency, clarity, and imagination. We strongly encourage applications from BIPOC artists, first-generation immigrants, and others from historically underrepresented communities in the theatre.

We are looking for:

- A script with a runtime of 70–80 minutes under the theme OUR FUTURE.

- A preferred cast size of 2 and maximum cast size of 3. In alignment with our mission to uplift diverse voices, we encourage works that provide strong representation for BIPOC performers. We aim for at least half of the cast to be BIPOC roles or roles castable by BIPOC actors.

- A play centered on futures in the making. This could include the evolution of a community, a development in an industry or science, or transformations unfolding on a galactic scale. There are no limits to where your story takes place—only that it reaches forward in time.

While we welcome big ideas and imaginative settings, the heart of the submission must be a compelling, character-driven story—one that resonates beyond its concept and speaks to what it means to live through change.


Submission Guidelines:

- Playwrights must be 18+ to submit

- English language (multilingual also welcome)

- PDF format, with title and author(s) on the cover page

- Include a brief artist bio (max 300 words)

Lab Participant Award: $500

About Cellunova

We are a multidisciplinary theater company led by first-generation Asian immigrant artists. Our work fuses bold storytelling with new technologies, and builds bridges between indie theater and audiences from industries and communities that don’t typically see themselves on stage. Our productions speak to urgent civic, cultural, and political issues—amplifying emerging voices and fostering dialogue across lines of class, background, and industry.

We are particularly excited by scripts that:

- Center hybrid identities, transnational narratives, and intergenerational experiences

- Reflect underrepresented communities in imaginative or speculative contexts

- Engage thoughtfully with real-world systems or fields—from science and architecture to diplomacy and environmental design

- Challenge traditional stage forms or storytelling structures in innovative ways

From the deep sea to the stars, from disappearing borders to reimagined economies—where do you see us going?

Show us the future, in your voice.

Reunion: The Dallas Review open for submissions for 2026

Website

Deadline: February 1, 2026 1AM

SUBMIT VIA SUBMITTABLE

For over three decades, Reunion: The Dallas Review has been dedicated to finding and publishing exceptional examples of short fiction, drama, visual art, poetry, translation work, and creative nonfiction. Our mission is to cultivate the arts community in Dallas, and promote the work of talented writers and artists both locally and across the globe.

Thank you for considering Reunion: The Dallas Review for your Drama piece! We look forward to reading your work.

At this time, we can read only one submission per person per reading window. Show us your best work. If you do choose to withdraw, please do not upload a new submission until the next reading window.

For Drama: We accept plays, screenplays, one acts, etc. that are formatted to industry standards.

• General Submission Guidelines:All submitted work must be previously unpublished. We consider anything found on personal blogs, online archives, other websites, social media accounts, online journals, or print magazines as previously published. If you have questions regarding this requirement, please email the editor prior to submitting.
• A brief cover letter and a biographical statement of no more than 100 words is appreciated.
• Do not include your name on the submission attachment unless it is part of the work itself. Instead, your name and contact information should be included in the body of your cover letter.
• All texts should be Times New Roman, 12 pt. font, and double spaced (with the exception of poetry.) We accept text submissions in the following formats: .doc, .docx, .rtf, or .pdf.
• We do not accept any work above 5,000 words. Any submissions with a word count above this will not be read.
• Submissions may be multilingual, with English as the main language, but may not be translations. Any translations should be submitted to Reunion's translation portal. Translations will not be accepted in drama submissions.
• We do not accept any works made with the use of AI. 

Liminal Space Productions seeks short plays for one-night showcase

Instagram

Deadline: January 15, 2026

Liminal Space Productions, the new theatre wing of Laughpack Productions, is curating a one-night short play showcase at the East Village Basement on Sunday February 15th. 

We're seeking submissions of 6-30 minute casted plays. This is a great opportunity for playwrights to see their work staged in front of a live audience and connect with fellow theater makers.

There is no submission fee and no cost to participate. We welcome plays from creators of all identities, cultures, and backgrounds. A small performance stipend is available for selected acts. There will be a tech and dress rehearsal space provided at an East Village venue the week before. The deadline for submissions is January 15th, 2026.

To submit for booking consideration, please use the following form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScFsV-SJvFUPcOc5717zfFKL-9ec_j9_iZ7CIqe9pajeAdxdw/viewform

Working Theater submission guidelines

Website

Deadline: none given

If you think this is your play, please complete this short form. If you have any questions, reach out to literary@theworkingtheater.org.

Working Theater is a new American play incubator for work by playwrights which centers the lives of working people, by telling their stories in new and unexpected ways. How do we define “working people”? At Working Theater, we’re a broad church. Is your humanity impacted, affected or transformed by your work? You’re a working person, congratulations! Welcome to Team WT.


WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR:

• Stories for, about or made with working people, and/or the issues which affect them, in mind.
• We invite plays which disrupt traditions of “working-class theater.”
• We want your play to make us laugh, make us cry, and make us feel a little dangerous.
• Does your play deal with themes of work, labors visible and invisible, labor history? Is your play pro-worker, pro-union or anti-capitalist? It’s probably a play for us.
• Does your play come at these themes in unexpected and novel ways? It’s probably a play for us.
• Full-length plays and musicals.

WHAT WE ARE NOT LOOKING FOR:

• We are not interested in stories in which working people are passive victims of an oppressive system.
• “Issue plays,” issue plays is our least favorite oxymoron – all plays have issues, but we are interested in plays which center people.
• We are not interested in agit-prop (until you show us an agit-prop play that blows our minds!)
• We are not interested in clichés about the working class – show us something we’ve never seen before, baby!

The Solidarity Project: a Celebration of Historical Nonviolent Resistance

Website

Deadline: December 31, 2025

SUBMISSION FORM

Atlanta Dramatists is producing The Solidarity Project: a Celebration of Historical Nonviolent Resistance. They seek plays ranging from 10 minutes to 30 minutes which illustrate nonviolent resistance throughout history and all over the world. For the purposes of this project, scripts should be inspired by events that occurred prior to 2015. The focus of this festival is history, and the overall themes will be hope and empowerment. Scripts may be historically accurate, historical fiction, historical fantasy, etc. provided they are inspired by actual events.

The resistance depicted must be non-violent, but the play may contain violence in other aspects, such as if there were a violent reaction to a non-violent protest. Atlanta Dramatists is open to the use of music, puppetry, and dance as well as traditional “straight plays.” No projections or elaborate sets; this is a festival of plays that will all share the same set, though chairs, benches, blocks, and tables may be added or removed between pieces.

Each script may utilize up to 5 actors. Unless ethnic specificity is vital to the plot, please allow for flexible yet diverse casting.

Playwrights will receive royalties for the scripts selected. Performances will be at The Academy Theatre in Hapeville, GA, in 2026. (There is a chance the show will tour to other venues, as well.) Playwrights will receive 2 comp tickets. Playwrights may submit up to two scripts each.

Some examples to inspire your research (but you’re not limited to these!):

• Haiti 1946
• Indian Independence Movement
• Women of Liberia Mass Action For Peace
• South Africa: Anti-apartheid movement
• Scotland: 
• Anti-nuclear power protests 
• Holy Loch protests 1960-61
• Ireland: 
• Irish Non-cooperation Movement
• 1879 Boycott (Irish Land League)
• France:
• Coup of 18 Bromaire
• Jewish Refuge (le chambon-sur-lignon)
• America:
• Declaration of Independence
• Civil Rights Movement
• Children's Crusade
• Trail of Broken Treaties
• Kaho’olowe
• Montgomery Bus Boycotts 
• Women's Suffrage parade 1913
• Poland:
• Solidarity 
• Orange Alternative
• White Rose Resistance
• Arab Spring 
• Singing Revolution (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania)
• Korea: March 1st Movement

And many more!

The Leah Prize 2026

Website

Deadline: This year submissions will be capped at 400. 

APPLICATION FORM

All women, trans and non-binary playwrights who consider themselves emerging (as distinct from fledgling or mid-career playwrights) are eligible to apply for The Leah.

Playwrights from all over the world are encouraged to apply, but the play must be written in English. Eligibility does not require that a submitted work adhere to the traditional three-act structure—the only absolute requirement is that the submitted text be a completed full-length work for theater. (We cannot accept musical submissions at this time)

The winner will be chosen by readers selected by the board members of the Leah Ryan Fund and will receive a cash prize of $5,000 and a public reading/summer workshop as part of the Powerhouse Theater Program at Vassar College in 2026.

Finalists will be contacted in March 2026 and will have one week within which to submit their full play. There is no fee to apply. 

If you have any questions, please contact Dev Bondarin at dev@leahryanfund.org

Brave New Work, a short play development series seeks 10-15 minute plays

Website

Deadline: January 16, 2026

APPLICATION FORM

New York Shakespeare Exchange and The CRY HAVOC Company are thrilled to debut our collaborative project Brave New Work, a short play development series that invites NYC playwrights to create original work inspired by, expanding, reflecting upon, remixing, and critiquing the plays of William Shakespeare.

Across several weeks, four writers will craft short plays responding to a Shakespearean prompt through development workshops facilitated by NYSX and CRY HAVOC, culminating in a public reading of all four plays. Applicants need to be local to the NYC area to participate and we are especially seeking artists from underrepresented communities for this project. No fee to apply or participate; writers are paid a stipend for the use of their work in the public presentation.

In year one of this project—Shakespeare as Prologue—we are looking for playwrights interested in exploring the aftermath of Shakespeare’s plays. Apply with an idea for a new short two-character play that takes place after the end of a Shakespeare play (the moment after the play ends, five years later, 50 years later, 500 years later…)
The Guidelines

• You do not have to be a “Shakespeare Nerd” to participate in this project (but if you are, you are also welcome!)
• Select a single Shakespeare play as your starting point.
• We are looking for a proposal for a 10-15 minute play with two characters.
• One character must be from your chosen Shakespeare play; the other can be invented.
• Writers will be developing their plays in a workshop feedback process; we are looking for playwrights that are interested in discussing their work and supporting the work of others!

How does the collaboration work?
Each writer is paired with a facilitator—a CRY HAVOC or NYSX artist—to confer with before and after each feedback session. Facilitators moderate each session in support of the playwrights and their goals. The feedback sessions will include a combined roster of artists from the NYSX and CRY HAVOC communities, the Brave New Work writers, and their invited guests and colleagues.

The Schedule (all sessions will be in the evening)

Sun. 3/1: welcome meeting with playwrights and staff

Tue. 3/10 and Thu. 3/12: 1st draft feedback workshops

Tue. 3/17 and Thu. 3/19: 2nd draft feedback workshops

Tue. 3/24 and Thu. 3/26: 3rd draft feedback workshops

Tue. 3/31 and Thu. 4/2: rehearsal draft feedback workshops VIA ZOOM

Thu. 4/16: public reading of the play collection

ABOUT US

The CRY HAVOC Company believes that writing a script doesn’t have to be a solitary experience. Feedback at key points in the writing process can bring you closer to your goals. Our approach to script development places your writing goals at the center of the workshop discussion, ensuring that collaborators are offering feedback in service of the play you are trying to write.

New York Shakespeare Exchange uses Shakespeare's body of work as a starting point and toolkit for building stronger, more empathetic communities. We invite our fellow New Yorkers to form a relationship of “exchange” with Shakespeare’s legacy, creating new opportunities for artistic expression, social connection, and mutual learning. This active exchange between centuries-old works and contemporary points of view honors an essential quality of Shakespeare’s creative spirit - to search the world around us for inspiration, and our own imaginations for innovation.

Ivo Review 10-minute monologue contest

Website

Deadline: January 30, 2026

Send submissions to editorivoreview@gmail.com. 

The subject line should be the THEME of the issue for which you are submitting work and the CATEGORY of the submission. (Example: LOST - POETRY) Please include a short cover letter with a short 3rd person author's bio in the body of the e-mail and attach submissions in a single .docx attachment.

For this contest we are looking for ten minute monologues for stage performance.

Please do not send us previously published works for this contest, as we are looking for new pieces.
These monologues can be on any theme - Winners and Honorable Mentions will be published in Issue Three of the review.


The deadline for the contest is January 30, 2026. There is no monetary cost for the contest and our general rights statement applies (see our Submission Guidelines for more details!) Any questions about the contest can be sent to editorivoreview@gmail.com.


Token payment prizes subject to our budget in January will be provided to winners and honorable mentions.


What We Look For

We are looking for prose, poetry, fiction, non-fiction, hybrid works, and dramatic works from emerging and established writers from around the world, particularly writers from historically underrepresented communities. We love the concept of narrative - we want to read storytellers telling stories in whatever form that takes for you.

Works should be primarily in English.

We consider simultaneous submissions but if a work is accepted elsewhere please let us know. We will be thrilled for you! We consider reprints but please indicate the original publication so that it can be credited - with a link to the work if possible so that we can also link to that publication.

We love visual art submissions and are always looking for cover art.

We will not consider AI generated work. At this time we are also not considering translations.



How to Submit

For art, please submit one piece that you would like considered for our cover art.

For poetry and flash or micro-fiction, please submit up to five (5) pieces of up to 100 lines for poetry. We consider micro-fiction to be up to 350 words, and flash to be 351 - 1000 words.

For longer works of fiction, non-fiction, or dramatic works please send up to two (2) pieces of up to 3000 words.

For dramatic works, we consider works that would be able to be produced as a 10 minute play or shorter. We love long dramatic monologues, but will also consider ensemble pieces.

Send submissions to editorivoreview@gmail.com. The subject line should be the THEME of the issue for which you are submitting work and the CATEGORY of the submission. (Example: LOST - POETRY) Please include a short cover letter with a short 3rd person author's bio in the body of the e-mail and attach submissions in a single .docx attachment.

Submissions that do not follow these simple guidelines will not be read.

The Westchester Review seeks 10-minute plays

Website

Deadline: Dec 31, 2025 11:59 PM

SUBMIT VIA SUBMITTABLE

The Westchester Review considers previously unpublished stories, creative nonfiction, and poems by established and emerging writers wherever they reside. We are an exclusively online journal, publishing quarterly issues.

We welcome submissions from a diverse range of writers, including voices and perspectives that have historically been underrepresented in the literary sphere. Past contributors are welcome to submit again. All submissions must come through Submittable.

We receive thousands of submissions every year and do our best to respond within five months. Please do not query the status of your submission until at least six months have elapsed.

FOR ALL SUBMISSIONS

Thank you for considering The Westchester Review as a possible home for your work. General submissions are free. We consider simultaneous submissions, but kindly notify us as soon as possible if a piece has been accepted elsewhere. Please include a cover letter that lists word count (for fiction and creative nonfiction) along with your name, address, phone number, and email address. If you have a connection to Westchester County, please note it in the applicable field in Submittable. Westchester authors are acknowledged, but a connection to Westchester is not required in order to submit, and will not affect submissions status.

Please be sure to submit your work through the appropriate portal. Submissions sent through the wrong portal cannot be read. Please submit work only once during a submission period. Multiple submissions cannot be read.

The Westchester Review is not currently a paying market. Our editors and readers are all volunteers. We do our best to promote the work of our contributors via social media.

We do not accept submissions of AI-generated work. We reserve the right to withdraw acceptances of any work found to be AI-generated, even after publication.

Do not send work in PDF format.

We do not accept translations in any of our categories.

Please do not submit revisions of previously declined work unless specifically requested to do so.

PLAYS

We consider 10-minute previously unpublished plays which must be double-spaced and sent as word documents. Anything longer will not be considered. Please do not send work in PDF formats

The New Works Initiative is seeking unpublished full-length plays

Website

Deadline: January 15, 2026 

OR after we have received 150 submissions. Whichever comes first.

Please send submissions to sandra@renolittletheater.org

ACCEPTING PLAY SUBMISSIONS FOR THE 2026-2027 NEW WORKS INITIATIVE
Now accepting submissions for our 2026-27 Season!
​
The New Works Initiative is seeking unpublished Full-length plays, of any genre, to receive a mainstage production at Good Luck Macbeth Theatre in the 2026-27 season. One play will be selected for full production and two plays will be selected to receive staged readings.

One submission per playwright. We understand that each play will be in a different stage of the developmental process so please indicate whether or not you are interested in a staged reading of your play if you are not selected for the mainstage production.

SUBMISSION CRITERIA:

• We can only accept scripts as PDF.
• We do not accept submissions by mail. 
• We only accept full-length plays.
• All submissions must contain full contact information and cast requirements. 
• All submissions must contain a synopsis of the play.
• All submissions must contain a Character breakdown.
• Only plays with no more than 6 characters will be accepted.
• All submissions must contain a brief description of the play’s developmental and production history.

Reno Little Theatre/GLM’s New Works Initiative will not provide feedback for every submission but we do commit to communicating the status of your submission.

The submission deadline is January 15, 2026 OR after we have received 150 submissions. Whichever comes first.

Apricity Magazine seeks short plays for the 2026 issue

Website

Deadline: January 4, 2026 1AM

SUBMIT VIA SUBMITTABLE

Apricity accepts submissions from the performing arts, including but not limited to original music, short film, short play, and dance. Scores, scripts, and screenplays count although live versions are encouraged. Please upload or include a link (of a Youtube video, a webpage, or a Google Drive file) to your submission as well as a brief description of your piece and how you arranged your performance. The maximum time allotted for videos is 15 minutes each. Simultaneous submissions are permitted.
Before you submit, please note the following:

NOTIFICATION: You may expect notification of your acceptance or rejection within three months of submitting your piece. As our staff is composed entirely of university students, however, we do not operate from the end of May through the end of August. Any pieces submitted in April and May may not receive a response until August. 

 NON-PROFIT: We are a non-profit student organization. We intend to direct all net proceeds towards publication improvement and charitable donations focused on education.

FEES: There is no submissions fee, nor is there any payment for publishing your work (currently). However, should you be published in the print publication, you will receive a free contributor’s copy. If you are published online and would like to receive a print edition, you will receive a 60% discount.

We welcome comprehensive use of English and other languages. If your piece contains non-English languages, please include an English translation. Though we are an international magazine, our staff’s common language is English.

We also welcome works previously published elsewhere. If a piece you submit has been accepted by another publication, we will credit the other publication.

If we accept your piece before it has been accepted by another publication, we request that the other publication credits Apricity Magazine upon publication of the piece.

If a piece you submit is accepted by a publication that claims sole publishing rights, please let us know so that we may remove it from consideration. (Do note, however, that most publications allow re-prints as long as the original publisher is credited.)

Works are considered on a rolling basis. All pieces submitted will be considered for online publication. After the deadline for print publication passes, we will consider all pieces submitted before the deadline that were accepted for online publication for print publication.

Kindly keep author bios to under 50 words.

Please note that Apricity Magazine is not active during the summer (from late May to late August). Any pieces submitted during this time will not be evaluated until the fall.

We will not tolerate any form of plagiarism.

46 Minutes Collective Spring 2026 Writer's Group Application

Website

Deadline:  January 4, 2026 at 11:59 PM EST

SUBMISSION FORM

The 46 Minutes Writers Group is a seasonal cohort of playwrights helping develop each other’s new work. Led by Gabby Kimbrough and Cha Mangan, our playwrights can receive feedback on their new work, get to hear their new work said out loud, and be held accountable for getting new pages and edits out. The Spring 2025 cohort program will be 10 weeks long, with each writer presenting their work every other week. We'll be meeting in-person at the Brooklyn Public Library Central Branch from 11am-2pm every Sunday morning, February 22nd to April 26th.

Writer's Group Meeting Sessions (11am-2pm on Sundays at the Brooklyn Public Library)

Feb 22: 11-2pm
Mar 1: 11-2pm
Mar 8: 11-2pm
Mar 15: 11-2pm
Mar 22: 11-2pm
Mar 29: 11-2pm
Apr 5: 11-2pm
Apr 12: 11-2pm
Apr 19: 11-2pm
Apr 26: 11-2pm

Location: Brooklyn Public Library - 10 Grand Army Plz 1st floor, Brooklyn, NY 11238

About Us: THE 46 MINUTES COLLECTIVE is a non-hierarchical performance collective founded by artists committed to nurturing and producing boldly original, interdisciplinary time-based work. We aim to bolster emerging artists in their pursuit to push the limits of form, challenge the purity of medium, and foster collaborative processes. Our works exist in the in-between and the surreal; they tap on the fourth wall in a quest to make art that is accessible and creatively adventurous. See more about our work, mission, and ongoing programs at www.46mincollective.com.

If you have any questions, need help filling out this application, or are having trouble uploading documents, please reach out to us at 46mincollective@gmail.com

ENCORE Theatre Playwriting Competition 2025

Instagram

Deadline: December 30, 2025

Submit your entry by email to arinvanjari@yahoo.com

ONEJARI Arts Crafts & Music (Plainfield NJ) is happy to announce their third ENCORE Theatre playwriting competition.

We encourage creativity and to continue the activity started by Ashok Vanjari, we are inviting talented playwriters to submit their work. We will be accepting applications in two categories:

• Ten-minute plays

• Thirty minute plays

Plays may be written on any subject in English, Hindi or Marathi.

• Winning plays will be staged during an evening of Encore Theater Festival in April 2026

Please Note - Our last competition's selected playwrights plays were staged during our 2024 & 2025 Encore Theater festival.

• Winning Ten minute and Thirty minutes plays will be produced by ONEJARI Arts Crafts & Music or by invited Theater Institutes, to be staged during an Encore Theater Festival.

Prizes will be made possible through the generosity of ONEJARI Arts Crafts & Music

If any individual or Institute wants to be a part of this project please contact: Dolly Vanjari at arinvanjari@yahoo.com

**Both categories will be awarded cash prizes! **

Submission details:

• Entries containing all content are welcome, but please note that preference will be given to those that would be appropriate for most audiences and can be staged. 
• Entries must be received by the deadline to be considered. 
• All entries are final, but playwrights will have the opportunity for feedback and revision if selected as winners. 
• Entries will be judged by a panel of judges. 
• The winners will be notified by email and announced publicly. 

• Please be sure to submit with followings....
• Your Name
• Your Email
• The title of your work
• Duration of your play
• Only original work that has not been previously staged will be permitted to participate

• IMPORTANT - Please make sure that your name is not on any part of the play except the Cover Page as we submit our shows to a panel, blind. for selection...

Masque & Spectacle seeks short plays for its March 2026 issue

Website

Deadline: January 31, 2026

Send drama submissions to masqueandspectacle@gmail.com. Attach written submissions in a single Word doc or docx file, and include the word “DRAMA” in the email subject line.

Masque & Spectacle reads submissions for its bi-annual issues November 1 – January 31 and May 1 – July 31. Submissions received outside of this time period will be automatically deleted. Responses can be expected within a month. Acceptance rate is around 10%. Submissions not titled/tagged or formatted or properly under the Submissions Guidelines will not be considered for publication. We only consider one submission per author/format during any given reading period. We generally avoid publishing authors in consecutive issues.

The theme for our March Issue is storms.

We do not accept previously published work, and we ask for First Electronic Rights and Non-Exclusive Archival Rights upon acceptance. Unfortunately, we are unable to pay contributors at this time.

Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but please let us know if your work has been accepted elsewhere. Additionally, we do not typically publish the same authors in back-to-back issues.

For any queries, please contact us at masqueandspectacle@gmail.com.

Drama
We welcome 10-minute plays (up to approximately 10 pages in length). No full-length plays will be considered at this time. Shorter plays are also welcome.

While traditional plays are welcome, we are particularly interested in innovative and/or interdisciplinary texts that break new ground, either in relation to their subject matter, or in how the text itself is performed/written/represented on stage.

Playwrights may submit one previously unpublished 10-minute play for consideration. The script should be accompanied by a cover letter, which includes your name, address, phone number, and email address. Proper playwriting format should be used. If you are uncertain about this format, several examples can be found online.

Las Vegas Little Theater’s 2026 ANNUAL NEW WORKS COMPETITION

Website 

Deadline: December 31, 2025

APPLICATION FORM

1. All plays must be full length (90 minutes or more). No musicals please.

2. Plays must have no more than 8 actors – doubling characters is allowed.

3. The set must be simple or representational.

4. Ideally looking for subject matter that will appeal to an age range of 18 – 30.

5. Seeking new plays that have not been professionally produced or published.

6. Plays will be screened by the competition committee. The top 5 will be submitted to the judges.

7. Prizes – 

1st prize = Production of the play in the Fischer Black box in May plus $150

2nd prize = $75

3rd prize = $50

8. Contestants must sign a release form(application) to authorize production

9. Scripts cannot be returned

10. Materials that are adapted from or otherwise derived from copyrighted source material must also submit permission to use the material at the time of submission.

11. The winning author agrees to the production of his/her play with no royalty payment. The author also agrees to allow LVLT to videotape the production. LVLT cannot provide transportation, lodging or other compensation for the author to travel to Las Vegas for the production.

12. Members of LVLT’s board of directors may not submit for this competition

13. Submissions will be accepted through Dec 31, 2025. The winner will be announced no later than March 30, 2026.

14. Decision of the judges is final. Any disputes will be decided by the LVLT board of directors.

15. Only 2 submissions per person please. If more than 2 submissions are received from an individual, only the first 2 received will be considered.

16. Each submission will be assigned a number and author’s names will not be provided on judge’s copies of the script to prevent any bias.


3920 Schiff Dr. Las Vegas, Nevada 89103
(702) 362-7996

Spring Shorts: Savannah Country Day School Upper School Ten-Minute Play Festival

Website

Deadline: December 19, 2025

Performance Dates: April 23–25, 2026

The Upper School of Savannah Country Day School is seeking submissions of original ten-minute plays for our upcoming festival, Spring Shorts! Selected plays will be fully staged and performed by Upper School students in April 2026.

We are committed to the best-practice standards set forth by the Dramatists Guild for contests and festivals, including open, fair, and transparent procedures. Submissions will be accepted without reference to the author’s identity (judging is blind), and every playwright will receive notice of their submission status. We are seeking unpublished plays (previous productions are welcome), and all selected scripts will be performed by high school actors, so content and casting requirements should reflect that. Because this is a festival setting, technical simplicity is preferred. By following these principles, we aim to provide an equitable, professional, and artistically supportive opportunity for all participants.

GUIDELINES FOR SUBMISSION

• Eligibility: Open to all playwrights. Plays must be suitable for performance by high school students.
• Length: Running time should be between 9–11 minutes.
• Format: Please submit scripts in standard play format, as a PDF. Your name should appear only on the title page. Submissions will be read and judged blind.
• Number of Submissions: Playwrights may submit up to two plays for consideration.
• Compensation: A royalty of $25 per performance will be paid for each play selected.

SELECTION PROCESS
A panel of students and faculty will review all eligible submissions. All playwrights will be notified of their submission status by January 30, 2026.

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS
Email submissions to: playsubmissions@savcds.org

• Subject line: Spring Shorts Submission – [Play Title]
• Attach your play as a PDF file. Ensure your name does not appear anywhere in the document except the title page.

Questions may be directed through Facebook or emailed to playsubmissions@savcds.org.

B Street Theatre’s Seventh Annual New Comedies Festival

Website

Deadline for Pre-Registration Window: December 23, 2025 at 11:59 PM PST

SUBMISSION FORM

Festival Dates: July 12–19, 2026

Location: The Sofia, Home of B Street Theatre, Sacramento, CA

Applications Open: December 30, 2025

Pre-Registration Window: December 5–23, 2025 (guaranteed submission slot)

B Street Theatre will open applications for the seventh annual New Comedies Festival (NCF) on December 30, 2025. Artists who pre-register between December 5 and December 23, 2024 will be guaranteed the opportunity to submit one script. 

The pre-registration process helps us gauge interest in the opportunity and assess the number of readers needed. After the pre-registration window closes, any remaining submission slots will be released to the public on a first-come basis.

In an ever-evolving American theatrical landscape, B Street proudly invites playwrights to submit full- length comedic plays of all styles—romance, farce, satire, dark comedy, physical comedy, commedia dell’arte, improv-based work, audience participation, stand-up-infused forms, music-inflected pieces, and more. We welcome local, national, and international playwrights whose work expands the boundaries of what contemporary comedy can be.

Following the submission and reading process, four finalist plays will be selected for staged readings during the festival. Audience members who attend all four readings will be invited to share feedback, which will be reviewed by B Street’s Artistic Staff. At least one finalist script will receive a full production on the B Street Theatre Mainstage within one year of the festival’s conclusion.

We strongly encourage submissions from historically marginalized voices and invite feedback on how to make our process more accessible and inclusive.

QUALIFICATIONS & ELIGIBILITY

Play Requirements

• Playwright must be 18 or older and legally able to work in the United States.

• Scripts must be unproduced professionally and not scheduled for a professional production before December 31, 2027. (“Professional” means paid artists and a fully realized live production.)

• Scripts must be full-length (minimum 70 minutes). Solo pieces and Theatre for Young Audiences pieces are welcome.

• Scripts must require 6 or fewer actors (unlimited doubling permitted).

• Both original and adapted works are eligible, provided rights for any non-public-domain material are secured. Written permission must be included with the submission.

• “Plays with music” are eligible; original musicals are not. If the script contains songs requiring separate licensing, list titles and writers on the script’s title page.

• Playwrights must be available in Sacramento for the full festival week (July 12–19, 2026). B Street will provide round-trip travel, housing, and a stipend for the four playwrights selected.

• Scripts must meet B Street’s formatting requirements (below).

Submission Formatting Requirements

• Scripts must be submitted as blind PDFs with the playwright’s name and contact information removed.

• Playwrights must retain an editable version (Word, Final Draft, etc.) for festival revisions.

• Only one submission per playwright.

• Playwrights may resubmit a script that was previously submitted to NCF, provided it was not previously selected as a finalist.

• Submissions not meeting the above criteria will not be accepted.

SELECTION PROCESS

• Scripts will be evaluated by a diverse pool of readers, including B Street Artistic Staff, Company Members, playwrights, dramaturgs, and other industry professionals.

• There will be two rounds of external reading; each script will be read by at least two readers per round.

• A third and final round will be conducted by B Street’s Artistic Staff to determine the four festival finalists.

• Reading occurs over approximately two months, with finalists announced no later than June 5,

2026.

ABOUT B STREET THEATRE & THE FESTIVAL

• B Street Theatre is an AEA ITC/SPT-10 professional theatre in Sacramento, CA

• Each finalist play receives:

• Multi-day rehearsal period
• professional creative team (director, dramaturg, stage manager)
• A cast of compensated professional and non-professional actors
• Two public staged readings between Thursday (7/16) and Sunday (7/19)

• Playwrights may revise their scripts during the rehearsal process and between readings.

HOW TO APPLY

Playwrights wishing to submit must pre-register using the provided LINK.

There is no fee to pre-register or submit.

After the pre-registration window closes, all registered playwrights will receive a link to submit their application and blind script. The application includes:

• Artist Bio

• Artist Statement (500 words or fewer) addressing:

o Your approach to comedic writing

o Why this play fits the New Comedies Festival

o How you/your work would benefit from participating

• Character Breakdown

• Time/Place Description

• Brief Synopsis

• A blind PDF of the full script

A is For seeks one-act plays on reproductive justice

Website

Deadline: January 18, 2026 at 11:59 PM EST

SUBMISSION FORM

A is For is currently accepting submissions for one-act plays about reproductive justice.

The A is For Playwriting Contest and the all it takes is ONE ACT Play Festival engages playwrights who are passionate about abortion rights and reproductive justice, and offers audiences the opportunity to see those stories performed by theatre professionals in live staged readings. Since the inauguration of our Playwriting Contest in 2020, we have received over 1,000 one-act plays about reproductive justice from all around the world, and have brought 12 of them to the stage!

A is For amplifies art and artists working to eradicate stigma against abortion. We believe that theatre deepens our relationship with the world around us by inviting us to empathize, and recognize our own belonging. We are looking for plays that challenge stigma against abortion. We want to hear the stories you want to tell.

Three winners will be announced in late spring 2026, and will receive the following prizes:

1st Place - $5,000
2nd Place - $3,000
3rd Place - $1,500

The winning plays will be presented as staged readings during our ONE-ACT Play Festival in 2026 at a New York City theatre tbd. See what the 2025 winners had to say about their experience here:

Go Try PlayWrite - December 2025

Website

Deadline: December 31, 2025

Submission form

Every month, Kumu Kahua's artistic director Harry Wong III will select a writing prompt on the first day of that month. We're looking for 5-page monologues or 10-page scenes based on that prompt; the due date for submissions are always the last day of the month. All entries must be written in traditional play format; instructions on this format can be found here (https://www.dramatistsguild.com/script-formats), courtesy of the Dramatists Guild.

There will be one winner each month. Scripts will be submitted to the judges anonymously. Winners will receive $100 and a subscription to Bamboo Ridge Press. Woo!

The prompt for December 2025 is:

A social media prompt. Write a ten-page maximum scene or an eight-page maximum monologue of a historical figure living well before the internet making a social media post now on one of the various platforms. Stay away from fictional characters; real people from history. Have fun.

Shubert Fendrich Memorial Playwriting Contest 2026

Website

Deadline: December 31, 2025

INFO ABOUT SCRIPT SUBMISSIONS

To encourage the development of quality theatrical materials for the educational, community and children’s theatre markets, Pioneer Drama Service is proud to sponsor the annual Shubert Fendrich Memorial Playwriting Contest.

Submissions will be accepted on an on-going basis with a December 31 cutoff each year. All eligible plays accepted for publication will be considered contest finalists, from which the winner will be selected by April 30 of the year following submission. The contest winner will receive a $1,000 royalty advance in addition to publication.

Contest entries must meet all general guidelines and submission requirements.

Individuals currently published by Pioneer Drama Service are not eligible for this contest. Pioneer Drama Service employees and their families are also excluded.

Strongbox Theater second annual short play festival.

Website

Deadline: January 8, 2026

Submit a PDF via email to info@strongboxtheater.com

Seeking 10-minute plays

Strongbox Theater is now accepting submissions for its second annual short play festival. 

Only comedies will be considered for this year’s show. 

All plays will be fully produced. Playwrights will be paid a $100 fee for accepted plays. 

Please submit only one of your best comedies. This is your opportunity to be a big part of Strongbox history as we produce our first production in our long-awaited theater. 

We are expecting sold-out nights.