Deadline: November 30, 2025
Submissions should be sent via email to info@meanwhilepark.com
Meanwhile Park is a small, private park in Salt Lake City, UT. The Park hosted its first performing arts evening in 2022. Since 2023, Meanwhile Park has produced and presented a new, one-act play chosen through our Playwright Prize competition. Submissions for the 2026 (and possibly 2027.)
Entries into the MPPP should consider the following:
• Plays should run between 30 minutes and one hour including any required or desired breaks.
• The “cast” should be limited to no more than six people. Cast can include actors, musicians, or other artists required to tell the story directly to the audience.
• Plays should not have been produced elsewhere. We are looking to present world premiere plays. Previous staged readings or workshops are allowed.
• As an outdoor, summer theatrical experience like no other in Utah, entrants are invited to consider stories and genres suitable to the occasion. Ideas include but are not limited to:
o Campfire tall tales
o Backyard ghost stories
o Summer love stories
o Action-packed adventures
o Musical comedies
o Local histories
• Meanwhile Park celebrates the diversity of humanity and welcomes stories from diverse races, ethnicities, cultures, genders, and sexualities.
THE RULES
• Submission for the 2026 Meanwhile Park Playwright Prize are now being accepted.
• The deadline for submissions is November 30, 2025. Submissions should be sent via email to info@meanwhilepark.com
• The winner will be announced no later than January 31, 2026. All entrants will be informed of the winning entry via email.
• The winner will be awarded a $500 honorarium no later than March 1, 2026 via Venmo or check.
• The winning play will be performed eight times during July 2026.
• Entries will be judged by Jeff Paris and a panel of theatre experts and enthusiasts.
• The production will be granted the following:
o A significant production budget including paid onstage performers, directors, and creative staff.o Each performance will feature a pre-performance reception/party with drinks and snacks sponsored entirely by Meanwhile Park. For this reason, ticket sales are limited to individuals 21 and older.
• You may submit a bio with your play, but it is not required. Our initial cuts are based on the plays without consideration for who the playwright is.
• Meanwhile Park reserves the right to cancel the competition or the production at any time for any reason.
• To learn more about Meanwhile Park visit our Instagram account: @meanwhilepark. Or visit our website at www.meanwhilepark.com.