Deadline: May 30, 2026
All plays must be sent as a PDF file. Any other electronic format will not be accepted.
To participate in the 49th Annual One-Act Playwriting (Alexandria Virginia) competition, you must follow all of the guidelines on the following pages. Any questions can be directed to the One Act Chairs at oneactslta@gmail.com.
Entries will be accepted on a first come, first served basis, up to the first 200 scripts. If an entry is found ineligible, additional entries will be accepted in the order they were received.
Prizes of $350 for 1st place, $250 for 2nd place and $150 for 3rd place will be awarded.
For the play to be considered for this competition, the submission(s) must be original, unpublished, and unproduced — it cannot have been staged or be scheduled to be staged for a paying audience (including ticketed festivals) as of the date of entry and up to the end of the submission period on May 30, 2026.
LTA will perform the winning scripts as staged readings with paid tickets during LTA’s Night of One Acts on January 18, 2027.
LTA shall have the right to produce winning scripts without payment of royalties. Shows that receive a paid production during the submission period must be withdrawn, with another play allowed for substitution through May 30th. All production and publication rights remain the property of the playwright.
How to Submit Your Show
Please submit your show via our submission form. You will be asked for some information about yourself and your show and to upload your show directly to the form.
If you have any issues submitting your show, please email us at oneactslta@gmail.com. Please note that the form will only allow you to upload a file if you are using a gmail account. If you do not have one, please email us for additional instructions.
Script must be in blind copy formatting (meaning, no identifying information about the author should appear in the script, including name, address or contact information).
Script must include a list of characters with descriptions, a brief synopsis of the show, and numbered pages. See sample here
There are a number of acceptable formats and writing programs available. An improperly formatted script is difficult to read and may be rejected. If you are unfamiliar with proper formatting, please keep in mind the following guidelines:
All text should be single-spaced, in a readable font, such as 12 point Times New Roman.
Entries will be accepted on a first come, first served basis, up to the first 200 scripts. If an entry is found ineligible, additional entries will be accepted in the order they were received.
Prizes of $350 for 1st place, $250 for 2nd place and $150 for 3rd place will be awarded.
For the play to be considered for this competition, the submission(s) must be original, unpublished, and unproduced — it cannot have been staged or be scheduled to be staged for a paying audience (including ticketed festivals) as of the date of entry and up to the end of the submission period on May 30, 2026.
LTA will perform the winning scripts as staged readings with paid tickets during LTA’s Night of One Acts on January 18, 2027.
LTA shall have the right to produce winning scripts without payment of royalties. Shows that receive a paid production during the submission period must be withdrawn, with another play allowed for substitution through May 30th. All production and publication rights remain the property of the playwright.
How to Submit Your Show
Please submit your show via our submission form. You will be asked for some information about yourself and your show and to upload your show directly to the form.
If you have any issues submitting your show, please email us at oneactslta@gmail.com. Please note that the form will only allow you to upload a file if you are using a gmail account. If you do not have one, please email us for additional instructions.
Script must be in blind copy formatting (meaning, no identifying information about the author should appear in the script, including name, address or contact information).
Script must include a list of characters with descriptions, a brief synopsis of the show, and numbered pages. See sample here
There are a number of acceptable formats and writing programs available. An improperly formatted script is difficult to read and may be rejected. If you are unfamiliar with proper formatting, please keep in mind the following guidelines:
All text should be single-spaced, in a readable font, such as 12 point Times New Roman.
Text should be double-spaced between speaking parts.
Speakers' names should be isolated from their dialogue in some manner.
A page showing only the title of the play must cover the manuscript. The title page should never be numbered.
Include a list of characters before the first page of dialogue. When separating characters’ lines or longer stage directions, double space.
Page one should be the first page of the play
Ideally, scenes will also be included in the pagination.
Script Content
The run time of the show must be 20 to 50 minutes.
Shows cannot include nudity. However, strong themes and language are welcome.
The submission must be a stage play. Film, TV or other scripts will not be accepted.
The show cannot be a musical or a play with live instrumentation. Incidental music cues or musical numbers that are a small part of the show are acceptable.
The show cannot be the same submission from the year prior unless significant
re-writes have been made to the script. For more information, email the chairs at oneactslta@gmail.com.
Scripts that do not meet the above guidelines will not be scored.
Judging
Scripts will be judged on the following categories:
Concept and quality of show
Production Elements
Dramatic Action
Characterization
Dialogue
Finalists will be notified in September 2026, and final winners will be selected later that month . All playwrights will be notified of their final status by October 1, 2026.
LTA is proud to offer feedback to authors who request it. Feedback will be provided to all authors who request it by the end of January 2026.
Questions?
If you have any questions about the submission process, please email oneactslta@gmail.com.