The Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers Fellowship 2027

Website

Deadline: September 25, 2026, 5 p.m. EDT. 

Applications cannot be accepted after this deadline.
Notification: March 2027
Award Period: September 7, 2027–May 26, 2028
Stipend: $90,000

Online registration required to submit

The Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers supports projects that draw on the research collections of The New York Public Library's Stephen A. Schwarzman Building (formerly the Humanities and Social Sciences Library). The Center seeks top-quality writing from academics as well as from creative writers and independent scholars. Visual artists whose projects require extensive use of Library collections are also encouraged to apply. Visit www.nypl.org/research-collections for detailed information about the collections of the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street.

The Library expects Fellows to work at the Cullman Center five days a week, Monday through Friday, for the duration of the Fellowship term, which runs from September through May. Successful candidates will need to work primarily at the Schwarzman Building rather than at other divisions of the Library. Applications from those working in languages other than English are welcome; however, the applicant must be conversant in English, and application materials must be in English. Fellowships will not be granted for academic projects to post-doctoral fellows or to applicants doing graduate-school dissertation research.

The Center seeks diversity in race, ethnicity, age, gender, field, and type of project. The Center aims to promote dynamic conversation about the humanities, social sciences, and scholarship at the highest level—within the Center, in public forums throughout the Library, and in the Fellows' published work.

In order to avoid real or apparent conflicts of interest, the Cullman Center does not accept applications from New York Public Library staff members or their partners, or from people active on the Library’s Board of Trustees, Board Advisory Committees, or Library Council.

Fellows may not accept other major professional obligations during the term. Fellows may have a few prior commitments but must limit research trips, attendance at scholarly meetings, and speaking engagements to short periods of time. Anyone who needs to be away for more than two days must notify the Center's Director or Deputy Director. The Library will pro-rate stipends for Fellows who spend excessive time away from the Center.

The Cullman Center will not accept dossier letters in place of new letters of recommendation.Completed applications and supporting materials—research proposal, curriculum vitae, letters of recommendation, and creative writing sample or art work sample—must be submitted by September 25, 2026, 5 p.m. EDT.

The Cullman Center is made possible by a generous endowment from Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman in honor of Brooke Russell Astor, with major support provided by Mrs. John L. Weinberg, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, The Estate of Charles J. Liebman, The von der Heyden Family Foundation, John and Constance Birkelund, and The Samuel I. Newhouse Foundation, and with additional gifts from Helen and Roger Alcaly, The Rona Jaffe Foundation, The Arts and Letters Foundation Inc., William W. Karatz, Merilee and Roy Bostock, and Cullman Center Fellows.

Radcliffe Institute Fellowship 2026

Website

Deadline: September 10, 2026, at 5 PM ET

The Harvard Radcliffe Institute Fellowship Program offers scientists, writers, scholars, public intellectuals, and artists a rare chance to pursue ambitious projects for a full academic year in a vibrant interdisciplinary setting amid the resources of Harvard University.

We welcome applications proposing innovative work that confronts pressing social, scientific, and policy issues and seeks to engage audiences beyond academia. Reflecting Radcliffe's unique history and institutional legacy, we welcome—but do not limit eligibility to—proposals that focus on women, gender, and society or draw on the Schlesinger Library’s rich collections.

We also invite proposals relevant to the Institute’s multiyear focus area, which for 2024–2029 is academic freedom and connecting across difference. Proposals should address intellectual virtues, free and open inquiry, and diversity of thought, as well as political polarization, inequality, religious pluralism, religion and public life, and other policy issues as they relate to institutions of higher education. Within this focus area, we also welcome proposals that constructively challenge disciplinary orthodoxies or advance new and potentially transformative perspectives or approaches.

In addition, we welcome proposals in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics directly impacted by federal research funding cuts.

Get Started

The application for 2027–2028 fellowship program is now available. Please visit our application portal to access the application.

Application Deadlines

The deadline for applications in the humanities, social sciences, creative arts, and nonfiction and journalism is September 10, 2026, at 5 PM ET.

The deadline for applications in science, engineering, and mathematics is October 1, 2026, at 5 PM ET.
How to Apply

To begin an application, you will need to register as a new user by creating a new account with your name, email address, and password. Once you have registered, you may log in to the Online Fellowship Application Portal and select an application area: Humanities and Social Sciences; Creative Arts; Nonfiction and Journalism; or Science, Engineering, and Mathematics.
Eligibility Criteria

We accept applications in a wide array of disciplines across the humanities, social sciences, and creative arts and applicants must meet discipline-specific eligibility criteria. This fellowship program is not intended to serve as a postdoctoral fellowship, and those currently enrolled in a degree program are ineligible to apply. We accept applications from individuals across career stages and do not require academics to have tenure to apply.

Former Harvard Radcliffe fellows (1999-present) are ineligible.

Application Materials

The fellowship application consists of an application form, curriculum vitae, 1,400-word project proposal (with bibliography when appropriate), a writing or work sample, and the contact information of three references who will be prompted over email to upload letters of recommendation in support of your application. All materials must be submitted via our online application portal.

Black Cat Theatre seeks full-length scripts

Website

Deadline: September 15, 2026

THEY ARE NO LONGER ACCEPTING SUBMISSIONS

Chicago, IL

Full-length scripts, ideally 75-100 minutes in length

aligned w/ BCT values, especially those:

• from queer playwrights
• telling queer stories
• playing with form and/or language

Playwrights from anywhere may submit, but this season we will be prioritizing submissions from Chicago-based writers. Playwrights may submit one script for this opportunity.

The Staged Reading+ process has typically comprised of 4 virtual table-work rehearsals, 4 in-person rehearsals, and 4 hours of tech. Depending on the needs of the individual script, this process could shift slightly. Ideally, the playwright will be able to attend all rehearsals. Performances will take place in Spring 2027 at The Edge Off-Broadway, on the set of Idle Muse Theatre Company's Spring production.

If you have any questions, please contact BCT's Literary Manager, Cori Lang, at literary@blackcattheatrechi.com

Utah Shakespeare Festival Words Cubed seeks full-length plays

Website

Deadline: when they receive 200 submissions
THEY HAVE REACHED THEIR LIMIT - DO NOT SEND

Our Mission

As part of an ongoing commitment to create a diverse body of work, Words Cubed, the new play program at the Utah Shakespeare Festival, nurtures and develops openly-submitted and commissioned-based new plays by providing a professional platform for readings, workshops, and fully realized productions.

WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR?

Unproduced scripts ready for development. We are not looking for the ‘best’ play submitted, rather a great one that will benefit from our process.

We love big epic casts, but we’ve found the streamlined development process is best suited to smaller cast shows (6 actors or less). We are open to Shakespeare-adjacent works, however, we are interested in all genres. If you are submitting a Shakespeare-adjacent work, it must be able to stand on its own for audiences that don’t know the original.

Part of our selection process is how the two selected plays complement one another and the season of which they are a part (in this case, the 2027 season). Additionally, a play that is similar in theme or plot to recent Words Cubed selections is less likely to be chosen.

WHAT WILL WORDS CUBED DO FOR YOU?

Words Cubed and the Utah Shakespeare Festival will provide travel to Cedar City, Utah and offer a stipend, lodging, and tickets to our currently running shows. We will provide you with a cast, director, and stage manager, four days of concentrated script work (12 hours total), and four public readings with audience feedback.

WHAT WILL THE READING LOOK LIKE?

Words Cubed readings are simple in scope. This choice is both artistic, as the goal is to focus on the story and allow the playwright to hear it in front of an audience, and practical, as there is limited rehearsal time. We encourage teams to utilize stage directions to paint the fuller picture for the audience. These are “music stand readings”, so lines are not memorized. There are no design elements.

FINE PRINT

No fees. The only thing we require is a signed contract with the following agreement: After your play leaves our process, any subsequent production or workshop will contain the following language: “PLAY TITLE was developed, in part, through Words Cubed, Utah Shakespeare Festival’s new play development program.”

GUIDELINES FOR SUBMISSION

You will be notified by July 1, 2027, whether or not your play was selected. 

FAQ

• You may only submit one play per year.
• If a script was submitted to Words Cubed in the past, it cannot be re-submitted. 
• We only accept unproduced plays.
• Straight plays only, please. Words Cubed is not designed to support a sufficient development process for musicals.
• We only accept updated script drafts if your play makes it to the finalist pool. We will notify you if you become a finalist.
• The two selected playwrights must be available for the Cedar City in-person workshop during the week of August 2 or 9, 2027.

If you have additional questions, please reach out to words3@bard.org.

Runway Theater seeks Vignettes for Valentines

Website

Deadline: September 25, 2026

Grapevine Texas

SUBMISSION FORM

Runway Theatre brings back a beloved tradition with Vignettes for Valentine's, an evening of original short plays celebrating love in all its forms. Selected works will be presented as part of a special Valentine's Day fundraiser on February 13, 2027, with both a matinee (3pm) and evening performance (7:30pm). Whether your story is funny, romantic, bittersweet, heartwarming, awkward, or completely unexpected, we want to read it! Submitted plays should explore themes related to:

• Love
• Relationships
• Romance
• Friendship
• Heartbreak
• Family connections
• Dating
• Marriage
• Second chances
• The many ways people connect with one another

Writers are encouraged to think creatively. Not every story must be a traditional romance. Authors retain ownership of their work. By submitting, playwrights grant Runway Theatre permission to produce
the piece as part of Vignettes for Valentine's should it be selected.

The submission deadline is September 25, 2026, and authors will be notified of their acceptance status in November.

Playing Ace: A New Asexualities Play Festival seeks short and full-length plays

Website

Deadline: November 1, 2026

Madison Wisconsin

SUBMISSION FORM - PDF files preferred

• Staged reading and inclusion in an anthology proposal
• Plays must be connected to concepts of asexuality or aromance. Further descriptions of how that is defined can be found on our website.
• Playwrights may submit only one play
• Plays must not be previously published.

The “Playing Ace” play festival is an opportunity for folks who are interested in showcasing and exploring asexual worldmaking to connect and share their work! We aim to provide opportunities for playwrights to produce and then publish their work, to expand the reach of these important stories. Over the next year, we will be collecting and carefully reviewing play submissions to be showcased in a staged reading held in Madison, Wisconsin in spring 2027. Playwrights will have the support of a dramaturg during the play rehearsal process and will see how live audiences react to their play. After the play festival, playwrights will have an opportunity to join a proposal to publish their play in the first anthology of asexual plays!

Overall, we recognize that there is a growing need to share stories about asexual lives, experiences, and perspectives. As asexuality becomes more of a topic for discussion in the world, it is important that we create spaces where stories and perspectives can be shared. We believe that theatre is a fantastic place to come together and create new communities, and with the proposal for an anthology, we want to ensure that these stories are shared with as many people as possible.

Propsect Musical Theater Lab seeks writers for annual musical theater developmental program

Website

Deadline: September 10, 2026

SUBMISSION FORM

Since 2008, Prospect has offered an annual musical theater developmental program which brings together 8-10 teams of writers, challenging them to create short (10 minute) musicals in response to a curated assignment. The Musical Theater Lab is a high-impact generative opportunity for writers that serves a broad network of artists, providing a platform to share work, create in community, and build professional relationships. In Fall 2026, we celebrate the 20th lab cycle!

From the start of the lab process, writers have one month to write the first draft of their piece. During this month, they meet with Prospect's Associate Artistic Director, Dev Bondarin, and fellow lab writers to discuss their project and the culminating lab performance. This is followed by a two-week process during which each piece is developed and rehearsed with a cast. The short pieces are presented in a culminating concert performance for the general public.

What is Prospect's Musical Theater Lab?

• Monday, September 28: First group meeting of writers in evening (please hold this evening open.)
• Friday, October 2: Show concept pitches due.
• Wednesday, October 7: Cast breakdown due.
• Monday, October 12: Second group meeting of writers in evening (please hold this evening open)
• Thursday, October 15: Libretto first draft due 
• Between Thursday, October 15–Thursday October 23: Individual writer team meetings with director to be scheduled
• Monday Oct 26: Completed rehearsal drafts of script and score due
• Between Wednesday October 28–Wednesday November 11: Rehearsals for each piece scheduled during this period
• Thursday, November 12: Afternoon technical rehearsal & sound check at Symphony Space, 7:30pm performance

COMPLETE LAB TIMELINE:

Lab participants are selected through an open application process. A panel of Prospect's artistic staff members review each application. Applications are open now through Thursday, September 10 at 11:59pm.

Selected Lab writers will be invited to pitch three show concepts. With curatorial input, writing teams will select one of these ideas to develop into an 8-10 minute long musical. The short, new works will be written between September 28 and October 26, workshopped and rehearsed between October 28 and November 11, and presented as a single evening's concert which will take place at Symphony Space on Thursday, November 12. The culminating Lab presentation will be directed by Dev Bondarin, Prospect's Associate Artistic Director.

​How It Works

THE FINE PRINT

• Writers receive a modest honorarium for their participation in the Lab
• Writers retain all copyright/ownership of their work
• Writers may only be part of one lab application
• Writers who have previously participated in the Lab are welcome to re-apply, but not in the cycle immediately following their participation. (Ie: Writers may not participate in two back to back Labs, they must take one year off before re-applying.)

The culminating concert presentation will be performed by a versatile and diverse cast of actor-singers, drawn from Prospect’s network of alumni performers and other recommendations. 

For the Fall 2026 Lab, cast size will be targeted to 1-4 principal performers for each piece. Actors will be shared amongst the projects and appear in two different 10-minute pieces. Additionally, there will be a large chorus of voices available to be shared across the projects, through a special partnership with musical theater students at Manhattan School of Music. Writers are encouraged to attend rehearsals, which take place over a two week period at studio locations in Manhattan. The rehearsals will be a combination of day and evening time slots based on availability schedules submitted by the writing teams.​

The Logistics

Prospect's Musical Theater Lab intentionally operates on a compact timeline and incorporates random, playful elements in order to encourage writers to make bold and in-the-moment choices in their creative process. We invite writers to be as fully engaged with the Lab process as possible. As a first step, please review the timeline to confirm your team’s availability for this project. If you or your collaborators will be unavailable for much of the planned process, it is best to wait for a future cycle to apply. Teams will be notified of the application process outcome by Mon 9/21/26.

This fall, Prospect is celebrating the 20th Cycle of our musical theater lab. We've connected with more than two-hundred emerging writers through the lab... who have generated as many new short musicals featuring the talents of many more hundreds of performers, which have been experienced by thousands of audience members! It's an expansive community.

This year's theme centers storytelling through the use of many voices. Lab participants will be invited to explore how the concept of a "chorus" or ensemble of voices can be used dramatically. In each short musical, this year's writing cohort will be challenged to incorporate the use of a chorus (8 or more voices) in a compelling dramatic context, alongside a core of principal cast members. Whether evoking an ancient Greek chorus, an anthropomorphic concept, a philosophical abstract, or a group of many humans changing the tide of history -- we are excited to see how this creative assignment comes to life on Thursday, November 12, at Symphony Space!

We strive to keep our open application process simple and efficient with a quick turnaround.

Please submit the name, role (composer, lyricist, bookwriter) and a brief bio / info for each member of the writing team.

Writers should apply with their intended collaborator(s). Individual "team of one" writers who wear multiple hats may also apply. New collaborative teams may also apply. (Prospect doesn't create teams or pair writers.) Also, writers may only be part of one application.

Writers are asked to include links to 3 sample songs (either mp3s or videos are acceptable) along with a brief scene sample. Work samples that are representative of the collaborative team applying are best. If the application marks a new collaboration, please be clear in describing the relevance of each sample to the application.

Apricity Magazine open for short play submissions

Website

Deadline: January 4, 2027 at 1AM

SUBMIT VIA SUBMITTABLE

We accept 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. 

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.

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.

UMBRELLAS FOR FISH seeks one-minute plays

Website

Deadline: October 2, 2026

Submission email:  ufjournal@aol.com

HOW TO SUBMIT

1. Prepare your manuscript according to the guidelines above.

2. Include a 50–100 word third-person author bio.

3. In the body of your email, include:

Your full name
Title of the play
Country of residence
The subtheme your play most closely relates to
A brief 1–3 sentence description of the play

4. Attach your manuscript as a DOC, DOCX or PDF file.

5. Name your file:

YOURNAME.docx

6. Send your submission to:

ufjournal@aol.com

SUBJECT LINE FORMAT

ONE-MINUTE PLAY — [TITLE] — [AUTHOR'S NAME]

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Submit original work only.
Submit manuscripts in DOC, DOCX or PDF format only.
Use a readable 12-point font.
Number all pages.
Include a title page with the title of the play and author's name.
Scripts should follow standard dramatic formatting where appropriate.
Include a third-person author bio of 50–100 words at the end of the manuscript.
Multiple submissions are welcome (in a single email).
Simultaneous submissions are welcome; please notify us immediately if your work is accepted elsewhere.
Please submit only work for which you hold the necessary rights.

UMBRELLAS FOR FISH
An International Journal of Absurd & Existential Drama

Umbrellas for Fish is pleased to announce a special international anthology of Absurd and Existential One-Minute Plays: ONE MINUTE BEFORE NOTHING HAPPENS

What can happen in one minute?

• A lifetime can end.
• A universe can begin.
• Someone can forget why they entered a room.
• A chair can refuse to be sat upon.
• Two strangers can wait for something that never arrives.
• A person can discover the meaning of life—just in time to forget it.
• Or, perhaps, nothing happens.

We are seeking original one-minute plays that explore the strange, comic, unsettling, irrational, and deeply human experience of existence.

This anthology celebrates the extraordinary possibilities of theatrical brevity. We invite playwrights to create worlds in miniature—moments of revelation, confusion, silence, contradiction, catastrophe, comedy, and cosmic indifference.

Your play has approximately one minute.

What will happen before nothing does?

THEME & SUBTHEMES

All submitted plays should engage broadly with absurdist, existential, surreal, experimental, or philosophically unsettling theatre.

Writers may interpret the following themes freely and imaginatively.

1. Waiting for Something That Never Arrives
Characters wait—for a person, an answer, a bus, God, death, an announcement, or something they cannot name.

2. The Meaning of Life Is Temporarily Unavailable
A search for meaning meets bureaucracy, confusion, technical difficulties, silence, or an unexpected customer-service representative.

3. One Minute Until the End of the World
The apocalypse is imminent—or perhaps it has already happened, and nobody noticed.

4. Conversations with the Universe
The universe may finally respond. Unfortunately, it may have misunderstood the question.

5. Time Has Stopped, but Everyone Is Late
Clocks malfunction, time repeats, yesterday returns, or characters remain trapped inside a moment.

6. Nobody Remembers Why We Are Here
Identity, memory, purpose, and location dissolve into increasingly uncertain explanations.

7. Instructions for Existing
Characters receive rules for life, consciousness, happiness, breathing, or being human—but the instructions may be incomplete.

8. The Last Ordinary Thing
A familiar object, habit, conversation, or everyday action becomes suddenly strange, impossible, or profoundly significant.

9. Silence Has Something to Say
What happens when silence becomes a character—or when words become less trustworthy than what remains unspoken?

10. The Wrong Person Has Been Chosen to Exist
A bureaucratic, cosmic, or administrative error has occurred. Someone may have been given existence by mistake.

11. Exit Signs Point in Different Directions
Characters attempt to escape a room, a relationship, a memory, a role, a system, or existence itself.

12. Everything Is Fine, Except for Everything
Ordinary life continues despite an unnamed catastrophe, an impossible situation, or the slow collapse of reality.

13. A Small Eternity
One minute becomes endless. A brief moment expands into repetition, memory, regret, anticipation, or infinity.

14. The Things We Cannot Explain
Something impossible happens, and everyone attempts to explain it—making the situation increasingly incomprehensible.

15. One Minute Before Nothing Happens

• The central theme of the anthology.
• Something is about to happen.
• Or perhaps something has already happened.
• Or perhaps nothing is happening at all.
• The characters may be waiting for a beginning, an ending, a revelation, a disaster, or a moment that never arrives.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

• We seek original one-minute plays that are:Absurd, existential, surreal, experimental, or darkly comic
• Theatrically imaginative and stageable
• Concise but emotionally, intellectually, or philosophically resonant
• Bold in form, structure, voice, or theatrical logic
• Strange for a reason—not merely random
• Open to ambiguity, contradiction, uncertainty, and unanswered questions
• Memorable enough to leave an impression long after sixty seconds have passed

We welcome:Monologues

• Dialogues
• Ensemble pieces
• Experimental dramatic fragments
• Non-linear theatre
• Surreal theatrical situations
• Dark comedy
• Minimalist drama
• Meta-theatre
• Unconventional forms of dramatic writing

We are particularly interested in plays that take creative risks and demonstrate a strong sense of theatrical possibility.

SUBMISSION LENGTH
Each play should be designed to be performed in approximately one minute.

Maximum Length: 2 pages

There is no minimum or maximum number of characters.
A play may contain dialogue, silence, movement, stage directions, or any combination of theatrical elements.

Response Time
Approximately 1–2 weeks

Publication Date
OCTOBER 15, 2026

FEE
There is no reading fee, submission fee, or publication fee.


RIGHTS

If a work is selected for publication, the playwright retains all intellectual property, copyright, and performance rights to the work.

By accepting publication in ONE MINUTE BEFORE NOTHING HAPPENS: A Special International Anthology of Absurd & Existential One-Minute Plays, the author grants Umbrellas for Fish non-exclusive permission to publish the work as part of the anthology.

All rights remain with the author following publication. Authors remain free to reproduce, perform, publish, or republish their work elsewhere, provided that first publication in ONE MINUTE BEFORE NOTHING HAPPENS is acknowledged where appropriate.


PAYMENT

• Umbrellas for Fish is currently a non-paying market.
• As an independent literary journal and publishing initiative operating without grants, institutional funding, or regular donations, we are presently unable to offer royalties, honoraria, or other forms of monetary compensation to contributors.
• Authors whose work is selected for publication will receive publication credit and international exposure through the anthology.

EDITORIAL VISION

Umbrellas for Fish is devoted to theatre that embraces uncertainty.
We believe that theatre does not always need to provide answers.
Sometimes a question is enough.
Sometimes a contradiction is enough.
Sometimes a person standing in an empty room, holding an umbrella over a fish, is enough.

With ONE MINUTE BEFORE NOTHING HAPPENS, we want to explore what theatre can accomplish in the smallest possible spaces.

A minute can contain:
A beginning.
An ending.
A joke.
A catastrophe.
A confession.
A silence.
A universe.
Or nothing at all.

We welcome playwrights from all countries, backgrounds, and stages of their careers. We are especially interested in amplifying voices and theatrical perspectives that have been underrepresented in the dramatic canon.

YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE.
MAKE SOMETHING HAPPEN.
OR DON'T.

ONE MINUTE BEFORE NOTHING HAPPENS

A Special International Anthology of Absurd & Existential One-Minute Plays

PUBLICATION DATE: OCTOBER 15, 2026

DRURY UNIVERSITY ONE-ACT PLAY COMPETITION

Website

Deadline: December 1, 2026

Send scripts to:

Drury University One-Act Play Competition
c/o Dr. Mick Sokol, Professor of Theatre
900 North Benton Avenue
Springfield, MO 65802

FIRST PRIZE: $300 TWO HONORABLE MENTIONS: $150 each

Winning plays will be considered for production by Drury University.

COMPETITION RULES:

1. Competition is open to all playwrights. Scripts are to be original, unpublished, and unproduced. Staged readings or workshop productions will not disqualify a script. Musicals, monologues, adaptations, film and TV scripts are ineligible.

2. Preference will be given to small cast, one-set shows with running times of no less than twenty and no more than forty-five minutes.

3. No more than one script from any playwright. Scripts entered in this contest in previous years are ineligible for re-submission.

4. All scripts are to be typewritten and firmly bound (staple, clips, etc). Because of the nature of distributing scripts to readers, we do NOT accept electronic submissions.

5. Scripts cannot be returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed envelope with sufficient postage. For confirmation of receipt, include a self-addressed stamped postcard. For results of your script, please include self-addressed stamped envelope. If possible, please include an e-mail address; we can send you contest results via email.

6. No written or verbal critiques will be tendered.

7. The decisions of the judges are final. Drury University reserves the right to produce any of the three winning plays royalty-free during our 2027-2028, 2028-2029 or 2029-2030 seasons, to withhold production, and to modify cashawards as deemed necessary by the judges.

8. Drury University does not assume any responsibility for the loss, damage, or return of scripts. All reasonable care will be taken.

9. Deadline for entries is a postmark of December 1, 2026.

10. Address scripts to Drury University One-Act Play Competition
c/o Dr. Mick Sokol, Professor of Theatre
900 North Benton Avenue
Springfield, MO 65802

11. Winners will be notified by mail (or e-mail) no later than April 1, 2027.

Madlab Theatre Roulette 2027 seeks short plays

Website

Deadline: November 1, 2026

Or until they receive 500 submissions

Email all submissions to andyb@madlab.net.

Scripts should be 5-20 minutes in length.

Include a short synopsis and production history in the body of the email.

If you are an Ohio playwright, please put "Theatre Roulette Submission - Ohio" in the subject line.
If you are a Columbus college student playwright, please put "Theatre Roulette Submission - College" in your subject line.

All other playwrights, please put "Theatre Roulette Submission" in the subject line.Scripts must be in .pdf or .docx format.There is a limit of 2 submissions per playwright.

MadLab Theatre is seeking short play submissions for the 28th annual Theatre Roulette festival.
Theatre Roulette has 3 separate nights of plays. One night will be reserved for Ohio based playwrights. One night will be reserved for Columbus based college playwrights. And the third night will be reserved for anyone and everyone else.

Submission deadline is November 1, 2026 or until we reach our 500 submission cap.

The production will take place from March 18-April 3 of 2027.

All playwrights will be notified of our decisions no later than December 1st, 2026.

The Soliloquist Journal seeks soliloquies

Website

Deadline: October 20, 2026

Where to send: Email your work as a single Word or PDF document to thesoliloquistmag@gmail.com. 
Subject Line: Fall 2026 Submission – [Your Name] 

"Share Your Soliloquy"

For our Fall 2026 Issue, The Soliloquist Journal invites poets and writers to dissect the mechanics of memory loss— chosen and unchosen. What do you let go of on purpose? What slips away against your will? What do you misremember, and why does the misremembering feel like its own kind of truth?

We are looking for raw, vulnerable, and authentic poetry and soliloquies that trace the edges of what has been lost, blurred, or deliberately buried.

SUBTHEMES:

Selective Erasure — The things we choose to forget on purpose: a face, a
betrayal, a version of ourselves we've outgrown.

Phantom Memory — The ache of a memory that lingers after the thing
itself is gone—like sensation in a missing limb.

The Unreliable Archive — Misremembering as its own act of creation: when
the story we tell replaces the thing that actually happened.

Inherited Forgetting — Family silences, generational gaps, and the things
left unspoken until they simply cease to exist.

The Slow Fade — The involuntary kind of forgetting: aging, illness,
distance, and the quiet grief of watching a memory dissolve in real time.

Clockhouse opens for submissions for Volume 14 (summer 2027)

 Website

Deadline: November 15, 2026 at 11:59 PM

SUBMIT VIA SUBMITTABLE

CLOCKHOUSE is a national literary journal published by Clockhouse Writers’ Conference, whose editors are MFA alumni of Goddard College.
​
We accept works of poetry, fiction, memoir, creative nonfiction, and ​dramatic works for stage or screen. We also accept submissions for cover art. We encourage submissions from both established and emerging writers.

We’re looking for work that beckons us to listen, share, and engage. Send us your best!

Before submitting, carefully read the general AND genre-specific guidelines. 

• All submissions must be original, unpublished work written by the author or, if you are submitting artwork for cover consideration, original artwork created by the artist. We do not accept work generated in whole or in part by AI.
• Follow genre-appropriate formatting; Word documents preferred; double-spaced for fiction, memoir, and creative nonfiction​
• Include a bio of approximately 100 words or less
• Simultaneous submissions are welcome as long as you withdraw them if accepted elsewhere
• Submit only through Submittable. No email or mailed submissions will be accepted
• Submissions that do not follow these guidelines will be discarded unread.
• If your work has been published in CLOCKHOUSE, please skip one issue before submitting again.

Dramatic Work for Stage or Screen

• Short plays and screenplays in traditional and experimental styles
• Standalone work only (not part of a longer work); no monologues
• Submitted work should be written with the audience in mind
• Submit up to 10 pages plus cover page with title and character breakdown
• Follow the industry-standard formatting guidelines appropriate for the plays/screenplays including paginations

Savage Wonder seeks 10-minute plays or musicals

Website

Deadline: July 3, 2027

SUBMISSION FORM

Savage Wonder (Beacon, NY) prides itself on opportunities for veteran writers. Savage Wonder offers on-going playwriting competitions as well as the Savage Wonder literary blog. You may select which opportunity interests you below.

Savage Wonder is accepting submissions for our 10-minute playwriting competition. 

Submissions may include plays or musicals. 

Playwrights must meet one of the following criteria:

Current or former: US military, law enforcement, fire service, EMS, foreign service, intelligence service, DoD employee, DoD Contractor; or Immediate family of the service member.

We are looking for work that is whimsical, intimate, absurd, and surprising. Unlike some past competitions, we are not looking for straightforward dramatic realism or non-fiction storytelling. Bring us something that takes a risk — something that could only have come from you.

The competition winner will receive a $1,000 grant.

The second-place finalist will receive a $750 grant.
The third-place finalist will receive a $500 grant.

All winners and finalists also receive feedback from the panel of judges. In addition, winners and finalists may be invited to become Savage Wonder Resident Artists where they will have the opportunity to develop and submit plays and musicals for commissioning and production at Savage Wonder.

Plays and musicals can be any genre and any subject matter. 

Playwrights may submit more than one work. 

Submissions should not have been previously produced and/or published. 

Winners and finalists will be notified via email no later than Sunday, July 4, 2027 (note: we will make every effort to have results back to submitters ASAP; however, in order to ensure fair treatment of each submission and to plan for any contingencies which may arise, we are providing a worst-case scenario for our timeline). 

There is no participation or submission fee. 

There is no guarantee that winners' or finalists' work will be produced by Savage Wonder. 

Complimentary tickets available: IS THIS THING ON?

Complementary tickets are available for Adam Bradley's autobiographical solo show, Is This Thing On? - a 60-minute piece combining storytelling and live music, exploring identity, responsibility, and what happens to the parts of ourselves we put aside along the way.

A deeply human solo show about the version of yourself you put down — and whether it’s ever too late to pick it back up.

Tickets at Eventbrite.
Use complimentary code: COMP

Complimentary tickets are offered on a first-come, first serve basis for the performances on Friday September 19, 7PM and Sunday September 20, 2PM. (The Saturday performance is sold out.)

TIP: your best chance for available tickets is the Sunday performance.

Chain Theatre

312 West 36th Street
#4th floor New York, NY 10018

Premiere Stages seeks full-length plays

Website

Deadline: November 1, 2026

All plays must be submitted as a PDF via Submittable at premierestagesatkean.submittable.com/submit. Hard copies will not be accepted.

Premiere Stages will accept submissions of unproduced plays written by playwrights affiliated with the greater metropolitan area from September 1, 2026, through November 1, 2026. All plays submitted to the festival are evaluated by a panel of professional theatre producers, directors, dramaturgs, playwrights, and publishers. Four finalists are subsequently selected for public Equity readings in Spring of 2027.

Following the Spring readings, one play is selected for an Equity production in the Premiere Stages 2028 season and receives an award of $10,000. Another finalist receives a 29-hour staged reading and $3,000. The other finalists will each be awarded $1,000.

Submission guidelines can be found at https://premierestagesatkean.com/play-festival/guidelines/

- Plays must be full-length and have a cast size of no more than eight.

- Plays must be unpublished and unproduced (readings and workshops are okay), with no productions and/or publication currently scheduled through September 2028.

-Playwrights must have strong affiliations with the greater metropolitan area (New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Delaware). 

- Musicals, adaptations (of existing plays or other sources), and solo shows are not eligible.

-Submissions are limited to one script per playwright.

- Please contact Premiere Stages to inquire about submitting a script that has been previously submitted.     Generally we only accept re-submissions if the play has undergone significant revisions.

- Playwrights must be available for the development of their script (see the 2027 schedule table on our website).

- Submissions are accepted September 1, 2026 through 11:59 p.m. on November 1, 2026. Submissions sent early in the submission window are strongly encouraged.

- Names and contact information are welcome on cover pages of scripts.

• Premiere Stages now accepts full manuscripts from all submitters. Submissions must include:
• Brief synopsis of the play (no more than half a page)
• History of the play’s development (or statement that it has none)
• The playwright’s bio or resume

Members of the Premiere Stages literary team will read at least 10 pages of every play submitted and will decide if the play should be further considered by the Play Festival Panel.

All plays must be submitted as a PDF via Submittable at premierestagesatkean.submittable.com/submit. Hard copies will not be accepted.

All playwrights will be notified by e-mail OR Submittable message of their status by June of 2027.

10th annual PlayGround Solo Performance Festival

Website

Deadline: September 15, 2026 by 11:59pm

SUBMISSION FORM

PlayGround invites submission of proposals for the 10th annual PlayGround Solo Performance Festival, to take place at PlayGround’s San Francisco venue, Potrero Stage, with live online simulcast, January 15-February 7, 2027. 

PlayGround is interested in diverse voices and approaches, including storytelling, clowning, music, dance, multimedia, comedy, etc. In addition to new works by individual writer-performers, we are also interested in collaborations between separate writers and performers as well as adaptations of existing material in the public domain, historical biographies and/or historical events. BIPOC, trans/gender-nonconforming, and artists with disabilities encouraged to apply. 

Running time for proposed pieces can be up to 50 minutes without intermission.

FESTIVAL GUIDELINES

PlayGround will select up to 20 performers to each receive 3 public performances at Potrero Stage with live online simulcast within the festival period. Performers will each receive 2 hours of technical rehearsal (date and time TBD). PlayGround will provide the theater, simulcast setup and digital platform, front-of-house and technical staff, marketing, publicity, and box office services.

– Selected projects will receive three performance slots over the course of the festival

– Selections will be determined by lottery; up to 15 slots will be guaranteed to PlayGround-affiliated artists and up to 5 slots will be offered to non-PlayGround artists

– Projects must culminate in the off-book public presentation

– Performances in the 2027 Solo Performance Festival must run be between 30-50 minutes with setup/strike of no more than a half-hour on either side.

– Projects must participate in PlayGround’s radical accessibility program, including free admission (with PWYC donation option) and online simulcast.

– Projects involving union artists will have the opportunity to be presented under PlayGround’s SAG-AFTRA New Media Agreement (deferred) and all performers, regardless of union status, would then be expected to sign a SAG-AFTRA agreement; projects are solely responsible for the terms of artist compensation and for fulfilling those terms.

– Upon selection, projects will be responsible for remitting to PlayGround a $600 facility licensing fee for three performances, due by October 1, 2026.

– PlayGround will provide the following: fully-equipped Potrero Stage, Technical Director, House Manager, Board Operator, Streaming Broadcaster, as well as co-marketing, production management consultation (1 hr), and box office services;

– PlayGround will split box office proceeds 50/50 with producing teams.

Cambiando the Script seeks one-act plays

Website

Deadline: September 6, 2026

Send submissions to operations @amttheater.org

Cambiando the Script returns to AMT Theater on Monday, October 19, 2026, for an evening celebrating the power of bilingual storytelling and the voices that bridge cultures through live theater.

We are currently accepting submissions of original one-act plays with a running time of 45 minutes or less that seamlessly blend Spanish and English into the storytelling. We welcome all genres—including comedy, drama, thriller, romance, musicals, and experimental works. The only requirement is that both languages are woven naturally into the script, reflecting the authenticity and complexity of bilingual life.

We are looking for playwrights who create compelling, thought-provoking stories that explore identity, family, community, love, resilience, and the many experiences that shape our multicultural world. Whether your play entertains, challenges, or inspires, we want work that demonstrates how language can deepen character, emotion, and connection.

If you’ve written a story that lives naturally between Spanish and English, we encourage you to submit your play and become part of an evening dedicated to celebrating bilingual voices on stage.

Submit your script and help us continue changing the conversation—one story at a time.

Selected plays will be presented as staged readings at AMT Theater on Monday, October 19, 2026, giving playwrights the opportunity to hear their work performed before a live audience.

Qutub Minar seeks one-minute plays

Website

Deadline: September 20, 2026

We publish poetry, short stories (maximum 500 words for each story), one minute plays, interviews, book reviews, memoires and travelogues. 

You can submit up to 3 one minute plays at a time.

1 All submissions must carry a cover letter and a short literary bio-data (about 70 words) of the author.

2. We accept submissions only by email. All submissions must be sent to editorqutubminarreview@gmail.com

3. All submissions must carry:

Full legal name of the author:

Pen name (if any):

Postal address:

By submitting your work you accept that you hold the copyright of the work and there is no need to get permission of any third party to publish your work. After publication the copyright of the work will revert back to the author.

We notify the authors regarding acceptance of their works.

Unfortunately, there is no pay at this time.

Blue Ink Award 2026

Website

Deadline: August 31, 2026 by 11:59 PM CT

SUBMISSION FORM

1) There is no fee to submit.

2) Each play must be submitted with a letter written by a qualified theater professional or teacher recommending the play. “Qualified theater professional” is defined as an artistic director, director, literary manager, agent, theater professor, or someone in a similar artistic leadership position.

3) This contest is restricted to plays written predominantly in English. Worldwide submissions are accepted.

4) Submissions must be original, unpublished full-length plays. Adaptations are accepted with proof of rights held unless source text is in public domain.

5) Musicals, translations, and children’s plays are not accepted.

6) Playwrights may submit only one (1) manuscript per year.

7) Plays that have been professionally produced or published are not eligible. Plays that have had a workshop, reading, or non-professional production will be considered.

8) Plays may not be under option or scheduled for professional production or publication at the time of award announcement.

9) American Blues Theater reserves the Right-of-First-Refusal to produce the world premiere of the winning manuscript for one (1) year beginning on date of the public announcement of the winner.

10) Plays and recommendation letters must be submitted digitally as a PDF or Word Document via the submission form at AmericanBluesTheater.com.

11) If you need technological accommodations to submit your play, you may send scripts to American Blues Theater, 5627 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60659. Scripts are ineligible if received after Monday, August 31.

12) Questions should be sent to info@AmericanBluesTheater.com.