Emerging Playwright Competition

The mission of the Phillips’ Mill Community Association (PMCA) is to promote the arts and preserve the artistic and cultural heritage of Bucks County. The PMCA is committed to the active endorsement of the tenets of diversity, equity and inclusion in all aspects of what we do as an organization and for all program participants.

Consistent with this mission, the Drama Committee of PMCA is pleased to announce the sixth annual juried one-act Emerging Playwright Competition to encourage the development of original new works for the stage by offering the opportunity for public performance.

The first 50 submissions received during the acceptance period (June 26 – August 27, 2023 midnight) will be considered. Our distinguished panel of judges will evaluate all scripts and select as many as six winners, who will be notified during the week of October 9, 2023. The judges’ decisions are final. No written or verbal critique will be required of the judges. Each winning entry will receive a cash prize of $100.00 and a public reading before a live audience at Phillips’ Mill on Saturday evening, November 18, 2023.

Contest Rules

• All work must be original, unpublished and not previously produced on a stage except in a workshop or educational setting. The playwright submitting the work must have sole and exclusive rights to publish and perform it. The work must not infringe any copyright.
• Playwright must be 18 years of age or older.
• Playwright must currently live within a 100-mile radius of New Hope.
• Copyright of all works submitted remains with the author.
• Musicals, monologues, children’s plays, adaptations, and film and TV scripts are ineligible.
• Playwrights may submit no more than two scripts. Each script is a separate entry, requiring a separate fee and using a unique entry number.
• Entries must not exceed 5,000 words and must have a running time of 10 to 15 minutes with one to six characters.
• Scripts should follow standard play formatting. At the least: 1-inch margins, 12-point font, character names capitalized, stage directions in italics, and page numbers included.
• Scripts must not include any form of identification, only the entry number provided by the playwright to our website.
• Scripts should include a character breakdown.
• Please thoroughly proofread and time your script.
• If contest rules are not followed, the script will be disqualified and the submission fee will not be returned.
• Playwrights must be available to attend the performance the evening of Saturday, November 18, 2023. 
• Tentative rehearsal dates are November 7, 9 and 14. A final dress rehearsal will be on Nov. 16, 2023. Playwrights may attend these rehearsals if they wish, but it is not mandatory.
• Rewriting or editing winning scripts is not allowed.

Entry Fee

A nonrefundable fee of $10 for each script entered (no more than two).

Entries

Entries must be received during the period June 26 – August 27, 2023 midnight.

1. Complete the online entry form below, and provide a six-digit number of your own choosing. This is your entry number. This ensures that your work will be judged anonymously. The site will not process payment after 50 scripts have been received.
2. Prepare your script as an Adobe Portable Document (.pdf) file, using the unique entry number as the only identification of the author and as the name of the .pdf file.
3. Once ready, upload your submission using the form below.
4. Proofread your form and click on “Submit.” You will be taken to PayPal to pay your entry fee.
5. Once the transaction is complete, you will receive an email confirmation of your entry details. Please note: If you do not receive your confirmation, please check your spam folder, in case it ends up there.

If you wish to enter a second script, come back to this page and fill in the form again with a different ID number.

Entries will not be accepted by postal service. Questions? Contact Valerie Eastburn at valerie.eastburn@gmail.com.

Awards

Winners will receive a cash prize of $100.00 and a public reading of their works.

The PMCA will select directors and actors for the readings. Playwrights must attend the performance on November 18, 2023, and participate in the moderated discussion with the audience after the readings. (Please note: The performance is a reading, not a staged production.)