WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR PLAYWRITING returns for 2025 with first prize of £20,000
The Women’s Prize for Playwriting, produced by Ellie Keel and Paines Plough, has announced its return for 2025, with the largest ever prize fund for WPP with a first prize of £20,000.
The judging panel for this year’s Prize will be chaired once again by incoming Director and Co-Chief Executive of the National Theatre Indhu Rubasingham.
Launched in 2019, the Prize celebrates and supports exceptional female and non-binary playwrights, and campaigns for their plays to be presented on national stages in the UK and Ireland. The Prize is for a full-length play (defined as over 60 minutes in length), written in English. The First Prize-winning play receives £20,000 in respect of an option for Ellie Keel Productions, Paines Plough and Sheffield Theatres to co-produce the play. The prize is sponsored by Samuel French Ltd, a Concord Theatricals company, who are the official publishing partner of the prize.
Sheffield Theatres is announced as ‘Theatre Partner’ for the 2025 Prize. Created with Artistic Director of Sheffield Theatres, Elizabeth Newman, this partnership means that Sheffield Theatres will have first right of refusal to co-produce the world premiere of the prize’s winning play.
Chaired by Indhu Rubasingham, the judging panel will also include Producer at Wessex Grove Emily Vaughan-Barratt, directors Milli Bhatia and Alice Hamilton, actress Romola Garai, Literary Agent Mel Kenyon, Artistic Director of Bristol Old Vic Nancy Medina, the National Theatre’s Director of New Work Nina Steiger, and Guardian Editor-in-Chief Katharine Viner.
Founder Director of The Women’s Prize for Playwriting, Ellie Keel, said: “I'm thrilled that the Women's Prize for Playwriting is returning in a bigger and bolder form than ever, with a significant increase in prize money and our first Theatre Partnership with the brilliant Sheffield Theatres. These developments will allow WPP to build on our track record of creating tangible and lasting change, not only for the careers of our winning playwrights but within the theatre industry as a whole. I'm delighted that Indhu Rubasingham is continuing as Chair of our exceptional judging panel, whose difficult task it will be to choose one winner in autumn 2025! This year we also took the step of becoming a registered charity to help secure the Prize's future for many years to come, driving change and championing equality in the historically male-dominated theatre industry.”
Submissions will open on 13 January and close on 22 April, with further info here.