The above video shows you the steps of entering the Bruntwood Prize. Please note, you must fill out every aspect of the entry form to make a submission- the site won’t let you proceed without all the info we need. 

When you’re ready- please go to https://www.writeaplay.co.uk/entering/enter-now/ to submit 

Best of luck! 

 

 

As Bruntwood Prize Co-ordinator, I look after this site and over see the process of submitting to the prize, and the reading of plays. At the Bruntwood Prize email address, I answer questions from writers about the Prize. I’ve put a few very commonly asked questions and answers together below.

For the full FAQ’s, and rules of the competition please go to https://www.writeaplay.co.uk/how-do-i-enter/#section-faqs

If your question isn’t answered here or if you have any questions about the eligibility of your play, please contact me at bruntwood.prize@royalexchange.co.uk- I’ll always aim to answer promptly.

You can also ask questions on twitter by following @bruntwoodprize

 

I’m worried about my entry!

You will not be able to make a submission without your script- so please don’t worry that it is not attatched to a completed entry made through the website. However, if you do not receive an automatic confirmation email, or if you’re internet access in interrupted while submitting please do email me at bruntwood.prize@royalexchange.co.uk with your play title and pseudonym and I’ll check.

 

How can I submit a play?

Please go to- https://www.writeaplay.co.uk/entering/enter-now/ to enter a play. I’m afraid we cannot accept submissions made via email, we need all the requested information in the submission form. If you are having any problems using the entry form, please make sure you have filled out every requested question and tick box, as the form will not let you proceed with incomplete answers. If you experience further problems- please email me at bruntwood.prize@royalexchange.co.uk

 

Where do you take my contact details if they are not on my script? 

When you click thorough into the ENTER NOW page here we’ll ask for all the details we need via a submission form. This form is accessible by the Bruntwood Prize Co-ordinator (me!) but only the script itself is downloadable by the readers assigned. The readers don’t have access to any of the rest of your info, and the Bruntwood Prize Co-ordinator  doesn’t read or take part in the judging process- so your script is both anonymous and we have all your contact details!

At no point will this website ask for your real name. Scripts remain entirely anonymous throughout the judging process. The judging panel has no knowledge about the writers of each script and the writers are only revealed when the Judging process is complete.

The Bruntwood Prize Co-ordinator endeavors to protect the anonymity of the Prize at every stage. This includes arranging for scripts to be redistributed if readers suspect they know the writer of an assigned script, and arranging shortlisted scripts to be judged under a temporary title- if it is possible to find out information on a script from its title through searching online.

The Bruntwood Prize Coordinator is responsible for moderating all submitted scripts, and ensure they have all been submitted fully anonymously- so if an issue with your script is flagged I will be in touch via the email you submitted with.

 

Should I create a new email address to apply if my real name is in it?

Only the Bruntwood Prize Co-ordinator can see the back end of the website and the email addresses used to submit, and I don’t read so as not to compromise the anonymity of the process. The readers and judges receive your TITLE ONLY anonymity script and no other submission details.

Please do use an email address you check regularly!

 

Do I have to live in the UK or Ireland to enter? Can I enter the International Award instead?

The rules state that to enter the prize you should be able to provide proof of a main or primary address within the UK or Ireland. If you are primarily based outside this area unfortunately, we aren’t able to accept your entry unless who have been invited to apply via one of our named international partners: The BANFF Centre in Canada; Belvoir Theatre and Melbourne Theatre Company in Australia; Berkeley Rep and Playwrights Horizons in the USA.We are afraid that no other international submissions can be considered at this time.

As well as the large number of scripts we receive, the reasons for this include the fact that from the announcement of the winners, those writers engage in a process of development with the Royal Exchange (or in the case of the International Award, with one of our international partners)

 

How do I judge the length of my play?

The competition rules state that plays must be of an hour or more in playing time. No exact measure can be made of the length of a piece of writing for theatre, but it can be useful to consider an evenly covered A4 page as just over a minute’s worth of stage time. However if your script has passages of very dense dialogue, movement, or video or music then a play of an hour or more might run to less than 60 pages.The best way to judge this is to read your script out loud.

There is no upper limit to the length of your script.

 

Does my play have to be in a particular format?

Other than making sure the document contains the title of the play and no other personal or contact information, there are no rules about how your play should be formatted or how any of it should be laid out.

 

Can my play have had a production before?

We want as many writers to be able to submit to the Prize as possible, however we need your script to be original, un-produced and owned by you, the writer. The rules of the Prize state that no play can have received a professional production but that if your play has received an amateur production it is still eligible for the competition. We define a professional production via the following criteria;

• Have tickets been sold to a paying audience?
• Have you been paid for the play or actors and other collaborators have been paid for their work?
• Has the production received promotion and marketing to sell tickets?
• Was a professional producer attached to the production?

If you answer no to these questions the production will be defined as amateur.

Also, if you’re play has received a single professional reading, this does NOT disqualify you- please do apply!

 

Can my play have songs or music in it?

Yes! The Bruntwood Prize cannot accept full musicals, however if your script demands passages of music then please do indicate this in the script. Of course, we aspire to produce all winning script, so should this work win it would be necessary to secure the music rights for performance. However this is no barrier to entry, and Bruntwood Prize winning plays such as ROLLING STONE by Chris Urch and WISH LIST by Katherine Soper have both included passages of very well known music.

 

All the best with your Bruntwood Prize entry!

 

Chloe

Bruntwood Prize Co-ordinator