Broadway

Royal Court Announces First Nationwide Young Playwrights Award Winners for 2026

The Royal Court Theatre has named six winners of its 2026 Young Playwrights Award. This marks the first cohort since the program’s nationwide expansion, with winning plays to be performed at the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs and published by Nic

BroadwayWorld·Jun 4, 2026·via BroadwayWorld

Royal Court Announces First Nationwide Young Playwrights Award Winners for 2026

Broadway + NYC

Broadway

Off-Broadway

Off-Off Broadway

Cabaret

Dance

Opera

Classical Music

Eastern

Central

Western

West End

WEST END

UK Regional

International

Canada

Australia / New Zealand

Europe

Asia

Latin America

Africa / Middle East

Entertainment

TV/Movies

Music

Ctrl + K to open · Esc to close

The six winning plays will be professionally performed as a festival of rehearsed readings in the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs from 9th to 11th July 2026.

POPULAR

Get all the top news & discounts for UK & beyond.

The Royal Court Theatre has announced the winners of the Young Playwrights Award 2026, the first cohort of winners since the award expanded from a London pilot to a nationwide programme.

Get all the top news & discounts for UK & beyond.

The free-to-enter award for 13-18 year olds received more than 250 submissions from across the UK, following a national programme of free workshops and resources in partnership with writing organisations, schools and youth groups. Building on the success of the 2025 Awards, which saw winner Godot's To Do List by Leo Simpe-Asante programmed as a curtain raiser to Krapp's Last Tape starring Gary Oldman , the award aims to champion the voices of the next generation and promote access to creativity for all young people across the country.

The winners of the 13-15 age category are Lucy Edda Leggatt (Fruit.), Rufus Peaty (You'll Live); Lucy Varley (A Shadow on the Ocean).

In the 16-18 age category, the winners are Thomas Mossman (Bus Stop of Strangers), Lucy Nicholas (Build-a-Boyfriend (please don't leave)) and Dhaani Singh (You Can't Say That).

The Young Playwrights Award combines a national competition with a package of free creative support, challenging the lack of provision in the curriculum for theatre writing. Teachers and young people can access free educational resources on The Royal Court Theatre 's website including video masterclasses from leading playwrights such as Ryan Calais Cameron (For Black Boys…) and Nina Segal (Cow | Deer) as well as lesson plans and Playwriting Club guides.

The six winning plays will be professionally performed as a festival of rehearsed readings in the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs from 9th to 11th July 2026. A company of actors led by Royal Court Trainee Directors Mayann Hapuntantri and Danielle Kassaraté will stage the works, concluding with an award ceremony on Saturday 11th July 2026. All six plays will also be published in an anthology by awards partner Nick Hern Books.

Beth Flintoff, Young Writers Associate, said: 'It has been a privilege to read so many testimonies to the joys and pains of being a teenager in the UK in 2026. We have welcomed and appreciated every single one of the 262 entries, celebrating the effort, the creativity and the passion. The winning plays are genuinely brilliant, covering everything from a haunted dress to a secret boyfriend in a locker, and we can't wait to share them with an audience.'

Videos

Recommended For You

_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/westend/article/Royal-Court-Reveals-First-Nationwide-Winners-Of-The-Young-Playwrights-Award-2026-20260604)._

Comments