Playmarket’s Brown Ink development programme is looking for Māori and Pasifika writers with the best new and original work.

The programme offers two plays a development workshop with a professional script advisor and actors dedicated to helping you develop your play.

Plays selected for development for Brown Ink that have gone to professional productions include The Mooncake and the Kumara by Mei Lin Hansen, Girl on a Corner by Victor Rodger, Officer 27 by Aroha Awarau, I Ain’t Mad At Cha by Turene Jones and Au Ko Tuvalu by Tavita Nielsen-Mamea.

Submissions can only be entered into this programme once and you may enter a maximum of three scripts. Plays entered under this programme may have been previously produced.

The judges decisions are final.

Submit here.

Submissions for 2020 are open until 01 July 2020.

A competition to find the best new plays to inspire and excite young audiences.

Do you have an original and inventive play written for young people, whether you are new or experienced in writing for the young? We are seeking plays written for young audiences and plays written by young writers.

Your play might be written for adults to perform to children or for young actors to perform themselves. It might be created specifically for the classroom by a teacher or by students themselves.

There are three categories and a winner will be awarded in each category.

These are: 3-8 years, 8-12 years or written for teenagers.

Submissions can only be entered into this competition once and you may enter a maximum of three scripts. Plays entered under this competition may have been previously produced.

All submissions are read blind by the judges. The judges decisions are final.

Submit here.

Submissions for 2020 are open until 01 August 2020.

Playmarket’s Asian Ink development programme is looking for NZ Asian writers with the best new and original work.

The programme offers the selected play a development workshop with a professional script advisor and actors dedicated to helping you develop your play.

Plays selected for development for Asian Ink include Orientation by Chye-Ling Huang, MoodPorn by Matthew Loveranes, Let’s Save the Universe by Benjamin Teh, A Moment or Two by Arun Subramanian, Flesh Off the Boat and Scenes from a Yellow Peril by Nathan Joe.

Submissions can only be entered into this programme once and you may enter a maximum of three scripts. Plays entered under this programme may have been previously produced.

The judges decisions are final.

Submit here.

Submissions for 2020 are open until 01 July 2020.

Playmarket presents this award annually.

The award, formerly the Playmarket New New Zealand Play Award, has been offered since 2008. It is the only one of its kind for new writing. Writers are encouraged to banish self-censoring, worries about what theatres want, what is affordable or what they think audiences want to see. Submissions will be read blind by a panel of industry professionals.

We are grateful for the generosity of the Adam Foundation who enable us to offer a total of $8,000 in prizes.

Prizes may include: Best Play, Best Play by a Māori Playwright, Best Play by a Pasifika Playwright and Best Play by a Woman Playwright.

To be eligible, plays must not have had a professional production (pending productions, readings, workshops or community productions are fine).

Scripts may only be submitted to this competition once. There are no limits on length, style, theme or cast size. You can only submit a maximum of three scripts.

All submissions are read blind by the judges. The judges decisions are final.

McNaughton South Island Play Award:
Alongside the Adam NZ Play Award, submissions from South Island residents may also be considered for the McNaughton South Island Play Award, which has a prize of $2,000.
To be eligible, playwrights must have been resident in the South Island for at least 5 years at the time of submitting. Playwrights who were born in the South Island but are no longer resident, or who have been resident in the South Island in the past will not be eligible.

Submit here.

Submissions for 2021 are open until 01 December 2020.