About

The Young Playwrights Festival is a nationwide competition sponsored by Strand Studios and the Hackettstown Center for

the Arts. The best short plays, submitted by young playwrights ages 9 through 18, are rewarded with prizes from sponsors

up to $1,000.00 in value. Additionally, winning plays are performed by a professional acting troupe!

We are part of but a few artistic performance establishments nationwide, that offer young playwrights the ability to see their

creation on paper, come to life on stage, film or television in a professional production by professional actors. We award,

produce, direct, rehearse and present the winning plays.

STRAND YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL ONLINE APPLICATION PRINTABLE APPLICATION 2023 Festival Theme “A Scene for Three Actors” Prizes up to $1,000.00 in value

Theme

This year’s theme is: A Scene for Three Actors.

Any genre

Deadline

Submissions are accepted between JANUARY 1, 2023 and MAY 22, 2023. Entries must be submitted online or via US mail

postmarked by MAY 22, 2023, 11:59 pm Eastern Time.

Fees

There is NO application fee. There is no limit to the number of scripts that may be submitted. The Festival is sponsored by

the Hackettstown Center for the Arts, a non-profit 501(c)3 entity. Donations and help to defray costs associated with produc-

ing the Festival.

Eligibility

All writers that are 18 years of age or younger by May 22, 2023 are eligible. In other words, if you are already 19 years of age

by May 22, 2023, you are not eligible. Writers 17 and younger must have the permission from a parent or guardian.

All persons, anywhere in the world, are eligible. However, the material submitted must be in English (an occasional dialogue

in other languages is acceptable, if translation is provided).

All material submitted to other competitions or contests are eligible for this contest.

There are no requirements as to when the material was written.

The stage play and intellectual property must be original work by the writer(s).

Content

All submitted material must be original, and all rights must be wholly owned by the writer(s).

Material must be submitted by the writer. Material written by writing teams must be submitted by one of the writers, with

consent of the other(s). All writers must be credited on the title page.

If a writing team is chosen as a winner, prizes will be given to the person who submits the project. Each team is responsible

for dividing or sharing the prize money.

Substitutions of either corrected pages or new drafts of the entered material are allowed as long as it is done before the

competition deadline. Please proofread your script carefully before submitting!

Adaptations are ineligible unless the underlying rights are owned by the writer or the work is in the public domain.

It is recommended that original material is registered with the WGA or The Library of Congress before submitting to any

competition, however, we do not require registration.

Limit

Script is not to exceed six (6) pages, including the Cover Sheet.

Format

All plays must have numbered script pages.

Cover Sheet

Contact info should be included on the cover page of the screenplay: Title, Playwright Name, Playwright Date of Birth (with

year), Age, E-Mail Address, Contact Phone Number, Mailing Address.

How to Submit Application

ONLINE FORM

Click on the Google Forms Online Festival Application. All material submitted electronically must be in PDF format or it

will not be accepted.

POSTAL MAIL

Fill out the printable application available here. Mail the completed application, your script and a check or money made

payable to: Hackettstown Center for the Arts to:

2023 Strand Young Playwrights Festival

PO Box 243

Hackettstown, NJ 07840 USA

No Returns/Feedback

Scripts will not be returned. Do not send originals.

Requests for feedback after an entry is submitted will not be accepted.

Judges

Judging is done by a panel of professionals in the entertainment business. Judges may not be contacted by playwrights and

therefore, names and biographies will be posted after the submission deadline. The decision of the Judges is final. Family

members are prohibited from competing.

Criteria

The winners will be chosen based on the following criteria:

Concept

Story

Structure

Characters

Dialogues

Genre Convention

Notification

We will contact Festival Competition winners by June 1, 2023.

Awards and Performance

Prizes totaling up to $500.00 in value will be awarded based on number of applicants, categories, and sponsors. Winners do

not need to be present. Winning plays will be performed by the Strand Performance Group, a troupe of professional actors,

resident at the Hackettstown Center of the Arts on June 24, 2023 at 10:00 AM. Awards will be posted at this time.

Contact

Inquiries, sponsorships, and press may contact us at:

ypf@HackettstownArts.org

908-813-2626

Click for Additional Festival Criteria and Policies

The Strand

2023 Young Playwrights

Festival

Hosted by

The Hackettstown Center for the Arts

Strand Studios

and the

Strand Performance Group

Performance: Saturday, June 24 - 10:00 am

HACKETTSTOWN CENTER FOR THE ARTS

The Strand

2023 Young Playwrights

Festival

Hosted by

The Hackettstown Center for the Arts

Strand Studios

and the

Strand Performance Group

Performance: Saturday, June 24 - 10:00 am

About

The Young Playwrights Festival is a nationwide competi-

tion sponsored by Strand Studios and the Hackettstown

Center for the Arts. The best short plays, submitted by

young playwrights ages 9 through 18, are rewarded with

prizes from sponsors up to $1,000.00 in value.

Additionally, winning plays are performed by a profes-

sional acting troupe!

We are part of but a few artistic performance establish-

ments nationwide, that offer young playwrights the ability

to see their creation on paper, come to life on stage, film

or television in a professional production by professional

actors. We award, produce, direct, rehearse and present

the winning plays.

STRAND YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL ONLINE APPLICATION PRINTABLE APPLICATION 2023 Festival Theme “A Scene for Three Actors” Prizes up to $1,000.00 in value

Theme

This year’s theme is: A Scene for Three Actors.

Any genre

Deadline

Submissions are accepted between JANUARY 1, 2023 and

MAY 22, 2023. Entries must be submitted online or via US

mail postmarked by MAY 22, 2023, 11:59 pm Eastern

Time.

Fees

There is NO application fee. There is no limit to the num-

ber of scripts that may be submitted. The Festival is spon-

sored by the Hackettstown Center for the Arts, a non-

profit 501(c)3 entity. Donations and help to defray costs

associated with producing the Festival.

Eligibility

All writers that are 18 years of age or younger by May 22,

2023 are eligible. In other words, if you are already 19

years of age by May 22, 2023, you are not eligible. Writers

17 and younger must have the permission from a parent

or guardian.

All persons, anywhere in the world, are eligible. However,

the material submitted must be in English (an occasional

dialogue in other languages is acceptable, if translation is

provided).

All material submitted to other competitions or contests

are eligible for this contest.

There are no requirements as to when the material was

written.

The stage play and intellectual property must be original

work by the writer(s).

Content

All submitted material must be original, and all rights

must be wholly owned by the writer(s).

Material must be submitted by the writer. Material written

by writing teams must be submitted by one of the writers,

with consent of the other(s). All writers must be credited

on the title page.

If a writing team is chosen as a winner, prizes will be given

to the person who submits the project. Each team is re-

sponsible for dividing or sharing the prize money.

Substitutions of either corrected pages or new drafts of

the entered material are allowed as long as it is done be-

fore the competition deadline. Please proofread your

script carefully before submitting!

Adaptations are ineligible unless the underlying rights are

owned by the writer or the work is in the public domain.

It is recommended that original material is registered with

the WGA or The Library of Congress before submitting to

any competition, however, we do not require registration.

Limit

Script is not to exceed six (6) pages, including the Cover

Sheet.

Format

All plays must have numbered script pages.

Cover Sheet

Contact info should be included on the cover page of the

screenplay: Title, Playwright Name, Playwright Date of

Birth (with year), Age, E-Mail Address, Contact Phone

Number, Mailing Address.

How to Submit Application

ONLINE FORM

Click on the Google Forms Online Festival Application.

All material submitted electronically must be in PDF for-

mat or it will not be accepted.

POSTAL MAIL

Fill out the printable application available here. Mail the

completed application, your script and a check or money

made payable to: Hackettstown Center for the Arts to:

2023 Strand Young Playwrights Festival

PO Box 243

Hackettstown, NJ 07840 USA

No Returns/Feedback

Scripts will not be returned. Do not send originals.

Requests for feedback after an entry is submitted will not

be accepted.

Judges

Judging is done by a panel of professionals in the enter-

tainment business. Judges may not be contacted by play-

wrights and therefore, names and biographies will be

posted after the submission deadline. The decision of the

Judges is final. Family members are prohibited from

competing.

Criteria

The winners will be chosen based on the following criteria:

Concept

Story

Structure

Characters

Dialogues

Genre Convention

Notification

We will contact Festival Competition winners by June 1,

2023.

Awards and Performance

Prizes totaling up to $500.00 in value will be awarded

based on number of applicants, categories, and sponsors.

Winners do not need to be present. Winning plays will be

performed by the Strand Performance Group, a troupe of

professional actors, resident at the Hackettstown Center

of the Arts on June 24, 2023 at 10:00 AM. Awards will be

posted at this time.