Hurray! We're back!
OK, it might not be the Oscars, but after an unplanned hiatus (I think there might have been an international emergency), we're very excited to announce that the WriteForTheStage Prize for New Writing is back.
For those of you new to the prize, it's our celebration of the best new writing at the Greater Manchester Fringe Festival.
So, what is this prize all about, exactly?
We've been partnering with the GMFringe since 2015, and over the years, we've seen hundreds of amazing new pieces of writing - many of which have gone on to full UK tours and slots at the Edinburgh Festival.
And now we're just gearing up for this year's festival starting in July, which means that we want to hear from you.
If you have a show coming up at this year's Greater Manchester Fringe and would like your piece to be considered for the prize, get in touch.
What do you win?
We think the prize is very exciting: the opportunity to get your work into print with WFTS Books.
Past winners of the prize have gone on to get literary agents,
Past winners (click on the play title to find the published work) are:
2015
Alan Stockdill - Le Grand Return, performed at The Swan, Dobcross
2016
John FK Hoyle - Trigonometry, performed at The Swan, Dobcross
Elliot Hughes & Hidden Track Theatre - Standard:Elite, performed at Nexus Arts Cafe, Manchester
2017
Dan Ireland-Reeves - Bleach, performed at The Kings Arms Theatre, Salford
formerly published by WFTS Books, now released and published independently.
2018
Jonathan Hall - How To Survive The Zombie Apocalypse, performed at The Kings Arms Theatre, Salford
Cody Daigle-Orians - 18 Victoria, performed at 53Two, Manchester
2019
Laura Harper - A Quick Guide To Ruining Your Life, performed at The Kings Arms, Salford
2020
I think something bad was going down and there was no festival?!
2021
Dan Lovett - Toxic, performed at Altrincham Garrick
Who are the judges?
We'll be announcing the full panel of judges in the next week or so.
But be assured that our judges are respected industry professionals with an illustrious body of work and industry-specific academic qualifications.
First, get involved in the GMFringe
It's not too late to bring your work to the GM Fringe.
Check out how to get your show included in the official programme.
What do we need from you?
If you have registered your show for the GMFringe and you're already part of the official programme, you can enter the WFTS Prize for New Writing directly with them.
Or get in touch directly: send us your script, tell us a bit about your play, confirm the dates and venue of the show, and we'll add you to the list.
We'll need a copy of your script - it's fine if it's an early draft. Then, we'll come and see your show and write a report based on our criteria.
Then we'll put a shortlist together from there. We read all of the shortlisted scripts and come to a joint decision about our winner.
The winner will be announced at the GMFringe Closing Party.
We can't wait to see you
We're really excited to relaunch the prize, and we're super-made-up that the GMFringe is back up and running.
We can't wait to see your new work!