Programs
Submissions are now CLOSED for the 41st Annual California Young Playwrights Contest!
If you are in an active residency, please reach out to Youth Programs Manager Kandace Crystal at kcrystal@playwrightsproject.org
California Young Playwrights Contest
A program focused on the development of new plays
WRITE A PLAY!
Theatre professionals will evaluate your entry. Winning plays, selected from the finalists, will have their plays produced live as part of our annual festival of Plays by Young Writers in 2026. This program is focused on the development of new plays – so if you’re a winner, be prepared to revise your script with the support of a professional dramaturg (or writing mentor), director, designers, and actors.
Submission Guidelines
WHO?
Californians under the age of 19 as of June 1, 2025.
Collaborations and group plays will be accepted. Scripts are evaluated in two groups. Winning writers aged 15 and older will receive full professional productions; younger winning writers will receive staged readings performed by professional actors.
WHAT?
- Original unpublished scripts only.
Subject, style, and form are up to you. - Length must be a minimum of ten, typed pages using play format.
- Our goal is to produce scripts that run 20-25 minutes. If your play is longer than this length, it still may be selected for production. However, you will be required to edit it down to the 20-25 minute length with the help of your dramaturg.
- Previously submitted scripts are only eligible if significant changes have been made to the script in response to judges’ comments.
- Your script may be run through an AI detection system
- Tips for Writing Scripts
- Sample of a Play Format
Note:
School groups are the primary audience for the festival. Mature content may need to be altered for the production, but that should not stop you from submitting. Your dramaturg will support you in finding adaptations that work for you.
WHEN?
Entries must be received or postmarked no later than June 1, 2025. If you are in a writing residency that extends beyond June 1, your deadline is extended to one week after your last class. In Fall 2025, winning playwrights will be notified and written script evaluations will be sent to entrants who request them in their cover letters. Scripts will be produced in the Spring of 2026 at a professional theatre in San Diego.
HOW?
- Type the script using play format.
- Number the pages.
- Title of play only. No identifying information (name, address, email, phone number, etc.)
- Scripts are read anonymously, so please do not include your name on page headers, footers, etc.
- If a teacher encouraged you to enter, include the teacher’s name and school in your letter.
TO SUBMIT:
- Online – fill out the online Contest Entry Form and upload your script
- Mail – fill out the printable Contest Entry Form and mail along with one copy of your script to:
Playwrights Project
3675 Ruffin Road, Suite 130
San Diego, CA 92123
- If you submit your script by mail, keep the original. Scripts will not be returned.
Congratulations to the Finalists & Semi-Finalists of the 41st California Young Playwrights Contest!
The finalists & semi-finalists were announced at Lights Up! on October 12th. Click here to view the livestream on Facebook!
Finalists
James Corman
Maya Rice
Olivia Lai
Abby Choi
Layla Roumell
Balqees Barre
Mairead Lucke
Alexandra Heistuman
Iona Ezell
Ashton Chang
Sriya Indlamuri
Daria Kaplun
Jzeanna Ibon
Gemma Bartlett
Echolalia
I Think That I Would Die
Triquetra
Winnie’s Tale
Five More Minutes
The Other Side
Claustrophobia
Tulips
Candid
The Pursuit of Happiness
The Art of People
A Tune For Tomorrow
You Are Not Me
The Escape
Semi-Finalists
Emi Gruender
Gabriella Varo
Eden Rademacher
Lucas Stanley
Sullivan Jacobs
Ashley Kim
Jimmy Tran
Pranal Jain
Claire Kim
Evan Borawski
Finn Melia, Josiah Bobadilla, and Peter Hibbs
Being Human
Daughter of God
Stomp the Clock
Familial Ties (Two Act)
War of Horror
Farewell: Between Life and Death
The Journey to The Stone
What Lies Beneath the Panel
She’s In The Seagulls
The City in the Sky
The Rooster with the Boosters
Special thanks to our 2025 Contest Volunteers!
Letter Writers
Script Readers
Final Judges
Rhianna Basore
Susan Benninghoff
Kira Blaskovich
Christopher Boyd
Tina Brown
Julia Giolzetti
Cassandra Hsiao
Anthony Methvin
Vincent Ripol
Rachael VanWormer
Hailey Andrews
Janet Black Yznaga
Aimee Dastin
Elizabeth Davis
Carla Fargo
Courtney Flanagan
Susan Gembrowski
Elaine Hiel
Leslie Johnson Leech
Steven Lankford
Kimberly Luxenberg
Terry Miller
Charlene Sapien
Ken Saragosa
Roy Sekigahama
Marion Snell
Connie Terwillinger
Diane Wade-Bloomberg
Latanya West
Jacole Kitchen
Derek Charles Livingston
Andy Lowe
Mabelle Reynoso
Annie Weisman