PLAYGROUND’S 2025 YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS CONTEST

PlayGround invites Bay Area high school students, grades 9-12, to submit short plays per the following guidelines for consideration in the 2025 Young Playwrights Contest. The top four playwrights will be announced on or before May 1st. The finalists will each receive a professional staged reading of their play as part of the PlayGround Festival of New Works at Potrero Stage and simulcast on Friday, May 23, 2025. Submission deadline: April 21, 2025.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

The following are the guidelines for script submissions for PlayGround’s 2025 Young Playwrights Contest. To be eligible, writers must currently attend high school in one of the nine Bay Area counties.

Topic: THE AMERICAN EXPERIMENT

“The establishment of our new Government seemed to be the last great experiment for promoting human happiness.” – George Washington, January 9, 1790

We invite you to create a new first-person (not autobiographical) solo piece that explores American Democracy and the great experiment through the experience/reflections of a fictional or historically-inspired fictional character. Examples might include Abraham Lincoln’s personal valet in the aftermath of his assassination, a Chinese migrant’s journey in the face of the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act, a suffragist’s fight leading up to the 19th amendment, a Jewish survivor who escapes Nazi Germany to build a new life in the U.S., and a formerly incarcerated individual registers to vote to cast their vote for the upcoming presidential election, among so many millions of possibilities. Consider the articles and amendments to the constitution (see below) and the personal stories that might help us understand their part in the great experiment. Who is your character speaking to and why? What is their story and why do they need to tell it now? How can you help us learn and care about this character (even if they ultimately aren’t very sympathetic). 

Other Resources:
https://theconversation.com/why-franklin-washington-and-lincoln-considered-american-democracy-an-experiment-and-were-unsure-if-it-would-survive-213852
https://ca.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/the-american-experiment/
https://constitutioncenter.org/the-constitution

1. Scripts, maximum eight (8) pages doubled-spaced, initiated on or after Thursday, January 16, 2025 and inspired by the topic (see above), must be RECEIVED by 11:59pm on Monday, April 21, 2025.

2. You must include a cover page (not included in the 8-page max.) with your name and contact information, and including a complete detailed cast breakdown.

3. Scripts must be submitted as a Portable Document Format (.pdf) attachment via the Google form (please name your script as follows: LastName, FirstName_2025YPP

4. Scripts should be formatted with page numbers in the footer and playwright name/email address in the header for all pages.

5. Font should be 12pt standard (Times New Roman) or equivalent.

6. No more than one script per person.

7. Scripts can utilize only one (1) actor. Provide a detailed cast breakdown, including information when available on age, ethnicity, race, character traits, etc. Do NOT list the names of real actors, even if you’re writing with them in mind.

8. Finalists will be announced by May 1, 2025.

The submission of a script grants PlayGround the exclusive option to stage the play as part of the Young Playwrights Festival. As the playwright’s participation in the rehearsal process and performance is considered critical to PlayGround’s mission, the submission of a script is a direct acknowledgment by the playwright that he/she will attend the performance of their play should it be selected, barring unforeseen circumstances, and to the extent possible the rehearsal that afternoon. If you know in advance that you are unable to attend the festival performances, you must inform PlayGround of this at the time of submission. PlayGround will not consider scripts by playwrights so acknowledged prior to selection and reserves the right to replace any script selected by an author later determined as unable to attend.

Up to four finalists will be selected for the 2025 Young Playwrights Festival. Each finalist will receive a professional staged reading of their play as part of the PlayGround Festival of New Works at Potrero Stage and simulcast on Friday, May 23, 2025.

To view sample script formats, click the link(s) below.
Submission Format #1
Submission Format #2

For questions or more information, email ypp@playground-sf.org.

Happy writing and good luck!

SUBMISSION FORM