About

Every June, Strand Studios and Hackettstown Center for the Arts produces plays by

playwrights ages 9 through 18, chosen from a nationwide competition. Playwrights are

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

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.

Deadline

Submissions are accepted between MARCH 1, 2022 and JUNE 15, 2022. Entries must be

submitted online or via US mail postmarked by JUNE 15, 2022, 11:59 pm Eastern Time.

Fees

$10.00 application fee per script must be made in full at time of submission. There is no

limit to the number of scripts that may be submitted. All entry fees are non-refundable. All

fees benefit the Hackettstown Center for the Arts, a non-profit 501(c)3 entity and help to

defray costs associated with producing the Festival.

Eligibility

All writers that are 18 years of age or younger by June 30, 2022 are eligible. In other words,

if you are already 19 years of age by June 30, 2022, 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 will be

allowed for a limited time with a $5 reentry fee. 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.

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

Click on the Google Forms Online Festival Application. All material submitted

electronically must be in PDF format and included with the online application fee 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:

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.

Public Script Reading

Finalists may have their scripts reviewed by the Strand Performance Group at a Public

Script Reading and will be notified is such an event occurs.

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 July 1, 2022.

Awards and Performance

Prizes totaling up to $1,000.00 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 in July 2022. Awards will be posted at this time. The

presentation of performance and awards will be dependent on the current status of the

Pandemic.

Contact

Inquiries, sponsorships, and press may email us at:

ypf@HackettstownArts.org

Criteria for Winners and Finalists

Entrants may be required to submit further information to assist in the judges’ verification

of eligibility.

Any entrant may be deemed ineligible as a Finalist or Winner at the sole discretion of

Festival.

Finalists may be required to sign and return within seven (7) business days of receipt a

notarized Affidavit of Eligibility and a Release and Indemnification and proof of valid

passport and any other documents that the Festival or any other partner may require

before receiving prize. Failure to respond to the initial notification within ten (10) days or

return of notification will result in disqualification.

We reserve the right to amend these rules at any time.

Legal

COPYRIGHT AND OWNERSHIP

Stand Studios, Hackettstown Center for the Arts, The Strand Performance Group, Paladin

Knight Entertainment, LLC or any of its affiliates, any other partner, employee or agent

associated with this contest, claims no ownership, nor first right of option to any original

script submitted to this Contest. All ownership and rights to the scripts submitted to this

Contest remains with the original rights holders until and unless other agreements are

made.

PUBLICITY

Except where prohibited by law, participation in the contest constitutes each entrant’s

consent to Stand Studios, Hackettstown Center for the Arts, The Strand Performance

Group, Paladin Knight Entertainment, LLC or any of its affiliates, agents and contest

sponsor’s use of entrants’ names, likenesses, photographs, and/or personal information

for promotional purposes in any media, worldwide, without further payment or

consideration. All uses of a entrants’ information are in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

REFUND POLICY

All entries are non-refundable.

ENTRY CONDITIONS AND RELEASE: BY ENTERING THE CONTEST YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT

YOU HAVE READ AND AGREE TO THESE CONDITIONS.

You agree to release and hold harmless Stand Studios, Hackettstown Center for the Arts,

The Strand Performance Group, Paladin Knight Entertainment, LLC or any of its affiliates,

its subsidiary, parent and affiliated companies, Prize contributors, judges, screenplay

readers, Sponsors, and any other organizations responsible for administering, advertising

or promoting the Contest, and every one of their respective members, directors,

employees, agents and representatives (collectively, the “Released Parties”) past and

present from and against any and all claims, expenses, and liability, including but not

limited to damages and negligence to property and persons, including but not limited to

invasion of privacy, defamation, slander, libel, violation of right of publicity, copyright,

infringement of trademark or other intellectual property rights relating to a participant’s

Entry, participation in the Contest and/or acceptance or use or misuse of Prize; provided

however, that such release will not apply to any commercial exploitation of the script by a

Released Party in violation of your rights under applicable copyright law; and (c) indemnify,

defend and hold harmless Stand Studios, Hackettstown Center for the Arts, The Strand

Performance Group, Paladin Knight Entertainment, LLC or any of its affiliates, sponsors,

agents and employees from and against any and all claims, expenses, and liabilities

(including reasonable attorneys fees) relating to an entrant’s participation in the Contest

and/or entrant’s use or misuse of Prize.

ENTRY RESTRICTIONS

Employees of Stand Studios, Hackettstown Center for the Arts, The Strand Performance

Group, Paladin Knight Entertainment, LLC and their immediate families are ineligible to

participate in this contest. Any such submission will be immediately disqualified. ENTRY TO

THIS CONTEST IS VOID WHERE PROHIBITED or restricted by any Federal, State or Local law.

Voided entries will be refunded. Recipients’ eligibility will be verified before the grant is

awarded and the winner may be required to sign an affidavit of eligibility. By entering the

contest, you authorize us to use any trusted third-party online and cloud-based services

and databases for hosting, managing and/or transmitting your submission file(s).