Hackettstown Center for the Arts
The Strand
Young Playwrights Festival
Hosted by
The Hackettstown Center for the Arts
Strand Studios
and the
Strand Performance Group
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.
STRAND YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL ONLINE
APPLICATION
PRINTABLE APPLICATION
2022 Festival Theme
“Scene for Three Actors”
Prizes up to $1,000.00 in value
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
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:
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).