The Strand
2023 Young Playwrights
Festival
Hosted by
The Hackettstown Center for the Arts
Strand Studios
and the
Strand Performance Group
Performance: Saturday, June 24 - 10:00 am
About
The Young Playwrights Festival is a nationwide competi-
tion sponsored by Strand Studios and the Hackettstown
Center for the Arts. The best short plays, submitted by
young playwrights ages 9 through 18, are rewarded with
prizes from sponsors up to $1,000.00 in value.
Additionally, winning plays are performed by a profes-
sional acting troupe!
We are part of but a few artistic performance establish-
ments 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
2023 Festival Theme
“A Scene for Three Actors”
Prizes up to $1,000.00 in value
Theme
This year’s theme is: A Scene for Three Actors.
Any genre
Deadline
Submissions are accepted between JANUARY 1, 2023 and
MAY 22, 2023. Entries must be submitted online or via US
mail postmarked by MAY 22, 2023, 11:59 pm Eastern
Time.
Fees
There is NO application fee. There is no limit to the num-
ber of scripts that may be submitted. The Festival is spon-
sored by the Hackettstown Center for the Arts, a non-
profit 501(c)3 entity. Donations and help to defray costs
associated with producing the Festival.
Eligibility
All writers that are 18 years of age or younger by May 22,
2023 are eligible. In other words, if you are already 19
years of age by May 22, 2023, 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 re-
sponsible for dividing or sharing the prize money.
Substitutions of either corrected pages or new drafts of
the entered material are allowed as long as it is done be-
fore the competition deadline. 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, including the Cover
Sheet.
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 FORM
All material submitted electronically must be in PDF for-
mat 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:
2023 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.
Judges
Judging is done by a panel of professionals in the enter-
tainment business. Judges may not be contacted by play-
wrights 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 June 1,
2023.
Awards and Performance
Prizes totaling up to $500.00 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 on June 24, 2023 at 10:00 AM. Awards will be
posted at this time.
Contact
Inquiries, sponsorships, and press may contact us at:
908-813-2626
Click for Additional Festival Criteria and Policies
HACKETTSTOWN CENTER FOR THE ARTS