The Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting – celebrating its 20th anniversary – is the largest playwriting competition in Europe and searches for scripts that are original and unperformed, by writers of any experience over the age of 16. Every play is read anonymously and judged purely on the work alone.
The 2025 Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting is split across four categories. They are:
The Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting – £20,000
The Judges Award – £10,000
The Bruntwood Prize International Award – £10,000
The North West Original New Voice Award and Residency
In recognition of the Prize’s home in Manchester, and to enable us to work closely with the winning playwright, the winner must be based in the North West of England and have not had a full-length play professionally produced for 12 performances or more in a venue.
In addition to winning ÂŁ10,000, they will also access an additional ÂŁ10,000 fund dedicated to their professional development at the Royal Exchange Theatre during a bespoke one-year residency.