$32,500 prize pool up for grabs in the 2015 Patrick White Playwrights’ Award and Fellowship

Sydney Theatre Company’s Patrick White Playwrights’ Award and Fellowship are designed to benefit both emerging and established writers and this year have a total prize pool of $32,500.

Since 2000, the Patrick White Playwrights’ Award has been an annual initiative of the Sydney Theatre Company, held in honour of the late Patrick White’s contribution to Australian theatre and to foster the development of Australian playwrights.

In 2010 an additional prize, the Patrick White Playwrights’ Fellowship, was introduced to recognise and support more established Australian playwrights.

Applications are now open until 6 November for both of these prestigious prizes and any Australian playwrights over 18 are encouraged to apply.

The Patrick White Playwrights’ Award

This year, the Patrick White Playwrights’ Award offers a cash prize of $7,500 for a full-length unproduced play of any genre written by an Australian playwright over 18 years of age. Readers and judges assessing the submissions will be seeking a work that is both original and ambitious with great potential for staging.

The Patrick White Playwrights’ Fellowship

The Patrick White Playwrights’ Fellowship is a career advancement opportunity for an established Australian playwright whose work has been produced professionally in Australia within the last four years. The winning playwright receives a $12,500 prize in recognition of their body of work and previous artistic achievements, as well as a commission (also worth $12,500) from Sydney Theatre Company.

The current Patrick White Playwrights’ Fellow is Kate Mulvany and previous winners were Angela Betzien (2013) Hilary Bell (2012) Patricia Cornelius (2011) and Raimondo Cortese (2010). As well as completing a commission for STC, the Fellowship involves participation in a range of activities at STC including hosting playwriting groups and master classes.

Winners will be announced at a special event as part of the Sydney Writers’ Festival 2016 along with a reading of the Patrick White Playwrights’ Award winning play.

Further information about the Award and the Fellowship can be found at the STC website: sydneytheatre.com.au/patrickwhite