The submissions window will open on Monday, March 2, 2026 at 10am EST and will stay open until Monday, March 16 at 11:59pm EDT, or until we receive 350 complete submissions, whichever comes first.
Please reach out to our Literary Services Manager, Connie Hall, at @email if you have questions or concerns.
Princess Grace Awards Playwriting Fellowship at New Dramatists
Guidelines
Through the New Dramatists Fellowship, a playwright at the onset of their career can benefit from being part of a unique, diverse, dynamic community of professional playwrights and have access to resources to explore artistic work on their own creative terms.
This opportunity is intended for playwrights who are at the early stage of their artistic practice, not artists who have a depth of experience in their field. Through their play submission, the applicant should demonstrate extraordinary promise, while remaining in the early phase of their career. An applicant’s status as an early-career playwright is evaluated during the adjudication process.
This opportunity is right for you if you would benefit from time to develop your work with collaborators at New Dramatists’ workspaces in Manhattan, mentorship from professional playwrights, and access to a community of theater practitioners.
One playwright will be selected to receive:
• A grant in the amount of $15,000
• A one-season (September – June) artistic residency at New Dramatists
• Inclusion of the winning script in New Dramatists’ library
• Advocacy for the recipient and their script for the duration of the fellowship, and opportunities to gather with the Princess Grace community, New Dramatists writers, and other theatre professionals
• Opportunity for winning play to be licensed and published by Concord Theatricals.
Eligibility Requirements
• The Princess Grace Award in Playwriting is open to all U.S. based artists currently living and working in the United States. Applicants who are not U.S. citizens must have work authorization from USCIS. The Princess Grace Award in Playwriting is an unrestricted cash grant paid directly to the artist. Recipients are required to fill out a 1099 and for more guidance should consult a tax advisor. Non U.S. citizens or permanent residents may be required to file a non-residential return and should consult a tax advisor.
• Eligible playwrights must not have had more than ONE of their full-length plays receive a full professional production. We define a full professional production as a run of 3 weeks (or over 16 performances) with paid collaborators mounted by a producing theater. Developmental readings and workshops, university productions, church or other community group productions, festival performances with limited runs, showcases, and self-productions are not considered professional productions for the purpose of determining eligibility. Multiple productions of the same play are permitted.
Submission Requirements
• You must submit one unpublished, original full-length play (A full-length play is a single play that constitutes a full evening of theater. For example, a 90-minute intermissionless play is a full-length play.)
- There is no restriction on subject matter
- The play submission must be by a single author (co-written or devised work are ineligible)
- No adaptations of previously published material
The Foundation is looking to identify and support original, authentic, unheard voices in the theater. The panel will consider the submitted play in terms of the originality of the storytelling, quality, and offering of new perspectives.
Application Step-by-Step
The application process will be streamlined for the 2025 cycle. It is in your best interest to prepare your materials (script document, resume document) for upload in advance, and to complete the application in one session. Your progress will be saved automatically if you continue in the same browser, but there is not an option to save.
After you click the "begin application" button at the bottom of this page, you will then follow these prompts:
1. Certify your eligibility as an early-career playwright.
2. Fill in your full name, address, and phone number.
3. Upload your playwriting resume, including short, one-act and full-length plays written, and production history with performance venues and dates.
4. Upload one unpublished full-length play. (The following files may be used: txt, pdf, doc, docx, rtf).
5. Enter the name and email of a reference, preferably from a theater professional, who can speak to your promise as an early-career playwright. If you are selected to advance to the final round, we will email your reference directly with a few simple questions.
6. Click “Submit Your Application” to complete the process. You will receive an email confirming your application has been received.
Once the cutoff of 350 applications is reached, the application window will close, and you may not alter your application in any way.
