Playwriting Contest

To further interest in community theatre, encourage playwriting as an aspect of community theatre and promote the production of new plays by community theatres, CTAM holds an annual play writing contest open to Michigan playwrights. An independent panel of judges, who will determine the winning entries, adjudicates all submissions.

First Prize: $500
Second Prize: $250
Honorable Mentions: $50

The play must be unpublished, written by a Michigan playwright and cannot have been given a public performance by a professional company.

Plays should be of a suitable length for a full evening performance. Two or more one-acts on a theme could fulfill this requirement.

We are not accepting musicals or children’s plays at this time.

A play adapted from other material (such as a short story) not in the public domain must be submitted with a written statement from the author or his agent, giving permission for the adaptation and agreeing to the terms of the CTAM contest.

There is no fee to submit! However, we do require a letter of acknowledgement from a CTAM member group that must be sent for each play submitted. This means that one of our CTAM member groups writes a letter indicating that they know you are submitting an entry. It does not mean that they endorse the play, its subject matter, quality, or its entry. With this requirement, CTAM strives to make playwrights and community theatre groups aware of each other. The membership list of the Community Theatre Association of Michigan can be found here.

Entries should be submitted in an electronic format. Please include a separate title page with your contact information. If necessary you can attach/upload the cover page(s) as a separate file.

A committee of at least three judges will select winners, and their decision shall be final. CTAM reserves the right to award only one prize or no prizes at all, depending upon the scoring results provided by the judges.

Contest submissions for 2023 have been closed. Submissions for 2024 will open up in March 2024.

Public announcement and presentation of awards are made at the annual CTAM Fall Conference.

Authors of winning plays agree their scripts will be offered to CTAM member groups for the first two (2) calendar years following the contest without charge for royalties. We do still encourage you to pay royalties to the playwrights but as long as you are a CTAM Member Group then you are eligible to perform winning shows

SUGGESTIONS:

Use an easy-to-read font and format and be consistent. We don’t require a particular format, but here are links to some format .pdfs you might want to consider.

Proofread your entry, have someone else proofread it, and then proofread it again.
Read your play out loud or, better yet, have a group read your play.

Questions? Contact contact the contest chair by emailing playwriting@ctam.online

JUDGING CRITERIA

The judges will score the play on a 100-point scale based on the following criteria:

Feasibility: Could this play be staged by a typical CTAM theatre group considering sets, costumes, lights, number of characters, subject matter and language? (5 points)

Essentials: Does this play have the essentials for dramatic development? Is there a protagonist? Is there an antagonist? Does this play have a protagonist who has a clear and compelling goal and who is involved in a central dramatic conflict? Are there obstacles to these goals? Are the obstacles believable? Does something really happen on stage? (20 points)

Mood and Genre: Have the mood and genre been clearly developed? Are there clues early on that tell the audience that they will be seeing a comedy or a melodrama or a psychological thriller, etc.? If it starts out funny, does it stay funny? If not, is the audience surprised in a logical or satisfying way? (15 points)

Characters: Are the characters interesting and credible? Have they been clearly defined and fully developed? Are all the characters necessary to the play? Have the main characters evolved through the course of the play? Will the audience care about what happens to them? (10 points)

Dialogue: Does the dialogue sound natural and credible? Is it fresh and compelling? Does it suit the character? Does each character have a unique voice? (5 points)

Story/Plot: Does the story progress at an engaging pace? Does something happen? Do the events within the play lead to significant changes in the main characters. Is there a resolution to the conflict? Is the plot interesting enough to hold the audience’s attention ? Is each scene important and relevant? Does the play capture your attention? (15 points)

Overall rating: Is the dramatic situation involving the protagonist and his/her conflict interesting for an audience? Did you enjoy the play? Were you comfortable with the setting, situation, characters, dialogue, pace, and resolution? Could you picture the action onstage? Did you feel it was worth your time to get to know the characters and their story? (30 points)