Now in its seventh year, the Australian Theatre Festival NYC 2026 New Play Award will celebrate two new plays or musicals with distinct Australian voices. The award offers a total cash prize of $20,000 USD for two unproduced, full-length plays or musicals written by Australian writers, over the age of 18.
This year’s award winner will receive a cash prize of $15,000 USD, development work with Co-Artistic Director Mark Barford, a publishing commitment from Playlab Theatre, and be presented as a staged reading as part of the Australian Theatre Festival NYC (conditional upon ability to appropriately cast NY based Australian actors.) This year’s award runner-up will receive $5,000 USD.
“We are thrilled to announce our seventh Annual New Play Award in 2026, following a record-breaking number of diverse submissions last year,” said Co-Artistic Directors Mark Barford and Connor Delves. “Thanks to the generous ongoing support of our New Play Award Sponsors, Shane and Cathryn Brennan, the Winner will receive a $15,000 USD cash prize, and the Runner-Up will receive $5,000 USD.
“In addition, the winning playwright will receive development support with Co-Artistic Director Mark Barford, a publishing commitment from Playlab Theatre and the invitation to attend the 2026 Australian Theatre Festival NYC.”
“The New Play Award exists to help fulfill our mission of celebrating and showcasing Australian stories and artists in New York City. It remains the only award of its kind in the United States dedicated exclusively to Australian voices,” said Barford and Delves.
Past New Play Award alumni include:
- 2025 Winner Dylan Van Den Berg’s The Flood – which will be published by Playlab Theatre in 2026.
- 2022 Winner Melissa-Kelly Franklin’s Paradise Lost – which later won the 2024 Jill Blewett Playwright’s Award at the South Australian Literary Awards.
- 2021 Winner Lewis Treston’s Hubris & Humiliation – which went on to premiere at Sydney Theatre Company where it was hailed as “startlingly good” ★★★★★ (The Guardian).
2023 New Play Award winner Sally Alrich-Smythe said of the experience: “Winning The New Play Award meant so much more than the prize money and accolades attached (though that’s unreal too!). From the first Zoom call, I was struck by how much the team at Australian Theatre Festival cared about my show.”
“They wanted the best for it, and threw everything they had at giving it a platform. And the efforts of everyone paid off: seeing my play read out by a group of exceptional actors, supported by awesome design and direction, on a stage on 42nd st in New York City? Something I’ll never forget. I’d recommend the experience to any playwright,” said Alrich-Smythe.
Submissions for the Australian Theatre Festival NYC 2026 New Play Award are now open and close on Thursday 12 February 2025 (8.00am – NYC, EST). For more information and entry guidelines, visit: www.australiantheatrefestival.com for details.
Image: Australian Theatre Festival NYC 2026 New Play Award (supplied)