Cultural Sector Partner: Liverpool’s Royal Court 
HE Partner: Liverpool Hope University
Other Partners: The Liverpool Echo

The Hope Playwriting Prize is a collaboration between the Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool, the Liverpool Echo and Liverpool Hope University.  The £10k award, made every two years, is given by the Liverpool Hope Vice Chancellor.

It is the second largest national playwriting competition, and provides a platform for new comedy writing across the UK and Republic of Ireland. Scripts must be original and unperformed, and submissions are encouraged from the novice to the professional. The Prize is judged anonymously, meaning the reading and judging panels do not know the identities of the writers until a winner has been chosen.

It has had Kathy Burke, Les Dennis, Frank Cotrell-Boyce and John Godber on its judging panel. The first winner, Katie Mulgrew, had her play Omnibus put on at the Unity Theatre, whilst two plays from the second round have been commissioned by the Royal Court. Co-ordinated by Dr John Bennett.

Contact: Prof Steve Davismoon

davisms@hope.ac.uk