[NoHo Arts District, CA] – Teen writers across the U.S. can now submit original plays and musicals to The Blank Theatre’s 34th Annual Young Playwrights Festival, a nationwide competition that fully stages 12 winning works in Los Angeles in July 2026.
Are you a teen who is a future playwright? Do you have a creative child who loves to write? Submissions are now being accepted for The Blank Theatre’s Young Playwrights Festival.
About The Blank Theatre’s Young Playwrights Festival
The Blank Theatre is now seeking submissions from playwrights 19 years of age and younger for its 34th Annual Young Playwrights Festival (YPF). The Blank Theatre’s Young Playwrights Festival is a nationwide competition that produces the work of 12 young writers each year. The winning plays will be presented (four performances each) by professional actors and directors in July of 2026.
Since 1993, the festival has produced 393 plays by playwrights 19 and younger from 39 states.
Each playwright whose work is accepted will be assigned a mentor, professionals who will help the young playwrights hone their work for performance. Past mentors have included creator and executive producer of Sorry for Your Loss and four-time YPF winner Kit Steinkellner, Tony Award-nominated composer Michael John LaChiusa, writer Jeff Greenstein (Will & Grace), producer Todd Milliner (Hot in Cleveland, Grimm), writer Irene Mecchi (The Lion King, Brave), Tony Award-winning director Michael Mayer (Spring Awakening, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Funny Girl, Chess), Tony Award-winning playwright and three-time YPF winner Stephen Karam (The Humans, Sons of the Prophet, Speech & Debate), playwright and two-time YPF winner Lauren Yee (King of the Yees, The Great Leap, Cambodian Rock Band), the late television and film director Garry Marshall, the late Tony Award-winning playwright Terrence McNally, and many others. The playwrights then experience the thrill of seeing their plays performed by industry professionals in fully staged productions.
Said Sarah Nilsen, The Blank’s Producing Director, “Each Spring since 1992, The Blank awards the freshest, most original voices in American theatre, invites them to Los Angeles, and produces their scripts during a month-long summer festival. This thought-provoking work, mentored, directed and performed by seasoned professionals, helps build confidence and begin building professional relationships in a safe and nurturing environment. While these playwrights are as different as the states from which they come and the subjects with which they deal, they share something truly remarkable — they’re teenagers. They are the future of theatre!”
Through the years, many of the winning plays have been nominated for LA theatre awards, including an Ovation Award for Best Writing–World Premiere and an LA Weekly Award for Best One-Act Playwriting. Many alumni playwrights are populating the nation’s theatres and sound stages with their work. YPF winners have gone on to successful writing careers on Broadway, are filling regional stages, and have created network TV shows. Alumnus Stephen Karam has been a two-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and is a 2016 Tony Award-winner for Best Play for The Humans. Alumnus Lauren Yee is a 2019 Doris Duke Artist, and she was the second most produced playwright in the 2019-2020 season according to American Theater Magazine.
The rules for the festival competition are as follows:
- Playwrights must be 19 years of age or younger on March 15, 2026
- Must reside or attend school in the United States and related territories
- Original plays and musicals can be any length, on any subject. No form of AI may be used in any way.
- Pages must be numbered and unbound.
- There is a limit of three (3) plays per playwright.
- All plays must include a cover sheet with the play’s title, playwright’s name, date of birth, school and assigning teacher’s name (if applicable), mailing address, contact phone number, and e-mail address. If a play has multiple co-authors, the above rules apply to each author and each author’s information should be included on the cover page.
How to Submit
Submissions may be made online or via email (go to TheBlank.Submittable.com to create a free account and submit) or hard copies may be mailed to YPF, c/o The Blank Theatre, PO Box 1094, Los Angeles, CA, 90078 (and must be postmarked or emailed by March 15, 2026). Scripts will not be returned. There are no submission fees.
More Info:
For more information, visit The Blank Theatre’s website.
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