New Voices One-Act Competition for Young Playwrights

The New Voices One-Act Competition seeks challenging, entertaining plays and musicals that are appropriate for teen and younger actors and/or audiences, as well as shows that have the potential to cross over to universities or community theatres. If you’re a young playwright in high school, consider submitting your short one-act play to this competition!

Interested in the competition?

Competition Overview

19 years old or younger

Eligibility

Free

Entry Fee

May 1, 2026

Submission Deadline

Late fall 2026

Winners Announcement

📌 Note: Aralia is not the organizer of this competition. For official rules, deadlines, and updates, please refer directly to the competition organizer. Aralia provides listings and information about competitions for student reference. Aralia is an online education platform offering competition preparation classes to students worldwide.

Competition Details

1. Overview

YouthPLAYS publishes plays and musicals suitable for teen and younger actors or audiences, as well as works with potential for university or community theatre performances.

2. Prizes

First place winner: $250 cash prize and publication/licensing by YouthPlays.

Second place runner-up: $100 cash prize.

Submission Requirements

1. Length and Pages

Length: 10–40 minutes (minimum 10 pages, excluding Title Page and Cast of Characters).
Publication Status: Must be unpublished and not committed to another publisher. Previous productions are allowed.
Content: Any genre or subject matter, suitable for school production. Plays with one or more youth characters in age-appropriate, prominent roles are strongly recommended.
Characters: Minimum of 2 characters; large/flexible casts with more female roles encouraged.
Submission: Only one play per author may be submitted

2. Submission Components

A Title Page containing the following information:
- Title of Play
- Name of Playwright
- Contact Email
- The following statement: I attest that I am 19 or under as of May 1, 2025.
- Teacher’s Name (in the case of home school entrants, you may use the name of a parent/guardian)
- Name of School/Organization
- Teacher’s/Guardian’s Contact Email
- School Contact Phone Number
A Cast of Characters Page immediately following the title page
The script, in standard format, should begin on the next page. All scripts must have page numbers.