SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:

Due to many computer problems, which we are remedying by switching our hosting company, the new Submission Post-Mark Deadline is August 31, 2009.
Target date to announce winners is January 31, 2010.
Winners will be notified by mail.

ELIGIBLE SCRIPTS: Original full-length (no longer than 2 hours or 100 pages U.S. Standard Format) and one-act stage plays including children's plays.

Please note: scripts that received a workshop, staged reading, or non-professional production are also eligible. Plays submitted must be the original work of the author and meet Mission Statement Criteria (see Home Page).


INELIGIBLE SCRIPTS: Musicals, published scripts, scripts that have received a professional production, adaptations, collections, poems, scripts that do not meet Mission Statement Criteria (see Home Page), and scripts over 2 hours or 100 pages U.S. Standard Format. 
 

CONTEST AWARDS

1st Place Award: $300 + a reading and Q&A in a NYC theater valued at $525.  Total 1st Place Award = $825.* 
2nd Place Award: A reading and Q&A in a NYC theater. Value is $525.*
3rd Place Award: A reading and Q&A in a NYC theater. Value is $525.*

**All readings will be presented at theatre venues in Manhattan, among them Thirteenth Street Repertory Theatre.

New Works of Merit Playwriting Contest will make every attempt to provide a mutually agreed upon reading date, the reading to occur within 10 months of the contest's winning announcement.

Venue, directors and actors for the readings will be chosen at the discretion of Merit Theater and Film Group.
Certificates of Honorable Mention will be given for noteworthy scripts of merit.

 

Mailing Address, Contact Information and Fee Structure follow the Comments About Evaluations from Contest Playwrights.  (see below)

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS:

1) Application & Check List filled out.
2) Prefer U.S. Standard Format, though this format is not required.

3) Submit clean copies, not originals.
4) Script is to be securely bound (no clips).  Avoid spiral binding & hard cover looseleaf binders if possible. 
5) Full Contact Information on the cover/title page.
6) Brief Synopsis of the play, no longer than half a page, bound into script. **

7) Under the Synopsis, a two sentence Log Line.
8) Brief Character Descriptions, bound into script. **
9) Script pages must be numbered.

10) Time and Place, bound into script. **  

11) Set Requirements, bound into script. **
12) If the play has accompanying film sequences, include a DVD of them.

13) ) If play has unusual accompanying sound, include a CD.
14) To verify script receipt, submit a SASP (Self-Addressed Stamped Postcard).  Write the name of the play on the postcard along with the contest name. We will return this postcard to you with the play’s Roster Intake #.
15) Include a SASE for script evaluations. 

16) Send a CERTIFIED CHECK OR MONEY ORDER ONLY as indicated in the "Payment Method & Address" section below. 

IMPORTANT:  PLEASE NOTE:

SUBMISSION MATERIALS WILL NOT BE RETURNED.

Do NOT include any other materials such as press clippings or a biography.
Scripts longer than 2 hours or 100 pages (U.S. Standard Format) will be disqualified.
** Be sure to include a Bound Synopsis, Character Description, Set Requirements, and Time & Place.  If you do not have a way to fasten them, you may staple them behind the cover page.
Any paperwork NOT bound into the script will be filed with the Application form and will not be considered in the evaluation process.

 

Continue to scroll down for more information

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COMMENTS ABOUT EVALUATIONS FROM CONTEST PLAYWRIGHTS
.. Ron Osborne – winning script for Ruby's Story: "extremely well done, in fact superior to those provided by other competitions. At times I've wondered why I've chosen to be a playwright ... your thoughts provided a powerful, inspiring answer -- thank you.”

..Rudy Gray – winning script for Conversations with a Kleagle: “I have rewritten Act II based on the contest comment sheets and now Act II is much stronger.” 
.. Jeff Elwell for Fenced In: "one of the most in-depth, explicit evaluations I have received as a writer and most helpful regarding rewriting the script."
.. Kim L. Slack for Indignity Let Us Go: “Thanks for your very insightful comments. You focused on what I’ve found most challenging in writing about Africa—how to give audiences a sense of the complexity without confusing them. I now have some very concrete descriptions of the problems in the play that I can address."

... Munroe Scott for Pandora’s Committee: “Many thoughtful and useful points were made, and were presented with a direct candor that is much appreciated. Be assured I will pay close attention to the evaluator’s comments.”

 

FEES

SUBMISSION FEE PER PLAY: $25.00.
The fee is used to pay stipends to play evaluators and to administrative personnel.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO RECEIVE EVALUATIONS OF YOUR SCRIPT: 

(see a sample evaluation under header: Sample Evaluation)

One Evaluation .... $40   +   $25 Submission Fee   =   $  65

Two Evaluations...$80   +   $25 Submission Fee   =   $105


PAYMENT METHODS FOR SUBMISSION FEES:

FOR SUBMISSIONS WITHIN THE UNITED STATES:
Submission fees are payable by CERTIFIED CHECK OR MONEY ORDER only, made payable to:
NEW WORKS OF MERIT PLAYWRITING CONTEST.

FOR SUBMISSIONS  OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES:
1) All forms of payment must be drawn on a United States bank or paid by International Postal Money Order (IPMO). IPMO fees: Consult your local Post Office for fee.
2) Please note: International Reply Coupons will NOT be accepted as a form of payment for postage.  If you enclosed a postcard or SASE without postage on them, please add an additional $1 for each.
3) If you need to speak with someone further on the submission of scripts from outside the United States, please contact the Literary Staff at:
NewWorksOfMerit@aol.com
4) Submission fees are payable to:
NEW WORKS OF MERIT PLAYWRITING CONTEST

 

MAIL EVERYTHING IN ONE ENVELOPE TO:

New Works of Merit Playwriting Contest,
511 Avenue of the Americas - #2000
New York City, NY 10011-8436
U.S.A.


CONTACT INFORMATION:
Sandra Nordgren

(917) 363-2369

NewWorksOfMerit@aol.com

 
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