About

Each writer submits one original, single-author play as a PDF through the publisher’s website; the title page must name a teacher or, for homeschooled writers, a parent, with contact details. Plays should feature youth characters in prominent roles, and screenplays, musicals, and scripts containing AI-generated text are not accepted. Earlier productions are allowed, but the play cannot be committed to another publisher. Decisions arrive by email in late fall, and the publisher may decline to name a winner if no entry merits it. Authors keep ownership, and a published play falls under YouthPLAYS’s standard agreement.

The credential is publication: YouthPLAYS publishes plays for schools and youth theatres, so a winning one-act enters a catalog that those producers license. In 2026 the competition named one winner, one runner-up, and 11 honorable mentions. The cash is modest and is paid only after the winner completes the publication process. The organizer publishes no entry totals, so selectivity cannot be stated.

A win shows a student’s play was chosen for professional publication.