VOX NOVA: Where New Stories Come to Life

Once you have read the 2026 Submission Guidelines below, we encourage you to submit your work for review. We begin accepting play submissions on April 15, 2026. Submissions will be accepted until May 15, 2026.

SUBMIT YOUR PLAY

COMING SOON

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 VOX NOVA Playwright Festival - 2026 Submission Guidelines

Welcome to the 2nd annual VOX NOVA Playwright Festival! We are thrilled to invite submissions for this year’s competition, which honors the craft of storytelling through live theatrical performance. The Festival aims to foster the art of playwriting, support emerging playwrights, and showcase new works. Below, you will find detailed guidelines to help you prepare your submission. There is no cost to submit. We look forward to reading your work!

Eligibility Criteria:

• Age requirement: Submitting playwrights must be 18 years or older.
• Location requirement: Submitting playwrights must be currently from the United States. No plays from outside of the U.S. will be considered.
• New Works Only: We accept only new, original works that have never been fully produced. Previous staged readings are permitted, but the play must not have been presented in a fully realized production. Adaptations of other works are not accepted, unless the work is based on public domain material or the playwright's own unrestricted work from another medium.
• Plays Only: No musicals will be considered.
• Play Length: Submissions must be one or two-act plays with an estimated running time of no less than 75 minutes.
• Submission Limits: We will accept only one play per playwright per year. We only accept plays submitted directly by the playwrights, not through agents, theater representatives, or recommenders.
• Production Agreement: If selected for first prize, the playwright must agree to have their work produced within 18 months of the award announcement as a live stage production, with no additional costs to be incurred by the production company (Theatricus). The playwright agrees to not allow their work to be produced anywhere else during the 18 month period. In the unlikely event that the work is not produced by Theatricus within the 18 month period (due to unforeseen circumstances or "force majeure"), all rights to produce the work as a live stage production revert back to the playwright and a $200 fee in lieu of a production will be paid to the playwright by Theatricus.

Submission Details:

• Submission Launch: We will begin accepting submissions on April 15, 2026 at 9am Pacific. Any submissions received before that date and time will not be accepted.
• Submission Deadline & Limit: All submissions must be received by the end date of May 15, 2025 at 6pm Pacific. Late submissions will not be considered. We will stop accepting submissions either by the end date, or once we have received a total of 50 submissions, whichever comes first.
• Format: Submissions must be in PDF format, with the play’s title and the playwright’s name clearly indicated on the cover page. A list of characters page is also greatly encouraged. Please ensure the script is properly formatted for stage plays. Please see the Dramatists Guild's guidelines for preferred play script formats: https://www.dramatistsguild.com/script-formats
• Submission Fee: There is no fee to submit your play.
• Submission Method: Please visit our 2026 SUBMISSION FORM page (starting April 15, 2026) to submit!

Judging Process:

• Initial Review: Submissions will be reviewed by a panel of theatre professionals, including directors, playwrights, actors, and/or producers. Each work will be read by at least two (2) panelists during the review process.
• Selection Criteria: In this First Round, plays will be judged based on writing format, character development, plot development, dialogue, and overall impressions. Semi-finalists will be judged using a more robust criteria.
• Semi-Finalists Announcement: A shortlist of semi-finalists will be announced on July 15, 2025. A minimum of six (6) semi-finalists will be announced, with a maximum of twelve (12) semi-finalists possible.
• Final Decision: Three (3) winners will be announced on August 31, 2025 (see Prizes).

Prizes:

• First Prize: $400 and a live stage production of the playwright's work within 18 months of the award announcement, produced by Theatricus. If the work is not produced by Theatricus within the 18 month period, all rights to produce the work as a live stage production revert back to the playwright and a $200 fee in lieu of a production will be paid to the playwright by Theatricus.
• Second Prize: $200 and a live, informal staged reading of the playwright's work.
• Third Prize: $100 and a live, informal staged reading of the playwright's work.

Additional Information:

• Live Stage Production: Though a primary goal of the Festival is a fully designed live stage production of the first prize-winning work, the type of production and number of performances will be solely at the discretion of Theatricus, depending on budget and theatre availability. Ideally, the winning work’s live stage production would have at least four (4) shows, with as many as twenty-four (24) shows possible.
  • ​As an example, the First Prize winner of the 2025 VOX NOVA Playwright Festival will enjoy a three-weekend, 14 performance production at Moving Arts in Atwater Village.
• Rights: The playwright retains all rights to their work, with the exception of the live stage performance rights within 18 months of the award announcement.
• Revisions: The production company may suggest/request revisions during the production and rehearsal process, but final approval and rights remain with the playwright.
• Travel and Accommodation: The Festival does not cover any travel or accommodation expenses for the playwrights.

Quick Review of Important Dates:

• April 15, 2026: We begin accepting submissions.
• May 15, 2026: We no longer accept submissions. If we reach 50 submissions before June 1, we will no longer accept submissions at that time.
• July 15, 2026: Semi-finalists announced.
• August 31, 2026: The 3 finalists are announced.

SUBMIT YOUR PLAY

COMING SOON

Questions:
For any questions regarding the submission process or festival details, please use the form on the CONTACT page.

Thank you for your interest in the 2nd annual VOX NOVA Playwright Festival. We eagerly anticipate your creative contributions and the opportunity to bring your stories to life on stage!