YOUNG WATERFORD PLAYWRIGHT AWARD 2025

jim nolan and carrie crowley at the 'Gods are Angry Miss Kerr' night at Theatre Royal - ph

Jim nolan and Carrie Crowley - photo by Colin Shanahan

Announcing Bursary - Bowler Hat and O'Regan Bursary Committee

YOUNG WATERFORD PLAYWRIGHT AWARD INFORMATION

An exciting once-off opportunity for young local writers was revealed this week with news of the Young Waterford Playwright Award 2025. Announcing the Award, valued at €2500, Bowler Hat Theatre Company Chairperson, Gabrielle Cummins, said it had arisen in the aftermath of the An Evening with Jim Nolan event produced by Bowler Hat at the Theatre Royal earlier this year. “That production celebrated the 40th Anniversary of Jim’s play, The Gods Are Angry, Miss Kerr and marked the birth of Red Kettle Theatre Company.” said Gabrielle. “The event was also a celebration of Jim’s distinguished career and we are delighted to offer this Award as an encouragement to a new generation of emerging local playwrights.”
The Award will be administered by the Ted & Mary O’Regan Bursary Committee, of which Jim Nolan is a founding member. Eligible applicants will be aged between 15 and 30 years, and have either been born or living in Waterford or have some connection to the city or county. Applicants will be invited to submit a ten-page extract from an existing play, along with an outline for a new work and an indication of how the Award would benefit them in their pursuit of a playwriting career.
Applications for the Award are now open and the closing date for receipt of submissions is Friday, October 31st at 5pm.

AWARD GUIDELINES AND SUBMISSION PROCESS

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BACKGROUND:
The Young Waterford Playwright Award 2025 is offered by Bowler Hat Theatre Company in
association with the Ted & Mary O’Regan Bursary Committee. The once-off Award is for
€2500 and will be offered in full to one applicant only.

ELIGIBILITY GUIDELINES:
Eligible applicants will be aged between 15 and 30 years. (D.O.B Jan 1 st 1995 - Dec 31 st 2010)
Applicants must have been born or live in Waterford or have some connection to the city or county.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:

Applicants are invited to submit each of the following:

A ten page (A4size) extract from an existing play.
An outline description of a proposed new play (maximum 500 words)
A paragraph indicating how the Award would benefit you in the pursuit of a playwriting career(maximum 250 words)

Please Note: To guarantee impartiality and to protect against unconscious bias, applicants' names must not appear on any of the submitted documents. Applications will be identified only by the
administrator and assigned a number before being forwarded to the Award adjudicators.

Applications should be submitted by email to: info@waterfordyoutharts.com

TIMELINES:

Applications for the Award are now open and the closing date for the receipt of submissions is Friday, October 31st, at 5pm. The winning entry will be announced in mid-December.

If you need further information or are unsure about the application process you can contact ollie@waterfordyoutharts.com or phone Oille @ 0861759188