Meyer-Whitworth Award

まいやー・うぃっとわーすしょう

Award for emerging British playwrights. Established in 1991, awarded annually from 1992 to 2011, with prize money of £10,000.

Playwriting AwardTheatreBritish Literature AwardNewcomer Award

Established: 1991
Organizer: National Theatre Foundation (funding provided); Arts Council England (1992–2006 administration); Playwrights' Studio, Scotland (2006–2011 administration)
Category: Plays, Scripts, and Screenplays
Selection Method: Selection
Target: Newcomer
Frequency: 1 per year
Status: Ended

Description

The Meyer-Whitworth Award was established in 1991 and awarded annually from 1992 to 2011 to support the careers of emerging British playwrights. The prize amounted to £10,000 and was funded by the National Theatre Foundation. From its inception to 2006, it was administered by Arts Council England, and from 2006 by Playwrights' Studio, Scotland. Winning works were judged against Geoffrey Whitworth's ideas, embodying 'drama reveals the truth about human relationships with each other and the world,' with criteria emphasizing potential for new talent development and a distinctive literary style.

Prize

Main Prize: Main prize: £10,000 cash prize (funded by National Theatre Foundation)
Cash Prize: 10,000 GBP

Funding provided by National Theatre Foundation
Industry recognition and career support from winning

Selection

Selection Process

Stage	Judges	Pass Rate	Announcement
Selection and Awarding (1992–2006)	Arts Council England (administration) and selection committee	—	Announced via organizer (Arts Council etc.) announcements or press releases
Selection and Awarding (2006–2011)	Playwrights' Studio, Scotland (administration) and selection committee	—	Announced on Playwrights' Studio website or press releases

Selection and Awarding (1992–2006)

Judges Arts Council England (administration) and selection committee

Announcement Announced via organizer (Arts Council etc.) announcements or press releases

Selection and Awarding (2006–2011)

Judges Playwrights' Studio, Scotland (administration) and selection committee

Announcement Announced on Playwrights' Studio website or press releases

Criteria

Drama revealing the truth about human relationships with each other and the world (Whitworth's perspective)
Potential for development of new talent (future prospects)
Demonstration of the writer's distinctive style and expression
Degree of completion as a play (structure, character development, dialogue)

Application Tips

Dos

応募資格（対象は英国の新人戯曲作家であること）を必ず確認する
完成度の高い台本（構成・人物描写・台詞）を提出する
自身の個性や独自の声を明確に示す
過去の受賞作や審査基準（Whitworthの理念）を研究して応募作品に反映する

Don''ts

未完成の草稿や体裁が整っていない原稿を提出しない
応募要項・資格を満たしていないのに応募しない
作品の個性を損なう過度の改変を施して提出しない（審査での評価対象は作品そのもの）

From Judges

"drama is important in so far as it reveals the truth about the relationships of human beings with each other and the world at large" — Geoffrey Whitworth の視点を念頭に、関係性の真理を描く作品が評価される。
新しい才能の発展性（将来性）と作家固有の個性が審査で重視される。