In this article, we look at the BBC World Service and British Council playwriting competition. We explain its purpose, how to enter, eligibility criteria, what past winners have won, when to submit your entry and some advice on writing a script. Writers from around the world are invited to submit their scripts as the 28th International Radio Playwriting Competition opens for entries 24 October 2022, to run through 12 February 2023.
A quick guide to the Playwriting Competition
The BBC World Service and British Council Playwriting Competition is one of the world’s largest international playwriting competitions. The competition has been running since 1985, and each year, the BBC World Service and British Council receive thousands of entries from across the globe. The purpose of the Playwriting Competition is to discover new, exciting, and challenging drama from all over the world. They want to provide a forum for new voices in playwriting from all countries, they also want to encourage cultural and artistic exchange between different countries which can only be done through the celebration of cultural heritage, as well as the creation of contemporary artistic expressions.
Why enter the Competition?
There are lots of reasons why you should enter the BBC World Service and British Council Playwriting Competition!
- The first reason is that you may win! Winning is one of the best things about writing, and boasts a long list of past winners. Winning the Playwriting Competition is likely to lead to publication of your play, as they often commission winners to develop winning scripts into radio plays.
- The second reason why you should enter the Competition is that it is a great opportunity for you to share your work. Just like entering any other kind of writing competition, this will also allows you to share your work with a large audience.
Eligibility to enter the Competition
The following people are eligible to enter the BBC World Service and British Council Playwriting Competition: Anyone who can communicate in English can enter the Competition. They accept applications from writers around the world. All interested applicants are advised to summit their entries on or before 12 February 2023.
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How do you submit your script for the Playwriting Competition?
As part of the submission process for the BBC World Service and British Council Playwriting Competition, you will be asked to submit your script as a PDF file. The technical requirements for your script are as follows: Your script must be written in English, but you may write in British or American spelling styles. Your script should be typed in a normal font, double-spaced with one-inch margins. Line spacing can be either single or double spaced, but all lines must start at the same place on the page. Your script must be printed on white paper and should be between 5 and 25 pages in length. Your script can be handwritten if you wish, but it must also be typed so that a reader can easily read it, and it must be printed on white paper.
What have previous winners won in the Playwriting Competition?
The BBC World Service and British Council Playwriting Competition has a long list of past winners. Some of the most notable past winners include: – Tom Stoppard won it in 1962 with his play “Dalliance.” – Hanif Kureishi won the Competition in 1979 with his play “Ginger.” – David Hare won the BBC World Service and British Council Playwriting Competition in 1983 with his play “Outside My Window.” – Martin McDonagh won it in 1991 with his play “Beauty Queen.” – Neil LaBute won the competition in 1995 with his play “In the Company of Men.” – Mark O’Rowe won it in 2003 with his play “Husbands and Wives.”
The last competition in 2019/20 attracted 850 entries from 104 countries, with regional winners coming from Colombia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and Trinidad and Tobago.
The winner in the First Language category was The Snowman, written by Neil Flynn from Ireland. It is a lyrical monologue about an Antarctic explorer’s desperate attempts to make it back to base camp. In the Second Language category, Ainur Karim from Kazakhstan won with her comedy The Passport, which is set against a backdrop of social unrest and a family in upheaval.
Ross Mueller from Australia won the Georgi Markov commendation with The Birthday Cake, a dark comedy focusing on the wife of a white supremacist.
After delays caused by the global pandemic the BBC is looking forward to welcoming Ainur Karim and Neil Flynn to the BBC in December, to record their winning entries for broadcast on BBC World Service in February next year, when they will be available online to listen and download.
When is the deadline to enter the Competition?
The deadline for entering the BBC World Service and British Council Playwriting Competition is 12 February 2023.
Advice for writing a winning script
How do you win the BBC World Service and British Council Playwriting Competition? We can’t give you a foolproof formula for success, but we can give you some tips for improving your chances. – Make sure your script is ready to submit. Before you enter the BBC World Service and British Council Playwriting Competition, you should make sure that your script is ready to submit. This means that you have revised your script until you are happy with it. – Listen to radio dramas. Before you write a script for the BBC World Service and British Council Playwriting Competition, you should familiarize yourself with the world of contemporary radio drama. You can do this by listening to radio dramas on the internet or on the radio. – Take care when formatting your script for the BBC World Service and British Council Playwriting Competition. Scripts for the Competition should be formatted in accordance with the submission guidelines.
Conclusion
The BBC World Service and British Council Playwriting Competition is one of the world’s largest international playwriting competitions. The competition is open to anyone who can communicate in English and who is aged between 16 and 35 years old. The deadline for entering the BBC World Service and British Council Playwriting Competition is 12 February 2023. If you would like to write a script and have it broadcast internationally, you can’t go wrong with entering this competition. Good luck!
