Festival of winning plays ran 10–12 July 2025
The Royal Court Theatre unveiled the winners of its inaugural Young Playwrights Award, a brand-new initiative championing creative talent in young people aged 13–18. From over 150 entries submitted across London, six outstanding plays were selected to be performed at the Royal Court’s Jerwood Theatre Upstairs from 10–12 July as part of a celebratory festival. All six plays will also be published in a special anthology by Nick Hern Books. ( Main image L-R George, Leo and Sapphire)
Designed to address the absence of playwriting in the UK’s secondary school curriculum, the award aims to support young writers for whom short stories and poetry are usually the only options explored in classrooms. This year marked the scheme’s pilot phase, with plans for future editions to expand nationally.
The 2025 winning entries reflected an extraordinary range of creativity—from poetic coming-of-age stories and magical realism to satirical explorations of identity and AI. Themes of memory, grief, social expectation, and self-discovery were explored with sophistication well beyond the writers’ years.
Beth Flintoff, Associate Playwright and Young Writers Associate at the Royal Court, led the initiative and praised the standard of submissions:
“We were so impressed by the imagination, creativity and writing talent on display in all the entries we received—it has been a real joy reading them. Congratulations to the shortlisted writers, whose outstanding plays have surprised and moved us, thrilled us and made us laugh.”
Leon Marcos and Aasiya: AGE 13 -15
David Byrne, Artistic Director and CEO of the Royal Court Theatre, echoed her sentiment:
“The buzz in the building as we’ve read these incredible plays has been amazing. I can’t wait to share these brilliant plays more widely. If this is the future of theatre, count me in.”
The Young Playwrights Award Festival included live readings of the winning plays, an awards ceremony, and special performances for schools—offered at just £1 a ticket to ensure accessibility. Judges were drawn from the Royal Court’s creative leadership and literary teams.
Winning Playwrights and Plays
Ages 13–15
Happily Haunted by Aasiya Nsubuga
A touching and funny play about grief and friendship, where a teenage girl finds comfort in her ghostly cousin’s presence during maths class.Hello, My Name Is… by Marcos Byrne
A powerful blend of storytelling and spoken word that follows a young boy navigating school pressures and family expectations.Library of the Imagination by Leon Chin-Kemp
A fantastical adventure unfolds when 12-year-old Alex enters a library that stores every thought ever imagined.
Ages 16–18
Bad Hair Day by Sapphire Naggie
A bold, funny, and poignant reflection on Black girlhood and beauty standards, told through the lens of one teen’s fraught relationship with her hair.Fox Hunt by George McAree
A darkly surreal family drama where a girl visiting her estranged aunt must untangle webs of silence, fear, and gendered double standards.Godot’s To-Do List by Leo Simpe-Asante
An absurd and chillingly sharp satire, in which a man takes instructions from an all-knowing voice assistant with no clear end in sight.
As the Royal Court continues its legacy of fostering new voices, the Young Playwrights Award is already being hailed as a vital step toward ensuring that future generations of theatre-makers reflect the diversity, imagination, and insight of today’s youth.
