2026 A.E. Hotchner Playwriting Competition-Call for Submissions

Submissions for the 2026 A.E. Hotchner Playwriting Competition are now open!

All selected plays will be workshopped over a two-week period with a professional guest dramaturg, WashU actors, and a PAD faculty director in Fall 2026.

The workshop process culminates in public readings of each play during two days of presentations in Fall 2026. 

All currently enrolled Washington University undergraduate and graduate students are eligible. Scripts must be unproduced and unpublished. Full-length plays, one-acts and ten-minute plays ARE ALL ELIGIBLE. Plays may require as many as 6 actors.

Additional Details:

1. All submissions must be typed and submitted as a pdf.
2. Please name your pdf file with the title of your script. If your title is quite long, use the first three words from the title.
3. The adjudication is a "blind" process, therefore, the author's name should not appear anywhere on the script.  Please be sure that:
   1. The first page contains your play's title only.
   2. Your script begins on the second page and does not include your name.
4. Scripts must be submitted using your current "@wustl.edu" email address.
5. Scripts must be submitted electronically by 11:59 p.m. Monday, February 9, 2025.

Learn more about the A.E. Hotchner Playwriting Competition & Festival!