The shortlist of nominees has been announced for the Popcorn Writing Award 2025, run by film and theatre production company Popcorn Group.

The award celebrates bold, imaginative new writing at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, offering a £6,000 prize fund that goes directly to writers recognised for their notable, groundbreaking scripts.

In addition to the prize fund, winners are also granted valuable support from the Popcorn Group and BBC Writers, offering mentorship meetings and consideration for the BBC Writers Voices 2026 programme.

Charlotte Colbert, founder of Popcorn Group who organise the awards, said in a statement: “The shortlist this year is exhilarating in its breadth and bravery. These plays interrogate power, challenge societal blind spots, and do so with extraordinary craft and humour. This award has always been about giving writers the space to be unapologetically bold.”

The winner will be announced at the Popcorn Writing Awards presented on 20 August 2025 in Edinburgh.

More about the Popcorn Writing Award

Established in 2019 by the Popcorn Group, the Popcorn Award champions fearless writing that “playfully and artistically tackles current affairs, questions societal norms, and contributes positively to public debate.”

Submissions for this year’s award were opened in June. To be eligible, plays must be new writing with fewer than seven preview performances prior to this year’s Edinburgh Fringe and must be staged at one of the award’s partner venues, which this year are: Assembly, Gilded Balloon, Pleasance, Summerhall Arts, theSpaceUK, Traverse, Underbelly, Greenside, ZOO Venues and Paradise Green.

As part of the award, all shortlisted writers are offered valuable mentorship meetings with the Popcorn Group. In addition, those based in the UK and Ireland will be eligible for a one-to-one meeting with the BBC Writers team. Eligible longlisted writers from the UK and Ireland will also be invited to submit their scripts for consideration as part of BBC Writers Voices 2026.

Popcorn Writing Awards 2025 – Shortlist

  • Body Count by Issy Knowles, Pleasance
  • Bog Body by Jen Tucker, Paradise Green
  • Brainsluts by Dan Bishop, Pleasance
  • Cara and Kelly Are Best Friends Forever by Mojola Akinyemi, Pleasance
  • Consumed by Karis Kelly, Traverse
  • Don’t Tell Dad About Diana by Conor Murray and Hannah Power, Underbelly
  • Fuselage by Annie Lareau, Pleasance
  • HOLE! by Jake Brasch and Nadja Leonhard-Hooper, Underbelly
  • Hot Mess by Jack Godfrey and Ellie Coote, Pleasance
  • I Dream in Colour by Jasmine Thien, Underbelly
  • In the Black by Quaz Degraft, theSpaceUK
  • In the Land of Eagles by Alexandra Reynolds, Pleasance
  • JACKIE!!! A New Musical by Max Alexander-Taylor, Nancy Edwards and Joe McNeice, Gilded Balloon
  • KING by Jo Tan, Summerhall Arts
  • LEI – LDN by Na-keisha Pebody, Pleasance
  • Lovett by Lucy Roslyn, Pleasance
  • MILES. by Oliver Kaderbhai, Summerhall Arts
  • Ohio: The Bengsons by Shaun and Abigail Bengson, Assembly
  • Ordinary Decent Criminal by Ed Edwards, Summerhall Arts
  • PEOPLE WE BURY ALIVE by Anna Krauze, Zoo
  • r/Conspiracy by Ella Hällgren, Gilded Balloon
  • Refuse by Lucy McIlgorm, Assembly
  • Rodney Black: Who Cares? It’s Working by Sadie Pearson, Gilded Balloon
  • Trouble, Struggle, Bubble and Squeak by Victoria Melody, Pleasance
  • Wanted by Eleanor Higgins, Underbelly
  • Woman in the Arena by Jen DiGiacomo, Greenside

Previous Popcorn winners

The 2024 Popcorn Writing Award was jointly awarded to VL by Kieran Hurley and Gary McNair, and Weather Girl by Brian Watkins – the latter recently concluded a successful transfer run at Soho Theatre and is currently being adapted for television. Finalists included The Book of Mountains and Seas by Yilong Liu and Knock on the Roof by Khawla Ibraheem, which transferred to the Royal Court Theatre, with a special mention going to Pop Off, Michelangelo! by Dylan MarcAurele, which is currently enjoying an extended run at Underbelly Boulevard Soho in London.

Other previous winners of the award include Bryony Kimmings, Karim Khan, and Sabrina Ali, whose 2023-winning play Dugsi Dayz secured a transfer at the Royal Court as part of David Byrne’s inaugural season as Artistic Director.

Each year, the shortlist is selected by a panel curated by the Popcorn Group and in consultation with BBC Writers, made up of accomplished and diverse industry voices. Notable past award committee members include: Golden Globe winner Ruth Wilson, Tony Award-winning Enda Walsh, Oscar winner Gonzalo Maza and BAFTA-winning Wunmi Mosaku. The winners will be selected and announced by the Popcorn Group during this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Past finalists and winners have gone on to be commissioned by major broadcasters, been accepted onto BBC Writers programmes, and transferred their work to stages in both London and New York.

Also see: Edinburgh 2025: The Best of the Best – Top Theatre Shows at the Fringe & International Festival

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Main photo: Popcorn Writing Award - 2025

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