Judging panel features Tamzin Outhwaite, Jenna Fincken & Sam Yates
A new writing award has launched at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe to champion unrepresented and previously unrecognised talent.
The Leodis Prize aims to spotlight previously unrecognised and unplatformed voices, and offers a full production and publication of the winning play.
The prize is open exclusively to theatre writers of any age, who have never had their plays performed, are not published and do not have professional representation. The winning writer will see their debut play fully produced by Leodis in association with Pleasance Theatre Trust, premiering at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2026.
In addition to a full production, the winning writer will be offered representation by Leodis and the winning play will be published by Methuen Drama, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing, offering the playwright a unique platform to launch their career. The winner will also receive a £2,000 cash prize to support their career development.
The judging panel for the 2026 prize will comprise of actor Tamzin Outhwaite (Entertaining Mr Sloane); writer Jenna Fincken (Ruckus); and director Sam Yates (VANYA).
Entries for The Leodis Prize will open on 12 August 2025 and close on 2 November 2025, with the winner announced in March 2026.
Daniel Hinchliffe, Managing Director of Leodis Talent and founder of the award, said in a statement: “I wanted to create a writing prize to find a new voice in theatre that is open to anyone, especially without age restraints. I don’t think our industry does enough to support new theatre writing and I wanted to ensure we created a pathway to the Fringe that is fully funded for our winning playwright to allow them to concentrate on the play and not the process of producing. I am delighted to be launching this new prize with Pleasance and Bloomsbury Publishing, companies that I admire greatly for their support of new writing.”
Anthony Alderson, Director of the Pleasance Theatre Trust, said: “The Fringe has always been about discovery and it remains the launchpad for some of the most exciting new works. It is a place to find and platform new voices. The Leodis Prize is the kind of initiative that keeps the spirit of the Fringe alive and urgent and we are proud to be partnering with the award to stage the winning play and help to uncover new artists.”
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