Martha Loader wins 2025 George Devine Award for playwriting

The winner has been announced of the annual George Devine Award 2025.

Formed in 1966 in memory of the Royal Court Theatre’s founding Artistic Director George Devine, the George Devine Award is recognised as one of the most prestigious in new theatre writing.

Ipswich playwright Martha Loader has been awarded the 2025 George Devine Award for her play The Town, which confronts how an act of societal transgression impacts the lives of those orbiting it.

The prize of £15,000 will support Martha to write her next play.

The four shortlisted plays competing for the award were announced last month, and also included Bad Seed by Asmara Gabrielle; Citizens of Umi by Yasmin Joseph; and The Knot by Isla van Tricht.

This year’s judging panel includes writers Tanika Gupta, Sabrina Mahfouz, Barney Norris and Georgia Pritchett, actor and writer Martina Laird, director and dramaturg Ed Madden, and actor Ria Zmitrowicz.

Last year’s winner was Benjamin Kuffuor for Working Men. Other former winners include Tife Kusoro, Tyrell Williams, Alice Birch, Nick Payne and Lucy Prebble.

Playwright and 2025 jury member Tanika Gupta said in a statement: “Martha’s play The Town is a finely crafted work that draws the audience inexorably into its world. At its heart lies a young boy’s historic act of random violence, around which the play asks profound questions about the nature of good and evil. With a haunting, lyrical voice, Martha interrogates the fragile bonds of family and community and exposes how swiftly we turn to blame. The result is a piece that is both unsettling and deeply resonant, lingering long after the final moment.”

Martha Loader said: “I’m staggered and truly honoured to win the George Devine Award. To now be part of the heritage of this prize, amongst a group of playwrights whose work has influenced so much of my own writing practice, is an amazing privilege. At a time of great division, telling stories about the complexities and nuances of human nature feels all the more important. There are so many people to thank for helping me with this play, primarily Steph, Sarvat, Ben and my agents, whose guidance, support and belief in this piece has meant so much.”

George Devine Award 2025 – Winner

Martha Loader for THE TOWN

A mother questions her son’s capacity for change when he is accused of abduction, eight years after killing another child. Lydia and her teenage son Ghost live in a crumbling house in Suffolk, ostracised from the nearby town they grew up in. When an allegation is made against Ghost, painful memories from their past come back to haunt them. As the fire is lit under this new accusation, the town starts to turn vicious.

Martha is an award-winning writer, actor and producer. Her work has been performed across the UK and internationally. She won the Judges Award at the Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting, 2022. She is currently working on commissions with the Almeida Theatre, Mercury Theatre (National Theatre Peter Shaffer Commission 2025) and Menagerie Theatre Company, and recently undertook the prestigious 4Screenwriting and BBC Voices programmes. She was nominated at The Stage Debut Awards 2024 for her play Bindweed.

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Main photo: Martha Loader (Photo via PR)