The Royal Court Theatre in London has announced the winners of its first Young Playwrights Award.

The six winning writers, aged 13 to 18 years old, will have their plays showcased in a Festival at the Royal Court’s Jerwood Theatre Upstairs this summer, from 10 to 12 July 2025.

The Young Playwrights Award Festival will showcase plays from each age category as well as an Awards Ceremony, and schools across London are invited to attend for £1 a ticket.

The winning plays will also be published in an anthology by Nick Hern Books.

Winners in the Aged 13–15 category are Aasiya Nsubuga for Happily Haunted, Marcos Byrne for Hello, My Name Is…, and Leon Chin-Kemp for Library of the Imagination.

Winners in the Aged 16–18 category are Sapphire Naggie for Bad Hair Day, George McAree for Fox Hunt, and Leo Simpe-Asante for Godot’s To-Do List.

The award was launched by the Royal Court Theatre to support playwriting in children of secondary school age for whom playwriting is not a compulsory part of the curriculum, unlike short stories and poetry. This is the pilot year of the scheme which will run across the UK in the future.

The shortlisted works range from comedy, family drama and spoken word though to the more surreal and fantastical. They feature ghosts, magical libraries, estranged aunts and omniscient voice assistants and cover everything from a real life look at the struggles of Black girlhood through to a Beckettian take on artificial intelligence.

Over 150 entries were submitted from all over London, with a shortlist of 21 plays selected by the Royal Court Theatre, and then read by a judging panel.

Beth Flintoff, Associate Playwright and Young Writers Associate at the Royal Court, who is leading the awards, said in a statement: “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. A huge thank you to everyone who entered, for trusting us with your writing and making this such an impressive first year for the Young Playwrights Award.”

David Byrne, Artistic Director and CEO said: “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.”

Royal Court Theatre’s Young Playwrights Award 2025 – Winners

Aged 13-15

Happily Haunted
By Aasiya Nsubuga
Sabirah is just trying to survive maths class, get through the week, and enjoy the company of her cousin Sara – a ghost.
Happily Haunted is a heartfelt and funny coming-of-age story about memory, grief, and the friends we carry with us – whether they’re really there or not.

Hello, My Name Is…
by Marcos Byrne
Meet Carlos – a 15-year-old – juggling exams, crowded school corridors, and the weight of family expectations. With a powerful blend of storytelling and spoken word, Hello, My Name Is… follows one boy’s struggle to get through the day, chase his dreams and find his voice.

Library of the Imagination
by Leon Chin-Kemp
12-year-old Alex stumbles into a magical library that holds every thought ever thought.
When thoughts start escaping from their books, Alex finds himself swept into a spellbinding adventure.

Aged 16-18

Bad Hair Day
by Sapphire Naggie
Aria’s hair is more than just hair – it is a battleground of identity, beauty, and belonging.
From biting remarks from family to microaggressions at school, Bad Hair Day is a bold and hilarious play that untangles the struggles of Black girlhood.

Fox Hunt
By George McAree
In this house, the predators wear smiles.
When sixteen-year-old Lorna visits her estranged aunt Sophia for a weekend, she enters a world where fear, hypocrisy and denial rule.
Fox Hunt is an unflinching and surreal portrait of complex family dynamics and the hypocrisy that often turns conversations around gender into a battleground.

Godot’s To-Do List
by Leo Simpe-Asante
A man, an omniscient voice and an endless to-do-list.
A bewildered man struggles to complete an increasingly surreal series of tasks set by his bossy voice assistant.
Sharp and unsettling, Godot’s To-Do List is a hauntingly hilarious exploration of the chaos of being alive.

The Young Playwrights Award Festival 2025 – Dates

Jerwood Theatre Upstairs, Royal Court Theatre
Thursday 10 July – Friday 12 July

Thu 10th July 1.30pm (13 – 15 Age Category)
Thu 10th July, 6.30pm (16 – 18 Age Category)
Fri 11th July 1.30pm (16 – 18 Age Category)
Fri 11th July 6.30pm (13 – 15 Age Category)
Sat 12th July 1.30pm (13 – 15 Age Category
Sat 12th July 6.30pm (16 – 18 Age Category

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Main photo: Young Playwrights Award - Royal Court Theatre

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