The Seoul Foundation is launching the 'Seoul Play Award' competition today, aimed at discovering outstanding original plays and revitalizing the theater ecosystem.
The 4th Seoul Play Award competition will run from June 10 to September 14. This award has established itself as a leading initiative for original play submissions in South Korea. Last year, 256 unpublished original plays were submitted, reflecting a high level of interest from playwrights.
Recently, at the 62nd Baeksang Arts Awards, the second award-winning play, 'End Wall: What Lies Beyond That Wall,' was nominated for the Best Play category, showcasing the award's role as a gateway for contemporary original plays.
The Seoul Play Award is open to unpublished original plays, and any writer residing in Seoul or based in the city can apply. The final selected work will receive a top prize of 30 million won, the highest award amount for a single category in domestic original play competitions.
The application period will continue until September 14, with submissions accepted online through the Seoul Foundation's official website from August 31 to September 14 at 6 PM.
Applicants must submit a manuscript, a project overview, and an application form. Works that have won other competitions, been published, performed, or are co-created are not eligible. The selection process will involve a first round of document review followed by a second round of discussion, assessing the artistic quality of the work, the writer's creative capabilities, and the potential for future staging. The final selected work will be announced in December.
Song Hyung-jong, CEO of the Seoul Foundation, stated, "The Seoul Play Award is a truly representative competition for original plays in the country, consistently discovering new writers and works that capture contemporary sensibilities. We hope to see a variety of innovative works with fresh perspectives and imaginative staging emerge through this year's award."
Meanwhile, voices in the theater community are calling for an expansion of competitions to promote original plays. During the third meeting of the Cultural Arts Policy Advisory Committee's theater division held the previous day, members unanimously agreed that expanding competitions and production support is urgent.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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