A is For’s Playwriting Contest 2024

Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, Americans have endured a steady erosion of protections for our fundamental rights. Not just reproductive rights, but the entire lived experiences of any person who doesn’t neatly fit into a white, cis, male, heteronormative world view.

Are you a playwright wondering how the hell this has happened? Are you interested in exploring themes of stigma and shame, and how to make sense of it all? If you are, we want to hear from you!

Stigma and shame are tools of oppression. This is what A is For seeks to address. Art is the remedy. Theatre allows us to intimately envision ourselves without limitations. This playwriting contest and festival supports and promotes artists who speak truth to power, challenge entrenched narratives, and boldly reframe conversations about reproductive justice.

If this sounds like you, send us a play!

Your play does not have to be about abortion literally. (Although it can be!) If you are exploring the impact of shame and stigma as an obstacle to autonomy and liberation, we’re interested. The plays we hope to bring to the fore will be diverse in perspective as well as imagination. They may be personal and realistic, or they may be allegorical. They may be fantastic, sprung from dreams, or they may be grounded in naturalism. From the surrealist to the literal. From magical realism to documentary. Whatever form or shape they may take, we hope to receive a wide range of works from all over the country – and beyond!* – reflecting the great variety of experiences that reproductive justice and/or bodily autonomy demands we all recognize.

While the bulk of our 2023 submissions were from the United States, we do accept plays from playwrights anywhere in the world. Last year we received plays from 14 countries! Reproductive justice and bodily autonomy are global issues.

Click here to Submit your ONe Act

Dates

Submissions will be accepted July 18, 2024 through October 18, 2024 11:59PM EST.
Winners will be announced March 2025.
All three plays will be presented as staged readings at our 2024/25 play festival, scheduled for Late Spring 2025.

Criteria

You may submit as many plays as you wish. Each play requires a separate entry.
You may not edit an entry after submitting.
Please submit only one-act plays; Full length plays or plays with an intermission will be disqualified.
Plays must NOT be longer than 90 minutes. Plays longer than 90 minutes will be disqualified.
If you have a one-act or full length you would like to submit that is longer than 90 minutes, you may submit a scene, a section, or a cutting, but your submission must not be longer than 90 minutes.
Plays can be as short as they need to be. They can be as short as a single page if you feel that is sufficient to tell your story.
Please submit your files in PDF only.
Plays in languages other than English will be accepted as long as an accompanying English translation is also provided.
Plays should have a cover page that includes the name of the playwright and all relevant contact information.
You must fill out the demographic survey. It is required for entry. Please be assured that your answers will be completely anonymous, and will have no bearing on how your entry is received. A is For is dedicated to being an anti-racist, equitable, and inclusive organization. We need this information in order to hold ourselves accountable for making sure we are reaching the most diverse range of writers possible

Winners

A qualified Jury of accomplished theatre professionals and experts in reproductive justice will read and assess all entries.
Only the winner and runners up will be contacted directly by A is For once the jury has made its decisions.
Grand Prize will be awarded to one play which will receive $5,000
The Second Place winner will be awarded $3,000, and the Third Place winner will be awarded $1,500.
All three plays will be presented as rehearsed readings during our festival.

Support

If you have any questions about the contest or the entry process, please email: contest@aisfor.org

Why a Playwriting Contest?

It’s not just abortion that is stigmatized in our culture, but the entire lived experiences of people who seek to fulfill their promise as autonomous human beings, realize their own dreams, raise their families in safety and peace, pursue their ambitions, and maintain control over their physical and reproductive lives.

The subject of reproductive justice is one too often simplified by our current dialogues. And too often the voices and perspectives of the people most affected by restrictions, legislative prohibitions, and cultural prejudices are excluded from our artistic institutions.

A is For seeks to change that. We believe that theatre is a powerful platform through which to share stories, debunk myths, and create lasting change. We believe that theatre can transform. We want to challenge the abstract, politicized, and stigmatized ways people think about abortion and reproductive justice. We want to amplify voices that can reframe the conversation. We want to support and promote artists who can dispel myths and misconceptions. We want to hear the stories you want to tell.

In that spirit, the stories we hope to bring to the fore will be diverse in perspective as well as imagination. These plays may be personal and realistic, or they may be allegorical. They may be fantastic, sprung from dreams, or they may be grounded in naturalism. From the surrealist, to the literal. From magical realism, to documentarian. Whatever form or shape they may take, we hope to receive a wide range of works from all over the country, reflecting the great variety of experiences that reproductive justice demands we all recognize.

In highlighting these stories, we’re broadening the emotional vocabulary of the American audience, and opening up our theaters to a fuller and more honest exploration of the human experience.