X INTERNATIONAL PRIZE FOR YOUTH AUDIENCE PLAYS
The prize aims to promote a love of the theater among young people.
Contest open to all playwrights worldwide.
The spirit of this competition is the participation of playwrights in terms of equality, regardless of nationality, age, gender, or language.
Key dates
- July 15, 2025 Entries close.
- September 1, 2025 Finalists.
- September 30, 2025 Winner.
Elegibility
1. Authors of any nationality and age may enter this competition.
a) Co-authored theatrical pieces by multiple writers are accepted. Hereafter, ‘writer’ or ‘playwright’ means either a single writer or a group of writers in a collective work.
2. The competition is restricted to theatrical works aimed at teenagers between 13 and 18 years old, or university students.
a) Plays that do not meet this requirement will not be evaluateds.
b) Musicals are not accepted.
3. The plays must have a length that allows for a minimum performance duration of 60 minutes.
4. The plays may be submitted in any official language of the worldo.
5. The plays must be original and unpublished, not having been awarded previously, nor have the text been disseminated in physical or digital media, social networks, or websites.
a) Plays that have already been performed on stage may be submitted.
6. There is no fee to enter and no hidden costs for the entrants.
How to enter
7. Submissions may be made until July 15, 2025
a) Each author may submit a maximum of two plays.
8. Submission of the play: Each entry must contain just one play. Each play should be sent in a single electronic document via the menu available at teatrojoven.edalya.com or on the Editorial DALYA website: edalya.com
a) The document must contain a front page stating:
1) The title of the play and the slogan or pseudonym.
2) Contact e-mail.
Judging process
9. Shorlist. The evaluators will assess each play in accordance with the following criteria:
a) Quality of dramatic text and audience appeal (characters, dialogue, story development, style, rhythm…).
b) Suitability of the theme for teenagers or university students, and crafting discussions and problem-solving around their conflict issues.
c) Factors that ease the production: cast, set, technical requirements....
d) Preference for unpremiered works.
10. Before September 1, 2025, the jury will select at least two plays as finalists.
a) The finalist playwrights must re-submit the play, including personal details (name, headshot, address, nationality...) and CV on the front page.
b) Include the authorisation of the legal guardian, if applicable.
11. Winning Play. The Jury will select a winning play before September 30, 2025.
a) The Jury’s verdict is final.
Awards
12. Awards:
a) Winner: Consists of 2,400 euros in cash, translation of the play into a language different from the original, and publication.
b) Finalists: Translation of the play into a language different from the original, and publication.
c) The prize may be declared void.
13. Delivery:
a) The cash prize money will be remitted at the time of publication of the winning play or, if applicable, with the signing of the publishing contract.
b) Its amount will be considered an advance payment of the exploitation rights for the author.
c) Editorial DALYA commits itself to publish an awarded play before September 1, 2026, plus the periods of force majeure.
General
14. By entering into the competition, entrants guarantee that their plays will not infringe upon any copyright or intellectual property rights, they do not violate any personal privacy regulations, or the rights of any person or entity.
15. Entrants are bound to notify the organisation about award, premiere or publication of their submitted plays before the announcement of the Jury’s verdict.
16. By entering into the competition, each entrant agrees to be bound by the contest rules. No communication or correspondence will be entered into regarding the non-awarded plays.
17. Entrants accept the terms of the privacy policy described at https://www.edalya.com/?Itemid=250
Specific
18. Awarded entrants commit themselves to sign a Publisher-Writer agreement with the customary terms of Editorial DALYA, described at https://www.edalya.com/?Itemid=333 If it is not formalized, for any reason, the content of the contest rules will be considered as the agreement as regard as the publication of the awarded plays.
a) Editorial DALYA can publish these plays in any language of the world.
b) Plays will be published in the book series of theatre, named “Antonio Mesa Ruiz””.
c) For the publication of the awarded plays, the authors will not be required to pay any fees, such as expenses, co-publishing costs, or similar charges.
19. By entering the prize, the awarded entrants grant non-exclusive permission to Editorial DALYA, its sponsors and any members of the media to use their résumés and extracts from their plays in publicity and reporting.
20. The awarded participants commit making mention of the award in their future publications or performances of the play.