About the Contest

Founded by the Women in Theater Program in 1984, the Jane Chambers Playwriting Contest honors lesbian poet, playwright, and novelist Jane Chambers (1937-1983), whose influence on the American stage was shaped by her female-centered submissions such as A Late Snow (1974), Last Summer at Bluefish Cove (1980), Kudzu (1981), and My Blue Heaven (1982). Since 1998, the contest has been awarded in tandem with the Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE), following fourteen years sponsored solely by WTP. Each year two winning submissions are chosen — one for the main division and one student play — as well as a cadre of runners-up, all of which are publicized within WTP, ATHE, LMDA, and to the press. The prize offers heightened visibility for the playwright and the winning submissions.

A shortlist of finalists will be publicized on the Women and Theatre Program website by early June, followed by the announcement of the Winner by July 1, annually. The winner will receive an award of $1K from the WTP Program, up to $500 towards travel expenses (reimbursement), conference registration, two nights in the conference hotel from ATHE, and  a rehearsed reading at the conference as well as a one-year membership in the Dramatists Guild.