Sabi Arts Playwright Prize 2026/2027: Win ₦1 Million

Scholarship Details

The Sabi Arts Playwright Prize 2026/2027 is now accepting submissions from Nigerian playwrights aged 18 and above who want to showcase their original theatrical work. The inaugural edition offers a total prize pool of ₦1.4 million across three awards, alongside professional production opportunities, staged readings, mentorship, VIP access to theatre productions, and entry into the next Sabi Arts Writer’s Residency.

Organised by Sabi Arts, the annual prize aims to recognise and support Nigerian playwrights creating original stories for the stage. Eligible applicants can live in Nigeria or anywhere in the diaspora, provided their submission meets the competition requirements.

The submission period opened on 1 October 2026, and applications close on 20 December 2026 at 11:59 p.m. West Africa Time (WAT). There is no submission fee.

Benefits of the Sabi Arts Playwright Prize 2026/2027

The competition has three awards, with different cash prizes and professional development opportunities.

1. Grand Prize

The Grand Prize is awarded to the playwright whose original play is selected as the overall winner.

The winner will receive:

• ₦1,000,000 cash prize.
• A professional production of the winning play by Sabi Arts.
• VIP access to all Sabi Arts productions for one year.
• Automatic entry into the next Sabi Arts Writer’s Residency.

The professional production gives the winning playwright an opportunity to take their work beyond the manuscript and towards a live theatrical audience.

2. Runner-Up Prize

The Runner-Up Prize recognises another outstanding submission, with an emphasis on theatrical craft.

The selected playwright will receive:

• ₦200,000 cash prize.
• VIP access to all Sabi Arts productions for one year.
• Automatic entry into the next Sabi Arts Writer’s Residency.

3. The Julie Okoh Prize

The Julie Okoh Prize offers ₦200,000 to the best play written by a woman that centres the lives and experiences of women.

The prize is named after Professor Julie Okoh, a Nigerian theatre scholar and playwright whose work confronted realities affecting women in Nigerian society. Her body of work addressed issues such as violence against women, sexual exploitation, female genital mutilation, and the silencing of women’s voices.

Eligible recipients of this award will receive:

• ₦200,000 cash prize.
• A staged reading by Sabi Arts.
• Mentorship with Ibi Kontein.
• VIP access to all Sabi Arts productions for one year.
• Automatic entry into the next Sabi Arts Writer’s Residency.

The play does not have to imitate Professor Julie Okoh’s themes or writing style. However, women’s lives, experiences, concerns, or issues must form a meaningful part of the work.

To be considered for the Julie Okoh Prize, a woman playwright must tick the relevant box on the submission form. This answer is handled administratively and remains hidden from readers and jurors during the artistic assessment.

Women playwrights remain eligible for the Grand Prize and Runner-Up Prize. The Julie Okoh Prize is an additional recognition within the same competition, not a separate contest.

Important: No writer may receive more than one prize in the same edition. If a play eligible for the Julie Okoh Prize wins either the Grand Prize or Runner-Up Prize, the Julie Okoh Prize will be awarded to the next highest-ranked eligible play.

Total prize value

The three cash awards add up to ₦1,400,000, excluding the additional value of production, staged reading, mentorship, residency access, and other benefits.

Additional Opportunities for Selected Playwrights

Beyond the cash awards, the prize offers opportunities to bring original Nigerian theatre writing to wider audiences.

Sabi Arts plans to publish the inaugural Sabi Arts Playwright Prize Anthology digitally and in print. The anthology is intended to feature the three winning scripts and three additional shortlisted plays selected by the jury.

This initiative will help preserve the selected works and introduce playwrights to readers, educators, theatre practitioners, and wider audiences.

The Grand Prize winner will receive a professional production opportunity, while the Julie Okoh Prize winner will receive a staged reading. These opportunities differ, so applicants should not assume that every prize includes a full professional production.

Eligibility Requirements for the Sabi Arts Playwright Prize

To apply, candidates must satisfy the following requirements:

1. Nationality: You must be a Nigerian playwright.
2. Age: You must be at least 18 years old.
3. Location: You may reside in Nigeria or abroad.
4. Original work: Your play must be your own original creation.
5. Publication status: The play must not have been previously published.
6. Production status: The play must not have been previously produced.
7. Number of submissions: Each playwright may submit only one play in this edition.
8. Individual authorship: Co-authored plays are not eligible.
9. Language: The play must be written in English.
10. Length: The manuscript must not exceed 75 pages.
11. Submission format: The manuscript must be submitted as a PDF through the designated submission platform.

Writers who enter the 2026/2027 edition may apply again in subsequent editions of the annual prize.

There is no prescribed theme, so eligible playwrights can explore a broad range of stories and theatrical ideas.

Eligible Play Genres and Themes

Sabi Arts welcomes original, full-length plays across different genres, styles, and subject areas.

Eligible forms include:

• Comedy.
• Tragedy.
• Realism.
• Experimental theatre.
• Musicals.
• Verse drama.
• One-person plays.
• Other theatrical forms suitable for live performance.

There is no compulsory subject or theme. Writers can develop stories around their own interests, experiences, communities, and observations.

However, applicants are encouraged to consider the practical requirements of staging a play, including cast size, locations, technical requirements, and production needs. This does not mean that the play must be small or simple; it means that the work should be conceived for live theatrical production.

Adaptations of existing published or produced works are not eligible, including adaptations of the playwright’s own previously published or produced work.

Manuscript and Formatting Requirements

Applicants must prepare their scripts carefully before submitting them.

1. Language and translation

The play must be written in English.

Words and phrases from other languages may be included. However, any such words or phrases should be translated in a glossary placed at the end of the script.

The glossary does not count towards the 75-page manuscript limit.

2. Maximum length

The manuscript must be no longer than 75 pages.

Submissions exceeding the maximum page limit may be disqualified.

3. File format

The play must be uploaded as a PDF.

There is no prescribed formatting style, but the manuscript must be clearly legible and have numbered pages.

4. Anonymity requirements

The competition uses a blind review process. Readers and jurors must not see the playwright’s identity during the artistic assessment.

Do not include any of the following anywhere in the manuscript:

• Your full name or other identifying name.
• Your biography.
• Your email address.
• Your social media handle.
• Any other information that could identify you.

This restriction also applies to the title page, headers, footers, and acknowledgements.

Your name must not appear in the PDF filename either. Enter your personal information only in the designated submission form.

A submission that compromises the anonymous assessment process may be disqualified.

Originality, Plagiarism and Artificial Intelligence Rules

The Sabi Arts Playwright Prize requires original work created by the person submitting it.

Standard editing and proofreading tools are permitted. However, the creative content must be the playwright’s own work.

This includes:

• Story and plot.
• Dialogue.
• Characters.
• Structure.
• Dramatic writing.

AI-generated dramatic content is not permitted. Sabi Arts reserves the right to disqualify any submission found to have been substantially generated by artificial intelligence or to have misrepresented authorship.

Plagiarism is prohibited. Applicants should ensure that the work is original and that they have the right to submit it.

Application Deadline and Important Dates

Applicants should take note of the following schedule for the inaugural edition.

Late submissions will not be considered.

All entrants will be contacted with the outcome of their submission. The longlist, shortlist, and winners will also be announced on the Sabi Arts website and social media channels.

The judges’ decisions are final, and the organisation will not enter into correspondence regarding the outcome.

How to Apply for the Sabi Arts Playwright Prize 2026/2027

Applications are submitted online through the Moksha platform.

Follow these steps:

Step 1: Read the official guidelines.

Visit the Sabi Arts Playwright Prize submission guidelines and review the rules before preparing your entry.

Step 2: Prepare your original play.

Ensure that your script is full-length, written in English, previously unpublished and unproduced, and no longer than 75 pages.

If you use words or phrases from other languages, provide translations in a glossary at the end of the script.

Step 3: Check the manuscript for compliance.

Confirm that your pages are numbered, the PDF is legible, and the manuscript contains no identifying details. Remove your name from the filename as well.

Make sure the creative content is your own and does not contain AI-generated dramatic writing.

Step 4: Complete the online submission.

Visit the Sabi Arts Playwright Prize submission portal and follow the instructions to submit your play.

Enter your personal information through the form rather than placing it inside the anonymous manuscript.

If you are a woman playwright and your play meaningfully centres women’s experiences, select the Julie Okoh Prize option if you wish to be considered for that award.

Step 5: Submit before the deadline.

Submit your application before 20 December 2026 at 11:59 p.m. WAT. There is no submission fee.

Review the final PDF carefully before uploading it.

Important submission rules

Once Sabi Arts receives your submission, it is final. You cannot edit, replace, or resubmit it.

If you wish to withdraw before the competition closes, you must contact Sabi Arts to request permanent withdrawal. A withdrawn submission cannot be reinstated or replaced with a new entry.

Simultaneous submissions are permitted. However, if your play is accepted for publication or production, or receives a major award elsewhere before the winners are announced, you must notify Sabi Arts immediately and withdraw your submission.

Copyright and Publication Rights

The playwright retains full copyright to their work at all times.

However, prize winners must grant Sabi Arts an exclusive production licence for three years for the winning play. If Sabi Arts does not produce the play within that period, all production rights revert fully to the playwright.

Prize winners and shortlisted writers selected for inclusion in the anthology must also grant Sabi Arts and its appointed publishing partner a non-exclusive, perpetual licence to publish their plays digitally and in print as part of the Sabi Arts Playwright Prize Anthology.

Applicants should understand these terms before entering the competition.

Reasons an Application May Be Disqualified

A submission may be disqualified for any of the following reasons:

1. Plagiarism.
2. AI-generated dramatic content or misrepresentation of authorship.
3. Previous publication or production of the play.
4. Adaptation of an existing published or produced work.
5. Submission under another person’s name.
6. Co-authored work.
7. Exceeding the 75-page maximum.
8. Deliberately breaching the anonymity requirements.
9. Providing false eligibility information.
10. Any other material breach of the competition rules.

Applicants should review the official guidelines carefully to avoid mistakes that could invalidate their entries.

Contact Information

For questions about eligibility, the submission process, or the competition rules, contact the organisers directly.

Organiser: Sabi Arts

Email: playwrightprize@sabiarts.org

Official website: https://sabiarts.org/competition

Submission guidelines: https://sabiarts.org/competition/guidelines

Application portal: https://sabiarts.moksha.io/publication/sabi-arts-playwright-prize

Conclusion

The Sabi Arts Playwright Prize 2026/2027 offers Nigerian playwrights an opportunity to receive financial recognition, develop their craft, and bring original stories to the stage. With ₦1.4 million across three prizes, professional production and staged-reading opportunities, mentorship, residency access, and anthology publication, the competition offers benefits beyond the cash awards.

Nigerian playwrights aged 18 and above, whether living in Nigeria or abroad, can apply with an original, unpublished, and unproduced full-length play of no more than 75 pages.

There is no application fee, but the submission must comply with the anonymity, originality, formatting, and eligibility rules.

Application deadline: 20 December 2026 at 11:59 p.m. WAT.