60th Annual Alberta Playwriting Competition (2025) - NEW SUBMISSION DEADLINE DATE
MARCH 15, 2025 (11:59PM MST)
The Alberta Playwriting Competition Grand Prize:
THE SHARON POLLOCK AWARD
Dedicated June 25, 2021
The Alberta Playwriting Competition, presented in association with Theatre Alberta, is the longest running provincial playwriting competition and offers the largest cash prize of any playwriting contest in Canada. We are happy to announce that with the blessing of the Pollock family, we are renaming the “Grand Prize” to “The Sharon Pollock Award” - in recognition of the Most Outstanding Un-produced Play written by an Alberta Playwright. Sharon was a great champion of Alberta Playwrights’ Network and anyone who devoted themselves to the craft of playmaking.
Sharon was a gift to Alberta Playwrights’ Network that kept on giving. In the late 90s she took over as board president and then stepped into the role of Executive Director. During that time, the organization was challenged by a lack of funding and Sharon worked diligently, and in some cases for free, to make sure that the bulk of funding that the organization received was spent on the development of playwrights and their work. She taught classes, oversaw Playwrights’ Circles, and helped anybody and everybody no matter their experience. She was instrumental in creating Fresh Ink, a conference about all things playwriting that brought together writers and artists from all over Alberta. Over the past 7 years, Sharon was a mentor in our RBC Mentorship Program and she loved nothing better than working with emerging writers and providing all of her talent and wisdom towards their growth. It would be impossible to count the number of plays, playwrights, and artists that Sharon had a hand in developing, but we know she left a swath as wide as Alberta.
2024 Alberta Playwriting Competition
SHARON POLLOCK PRIZE
On Monday, August 5, the recipients of the Sharon Pollock Prize and the Novitiate Prize for the 2024 Alberta Playwriting Competition (presented in association with Theatre Alberta) were announced.
The recipient of the Sharon Pollock Prize for the most outstanding un-produced play by an Alberta writer went to Jessy Ardern for her play Persuasion.
The jury had this to say about Arden’s play: “Though this is an adaptation, the playwright has made the words their own. I could visualize the innovative staging and thoroughly enjoyed the tackling of the inner struggles and angst of the characters.” (Juror #1)
The Shortlisted plays for 2024:
“Waiting for Waiting for Godot” by Tony Binns (Calgary)
Juror #1 “The influence of Beckett is clear; however the play brings a unique and fresh take. It was refreshing to see that the very clever dialogue is written for two charming older women.”“The Green House” by Krista Marushy (Calgary)
Juror #3 “A perfect witch’s brew of small-town isolation. A coming-of-age fable and a modern mystery full of poetic magical imagery. It feels like it is old and new at the same time, all rooted in complex and eccentric characters that make a family thick with tension that needs release.”“The Resurrection of Dottie Reed” by Nicole Moeller (Edmonton)
Juror #2 “While the play has a thrilling cyber-crime story to it, the play stays grounded as Dottie and her daughter both are confronted by new phases in life, and a constantly changing world. The playwright has created a very juicy role that any actress would love to sink her teeth into.”“Tough Guy” by Hayley Moorhouse (Calgary)
Juror #3 “Tough Guy deftly explores the aftermath of a mass shooting in a gay club through the eyes of witnesses, survivors, and social media. The spectrum of queer characters and their subtle differences displays a wide range of real emotional impacts on the daily lives of this group of friends, who are just trying to grieve..”
The Alberta Playwriting Competition is presented by APN in association with Theatre Alberta.
Alberta Playwrights' Network acknowledges the many First Nations, Metis, and Inuit people who are the original storytellers and knowledge keepers of this land.
APN is a signatory to the 35/50 Initiative and is committed to those principles and goals in the work we do now and our work in the future.