Submission for Sabi Arts Playwrights Prize (Deadline: Dec. 20, 2026)
The Sabi Arts Playwrights Prize has opened submissions for its inaugural edition, inviting Nigerian playwrights aged 18 and above, living in Nigeria or the diaspora, to submit original, previously unpublished and unproduced plays.
The prize offers three categories, alongside opportunities for script development, stage readings, publication and writers’ residency programmes.
The Grand Prize winner will receive ₦1 million and development support within 36 months of the announcement. The Runner-Up Prize and Julie Okoh Prize winners will each receive ₦200,000.
The Julie Okoh Prize recognises a play by a woman playwright that centres women’s experiences and meaningfully explores issues affecting women. The winning work will receive a professionally developed stage reading within 12 months (subject to its production calendar).
Submissions will undergo a three-stage blind review process, with an initial reading to determine the longlist (January 31, 2027), a second stage to select the shortlist (February 28, 2027), and final jury deliberations to determine the winners (March 31, 2027).
The inaugural jury includes playwright Farah Lawal Harris, creative director Kelvin Mary Ndukwe, artistic director Rufus Nwoko, and playwright and director Kesiena C. Obue.
Sabi Arts also plans to digitally publish an anthology featuring the three winning scripts and three additional shortlisted plays, creating a platform for new Nigerian theatre writing.
⏰ Deadline: December 20, 2026
Read the submission guidelines first.