The Strand

Young Playwrights Festival

Hosted by

The Hackettstown Center for the Arts

Strand Studios

and the

Strand Performance Group

The Young Playwrights Festival recognizes aspiring young writers with a talent for

writing plays. The best plays in several categories will be read and selected by our

professional acting troupe, The Strand Performance Group. The group will then

bring to life the playwright’s creation on stage!

About

The Strand Theater of Hackettstown was once a pinnacle of theatrical activity in the

early 1900’s. Now, again as a hub for music, theater and film, we honor the aspiring

youth in the arts. The Hackettstown Center for the Arts produces the best plays

written by playwrights under 19 years of age, chosen from nationwide competitors.

Winning playwrights are awarded prizes and their work is produced, directed and

rehearsed for public performance. The Competition plays a critical role in

supporting the next generation of theatre artists. Many of these young playwrights

will go on to a successful career in writing in and out of the theater.

Under the direction of Artistic Director, Prof. Chris Lance, the Annual Nationwide

HCA Young Playwrights Festival will be presented online due to COVID. Exact time

will be posted here.

APPLICATION

(Form pending)

Competition Rules

Prizes with value up to $1,000 will be awarded to winners.

1.

Submissions are accepted between April 1, 2021 and June 15, 2021 via

electronic submission only .

2.

Entries must be received on or before the deadline date by 11:59PM Eastern

Time, and submission fee payment must be made in full at time of the submission.

All entry fees are non-refundable.

3.

The scene must not exceed 6 pages.

4.

There is no limit to the number of scripts submitted.

5.

Entry fee for each script is $10.00. Proceeds benefit the Hackettstown Center

for the Arts by helping to defray costs.

6.

Requests for feedback after an entry is submitted will not be accepted.

7.

All submitted material must be original, and all rights must be wholly owned by

the writer(s).

8.

Material must be submitted by the writer. Material written by writing teams

must be submitted by one of the writers, with consent of the other(s). All writers

must be credited on the title page.

9.

If a writing team is chosen as a winner, prizes will be given to the person who

submits the project. Each team is responsible for dividing or sharing the prize

money.

10.

Substitutions of the entered material will not be allowed. Therefore, please

proofread your script carefully before submitting!

11.

While it is always good practice to register original material with the WGA or

The Library of Congress before submitting to any competition, we do not require

registration.

12.

Contact info should be included on the cover page of the play.

13.

Stand Studios, Hackettstown Center for the Arts, The Strand Performance

Group, Paladin Knight Entertainment, LLC or any of its affiliates, claims no

ownership, nor option on your work. All ownership and rights to the scripts

submitted to this contest remains with the original rights holders.

Etiquette

Your script’s first impression is important. You won’t be disqualified if you don’t

follow these guidelines, but doing so will make you come across as a professional.

Recommended Formatting: Standard Stage Play format requires scripts to be

written in 12-point Courier font on 8.5” x 11” white paper typed or printed on one

side only using black ink. Standard copier paper is acceptable. Font: Courier 12

point. No exceptions. Page numbers should be placed in the upper right hand

corner of each page except the title and character page.

Screenwriting Software: Professional screenwriting software isn’t just for

screenwriters. Playwrights use Final Draft or Arc Studio to help with industry-

standard formatting, pagination, font and margins. Final Draft has many templates

for stage plays. Otherwise, customizng the layout of your favorite word processor

will work too.

Proofread: Always double check your work. Grammatical errors or poor

punctuationcreate a poor impression. Check spelling, syntax, as well as the flow of

your writing.

Eligibility

1.

All writers that are 18 years of age or younger by June 30, 2021 are eligible. In

other words, if you are already 19 years of age by June 30, 2021, you are not eligible.

2.

Writers 17 and younger must have the permission from a parent or legal

guardian.

3.

All persons, anywhere in the world, are eligible. However, the material

submitted must be in English (an occasional dialogue in other languages is

acceptable, if translation is provided).

4.

All material submitted to other competitions or contests are eligible for this

contest.

5.

There are no requirements as to when the material was written.

6.

The stage play and intellectual property must be original work by the writer(s).

7.

We have no preferences regarding title page content. Title and name of writer

would suffice.

8.

Entries for this competition are managed on the submission platform Coverfly.

9.

Adaptations are ineligible unless the underlying rights are owned by the writer

or the work is in the public domain.

10.

All material must be submitted electronically as a PDF or it will not be eligible.

Notifications

Winners will be announced by Wednesday, June 30, 2021.

Public Script Reading

Finalists may have their scripts reviewed by the Strand Performance Group at a

Public Script Reading and will be notified is such an event occurs.

Awards

Prizes will be awarded based on number of applicants, categories, and sponsors.

Playwright winners will receive a Certificate, Trophy and a professionally edited video

of their performed play at a later date. Winners do not need to be present. Winners

will be conacted as well as posted on this web page.

Judges

Judging is done by a panel of professionals in the entertainment business. Judges

may not be contacted by playwrights and therefore, names and biographies will be

posted after the submission deadline. The decision of the Judges is final. Family

members are prohibited from competing.

Criteria

The winners will be chosen based on the following criteria:

•

Concept

•

Story

•

Structure

•

Characters

•

Dialogues

•

Genre Conventions

1.

Entrants may be required to submit further information to assist in the judges’

verification of eligibility.

2.

Any entrant may be deemed ineligible as a Finalist or Winner at the sole

discretion of Strand Studios.

3.

Finalists may be required to sign and return within seven (7) business days of

receipt a notarized Affidavit of Eligibility and a Release and Indemnification and

proof of valid passport and any other documents that Strand Studios or any other

partner may require before receiving prize payment. Failure to respond to the initial

notification within ten (10) days or return of notification will result in disqualification.

5.

We reserve the right to amend these rules at any time.

Submissions

Online

Scripts should be submitted via the Online Application Form at the top of this page.

By Mail

Scripts may be submitted by US mail. Enclose the script, cover letter with

playwright’s name, address, telephone, parent/legal guardian’s authorization and

$10 application fee (check or money order made out to Hackettstown Center for the

Arts) and mail to:

Strand Young Playwrights Festival

℅ Hackettstown Center for the Arts

PO Box 243

Hackettstown, NJ 07840

Contact

Inquiries, sponsorships, and press may email us at:

ypf@HackettstownArts.org

Legal

1.

COPYRIGHT AND OWNERSHIP: Stand Studios, Hackettstown Center for the

Arts, The Strand Performance Group, Paladin Knight Entertainment or any of its

affiliates, any other partner, employee or agent associated with this contest claims

no ownership nor first right of option to any original screenplay submitted to this

contest. All ownership and rights to the scripts submitted to this contest remains

with the original rights holders until and unless other agreements are made.

2.

PUBLICITY: Except where prohibited by law, participation in the Festival

constitutes each entrant’s consent to Strand Studios, The Strand Performance

Group, Paladin Knight Entertainment, LLC, the Hackettstown Center for the Arts and

its agents’ and contest sponsor’s use of entrants’ names, likenesses, photographs,

and/or personal information for promotional purposes in any media, worldwide,

without further payment or consideration. All uses of a entrants’ information are in

accordance with our Privacy Policy.

3.

REFUND POLICY: All entries are non-refundable.

4.

ENTRY CONDITIONS AND RELEASE: BY ENTERING THE CONTEST YOU

ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU HAVE READ AND AGREE TO THESE CONDITIONS. You

agree to release and hold harmless Strand Studios, Paladin Knight Entertainment,

LLC, the Hackettstown Center for the Arts, its subsidiary, parent and affiliated

companies, Prize contributors, judges, screenplay and/or playwright readers,

Sponsors, and any other organizations responsible for administering, advertising or

promoting the Festival, and every one of their respective members, directors,

employees, agents and representatives (collectively, the “Released Parties”) past and

present from and against any and all claims, expenses, and liability, including but

not limited to damages and negligence to property and persons, including but not

limited to invasion of privacy, defamation, slander, libel, violation of right of publicity,

copyright, infringement of trademark or other intellectual property rights relating to

a participant’s Entry, participation in the Festival and/or acceptance or use or

misuse of Prize; provided however, that such release will not apply to any

commercial exploitation of the script by a Released Party in violation of your rights

under applicable copyright law; and (c) indemnify, defend and hold harmless Strand

Studios, Paladin Knight Entertainment, LLC, the Hackettstown Center for the Arts

and its Sponsor, agents and employees from and against any and all claims,

expenses, and liabilities (including reasonable attorneys fees) relating to an entrant’s

participation in the Festival and/or entrant’s use or misuse of Prize. ENTRY TO THIS

FESTIVAL IS VOID WHERE PROHIBITED or restricted by any Federal, State or Local

law. Voided entries will be refunded. Recipients’ eligibility will be verified before the

grant is awarded and the winner may be required to sign an affidavit of eligibility. By

entering the Festival, you authorize us to use any trusted third-party online and

cloud-based services and databases for hosting, managing and/or transmitting your

submission file(s).