SUBMIT A PLAY
Submit your play for consideration to be part of the DCPA Middle School and High School Playwriting Competition.
Submissions for the 2025-26 Middle School and High School Playwriting Competition will open in October 2025.
For questions please contact education@dcpa.org.
Submission Requirements:
High School:
- An original, unpublished one-act play
- Previously unproduced
- Minimum of 15 pages and a maximum of 35 pages.
- Limited to 2-8 characters
- Typed in standard play-style format (12pt. Times New Roman font with numbered pages)
- Submitted online or postmarked no later than Sunday, November 30, 2025 at midnight
- Students may submit co-written projects with a maximum of two playwrights per submission.
Middle School:
- An original, unpublished 10-minute play
- Minimum of 10 pages and maximum of 15 pages.
- Limited to 2-4 characters
- Have a unit set – one location only
- Submitted online or postmarked no later than Sunday, November 30, 2025, at midnight.
- Students may submit co-written projects with a maximum of two playwrights per submission.
Submissions must not:
- Be a translation or excerpt
- Have the playwright’s name anywhere on the manuscript
Submissions are read blindly. Students submitting online enter their contact information separately from their manuscript. If submitting by mail, please include all of your contact information on a separate sheet of paper.
Playwrights must:
- Currently be enrolled in a Colorado middle or high school or home school
- Limit submissions to one entry per year
Playwriting Competition FAQs
How should I format my play?
Title Page: (see example below)
The title of play is at the top of the first page, italicized, centered, bolded, and in all caps.
Do not include the playwright’s name anywhere on the script. The playwright’s name will appear in the submission form but not on the actual script for judging purposes.
Two spaces down from the title of the play, write CHARACTERS in all caps, bolded, and centered as a heading.
Character names should appear directly below the character heading, in all caps, and bolded with a colon. After the colon, character descriptions are unbolded and include any information about the character that is important to casting (ex: age, gender, race, physical and/or personality traits, etc).
Two spaces down from the characters, write SETTING in all caps, bolded, and centered as a heading.
The setting description should appear directly below the setting heading, unbolded, aligned to the left and include any important information about the time and place of the play.
| TITLE OF PLAY CHARACTERS CHARACTER NAME: Character description… CHARACTER NAME: Character description… SETTING Setting description… |
On the final page of the script, write END OF PLAY. in all caps, bolded, centered, 2 spaces down from the last line of the play.
All winners will be required to format their plays according to these guidelines.
What is the difference between a screenplay and a play?
A screenplay is a script written exclusively for television or film. It is written with the camera in mind. A one-act play is for the stage and is written for a live audience. A successful play focuses on dialogue and discovery through dialogue. A screenplay focuses on visual story telling through action and multiple locations. This is successful in films because of the role of editing.
Can I submit an adaptation?
We are looking for original work. However, if you are inspired by a well-known story but are creating your own original interpretation, we’ll consider it. For example, West Side Story is inspired by Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet but is an original work.
What kind of subject material are you looking for?
You have stories to tell. Trust your own experience and know that it has value. We don’t need you to re-write Hunger Games for the stage. We want original work with your authentic voice. We will not dictate subject matter; however, gratuitous violence, adult language or adult themes do not necessarily make a great play.
How many pages can I write?
High School: The maximum is 35 pages. Middle School: The maximum is 10 pages and the minimum is 6 pages. Please use the Standard Play Format for your script so that your page numbers are accurate.
Should I write my name on my manuscript?
No. Manuscripts are read blindly. If you submit online you can fill out contact information separately on your profile. Your uploaded document should be free of any identifying information. If you choose to mail-in or hand deliver your manuscript, please include your contact information, including your high school and parent/guardian name and phone number on a separate piece of paper.
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