Posted by Hamilton Fringe (Hamilton Festival Theatre Company)
Calling all playwrights and theatre makers: The 2027 Hamilton Fringe Festival New Play Contest is now accepting applications!
Do you have an unproduced 60-minute play or musical hidden deep in a drawer just waiting to be shared with the world? Maybe it’s still the tiniest seed of an idea and you’ve been waiting for a sign from the universe to finally write it out? Well, this is the sign you’ve been waiting for!
First prize winner gets a FREE performance slot in the 2027 Hamilton Fringe Festival plus $300.00 CAD. Second and third place winners each receive a Fringe Binge Pass!
The Basics:
- There is a $35 non-refundable application fee.
- Open to all playwrights/creators/collectives.
- Only one entry per playwright/creator/collective is permitted.
- All entries must be a new, original, unproduced play or musical. (Plays/musicals that have been given a staged reading or have been workshopped/mounted in student festivals within an academic context are eligible. If you’re not sure if your piece qualifies, contact Executive Director Christopher Stanton BEFORE you apply: christopher@HFTco.ca.)
- First time stage adaptations of other work from another medium are eligible IF AND ONLY IF the playwright has the rights to adapt and present the work for public performance.
- Plays can be written/performed in any language, however the playwright must provide an English translation for the jury. (The English translation is what the jury will be evaluating.)
- The playwright(s) may have received funding to create or workshop this play.
- All plays/musicals must have a performance time of 60 minutes or less. (On average, one page takes 1.5 minutes to read aloud. On average, a 60-minute theatrical work is between 35 and 45 pages.)
Winners will be announced in January at the Hamilton Fringe Festival’s Lottery Party this winter (event details to be shared later at HFTco.ca).
Whether you’ve been writing plays for years or you’re a brand new talent with a story the world should hear, this is a great opportunity to share your creative vision with a panel of theatre professionals and get a shot at putting your show on a Hamilton Fringe stage.
Apply by Thursday, November 19, 2026, at 11:59 PM. Visit HFTco.ca/new-play-contest for more info and to apply.