Global Playwriting Competition

Filipino residents wade along flooded streets in Las Pinas, south of Manila, Philippines 19/08/2013

Call for entries for a Global Playwriting Competition, on the theme: "Confronting Climate Change and Defying Disasters" with a prize of 5,000 USD. The project is organised through the Philippine Centre of the International Theatre Institute (ITI), with partners, and is open to all writers (entries in English or French).

The term “climate change” is defined the way it is defined in Article 1 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC), as well as in the Sendai Declaration on Disaster Reduction and the websites of UNISDR, UNESCO, UNEP, and IPCC.

The project is organized through the Philippine Center of the International Theatre Institute, its CIDC social action network, and the Earthsavers, UNESCO Artist for Peace, under the direction of Cecile Guidote Alvarez. The project is a contribution for the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of UNESCO. It has been conceived to demonstrate the immense value of a cultural communications ingredient as a force for education in popularizing scientific data in symbols people can understand and relate to, as well as to provide a conscienticizing platform to help forge the collective will for the crucial global deal in Paris to prevent the irreversible threshold of two degrees Centigrade of devastation. It is also meant to call attention to the dynamic possibilities of applying effectively an arts-based psychosocial therapy to heal the trauma of victims and refugees of disaster, as part of recovery and reconstruction efforts to address the mental health of survivors. It aims to harness a creative army of artists concerned to help confront the global challenge of survival of humankind and Mother Earth.

THE RULES (see guidelines for full details)
1. The competition is open to all playwrights without regard to age, sex, nationality, or membership in any organization.
2. Playwrights may submit one play only, which should have a running time of at least 30 minutes but not more than 45 minutes without intermission.
3. Each entry may be written by one or more playwrights. In case there are two or more playwrights, a written statement signed by each contributing playwright should accompany the entry, certifying that each playwright will get an equal share of the cash
award, if the play wins. The title of the play and the name(s) and contact information (email address, mobile phone number, mailing address) of the playwright(s) should be indicated on the first page of the entry. The name(s) of the playwright(s) should not be indicated or mentioned on any other page of the entry.
4. The entry must be in one of the UNESCO languages, English or French, but occasional and necessary use of other languages in characters’ lines is allowed.
5. No previously published or produced plays will be accepted.

There will be one prize for the best play. The prize of Five Thousand US Dollars (USD 5,000.00) will be given by the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR), headed by Margaretha Walhstrom, the Special Representative of Secretary General Ban Ki Moon.

Each entry (in pdf attachment) must be received on or before noon of 30 August 2015 (Manila time)

Image: Filipino residents wade along flooded streets in Las Pinas, south of Manila, Philippines on Monday. Photograph: Aaron Favila/AP The Guardian