International Radio Playwriting Competition 2018

Would you like to win £2,200 sterling, a trip to London and have your play broadcast across the world on BBC World Service? Writers from around the world are invited to submit scripts for the International Radio Playwriting Competition 2018.

The global competition hosted by BBC World Service and the British Council, in partnership with co-producers The Open University, offers the unique opportunity for playwrights to have their radio play heard across the globe by the BBC World Service's millions of listeners.

Whether you're an established or a completely new writer, the International Radio Playwriting Competition welcomes scripts from anyone outside of the UK. The radio dramas can be on any subject you like, as long as they are 53 minutes long.

This year the two first prizes can come from either the English as a First Language or the English as a Second Language category. Both winners will travel to London, attend an award ceremony and see their plays recorded before they're broadcast on the BBC World Service.

There is also a third award — the Georgi Markov prize — which celebrates the most promising script from the shortlist, in honour of BBC World Service Journalist and writer Georgi Markov (1929—1978). The winner of this prize will also travel to London for the award ceremony and spend two weeks being mentored by BBC Radio Drama and BBC World Service.

Last year we received 1,000 entries from a record 112 countries. Writers from Papua New Guinea, the Phillipines, Brazil, Canada, Nigeria, India, Australia, South Africa, Jamaica and the USA all made the shortlist.

"The competition continues to provide an important platform for talented writers from around the world", says Neil Webb, Director Theatre and Dance at the British Council. "The universal desire to tell our stories coupled with the global reach of the World Service makes the competition an invaluable bridge between people of the world and the United Kingdom."

Visit the BBC website to find out more about how to apply and to read the terms and conditions.

The deadline to apply is midnight (GMT) on 31 January 2018.