These inspirational awards celebrating new writing at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe was set up in 2019 by the Popcorn Group, a film and theatre company, to celebrate fearless work which playfully and artistically addresses current affairs, societal trends, and contributes positively to public debate.
To be considered, plays had to be submitted before the deadline, 21st June 2024 - a new piece of writing with no more than seven performances in advance of this year’s Edinburgh Fringe, and performed at the partner venues which include Assembly Festival, Gilded Balloon, Pleasance, Summerhall, Traverse Theatre, Underbelly, Greenside Venues, ZOO Venues and theSpaceUK.
“It’s wonderful to be back in Edinburgh with BBC Writers for this year’s Popcorn Writing Award. The Fringe is all about new writing, taking risks, being bold and being able to fail. It’s an inclusive, imaginative, creative and unbelievably inspiring Festival and gathering”. Popcorn Group’s founder, Charlotte Colbert
" In this third year as partners on the Popcorn Award, BBC Writers are looking forward to seeing the best new writing that the Fringe has to offer ... writing that displays imagination, nuance and bravery’. Jess Loveland, Head of New Writing for BBC Drama
Edinburgh Guide has reviewed a few of the nominated plays - The English Persian Kitchen, So Young, Trawled etc, so it will be exciting to see which playwright wins the Popcorn award 2024.
The shortlist of plays and writers for the Popcorn Writing Award 2024:
A Knock on the Roof by Khawla Ibraheem, Traverse
BLUBBER by Katie Greenall, Summerhall
Count to Five by Zamalisa Mdoda, Greenside
Dear Annie I Hate You by Sam Ipema, Zoo Venues
Diary of a Gay Disaster by Rachael Mailer, Underbelly
Gracie and the Start of the End of the World (Again) by Zoë Bullock, Assembly
HOW I LEARNED TO SWIM by Somebody Jones, Roundabout @ Summerhall
HYPER by Ois O'Donoghue, Summerhall
In the Lady Garden by Babs Horton, Pleasance
My English Persian Kitchen by Hannah Khalil, Traverse
Pop Off, Michelangelo! by Dylan MarcAurele, Gilded Balloon
Really Good Exposure by Megan Prescott, Underbelly
REVENGE: After the Levoyah by Nick Cassenbaum, Summerhall
So Young by Douglas Maxwell, Traverse
Squidge by Tiggy Bayley, Pleasance
The Book of Mountains and Seas by Yilong Liu, Pleasance
The Last Incel by Jamie Sykes, Underbelly
Trawled - when adventure becomes survival by Eoin Ryan, theSpaceUK
VL by Kieran Hurley & Gary McNair, Roundabout @ Summerhall
Weather Girl by Brian Watkins, Summerhall
The innovative Popcorn Writing Award has a prize fund of £6,000 which goes directly to the playwrights. Past winners include Bryony Kimmings who went on to write Last Christmas with Emma Thompson, and Sabrina Ali who won last year with her play Dugsi Dayz.
The winners of the Popcorn Awards 2024 will be announced at a ceremony on 22nd August at the Pleasance Courtyard.