The winner of the Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting 2019 was announced today (4 November), with NHB author Phoebe Eclair-Powell winning the top award for her play Shed: Exploded View.

Described by the writer as an “explosion in action”, Shed: Exploded View spans 30 years and sees three couples navigate family life, complex relationships and loss. As well as receiving £16,000, Eclair-Powell will work with the Royal Exchange Theatre’s creative team to develop the script.

There was also success for fellow NHB writer Stuart Slade, who won the Judges' Award for his script Glee & Me – a funny, honest, deeply moving monologue in which 16-year-old Lola charts her journey after being diagnosed with a rare, degenerative neurological condition.

The Bruntwood Prize is the biggest playwriting prize in Europe and offers the opportunity to writers of any background and experience to enter unperformed plays. Run in collaboration with the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester, the biennial competition was launched in 2005 and has awarded more than £250,000 in prize money to 28 writers. 2019 saw the introduction of two new categories: the Original New Voice Award, a prize for debut plays; and the International Award, open to writers in Australia, Canada and the USA.

We're proud to have been the official Publishing Partners of the Bruntwood Prize since its inception in 2005. To date, we've published 13 former winners of the Prize, going on to ensure the plays have a life well beyond their original production.