THE NORTH EAST PLAYWRITING AWARD

The North East Playwriting Award

Education Partner: The Northern School Of Art

The winners of the North East Playwriting Award 2026 were announced at a ceremony at Live Theatre on Tuesday 31 March 2026. 

Andrew Thompson won the main award for his play Not A Happy Love Song which will receive a full commission with a view to a production on Live Theatre’s main stage. The Under 26 Award was won jointly by Ben Gettins for Fiddle and Abby J. Walker for The Hanging Room. 

Supported by the Northern School Of Art, the biennial awards were open to all writers over the age of 16 who are from, living or working in the North East. A host of special awards were also presented for 2026.

Milethia Rachel Thomas scooped the Residency Award for Amazing Grace, a new play about voluntary homelessness in response to the Windrush scandal and how prejudice in the modern day is increasingly normalised.

Theatre critic Tracey Sinclair received the Outstanding Contribution to North East Theatre award. A tireless champion of North East Theatre, Tracey plays a crucial role in keeping new voices in the national conversation. Her award was presented to her by Lyn Gardner from The Stage. 

Hamzeh Al Hussien, the Syrian writer and performer of critically acclaimed production Penguin won the Adopt A Playwright grant, a special grant to help seed fund his next play The Entertainer. Ukrainian artists Ivanna Nitsak and Volodymyr Piterov were given the Spirit of The North East Award by North East legend Jimmy Nail. 

The tireless founder of Alphabetti Ali Pritchard, who has transformed the emerging and mid-career artists scene in the North East and beyond, was recognised with the Live Theatre Honorary Award.