The Voaden Prize

2021 National Competition will open
November 15, 2020

The DAN School of Drama and Music at Queen’s University in partnership with Kingston WritersFest is proud to announce the 2021 Competition for the Herman Voaden National Playwrighting Prize.

This biennial, nation-wide, open competition, named to honour the Canadian pioneer playwright Herman Voaden is judged blind, meaning the judges select the Winners and Honourable Mentions without knowing the identity of the playwrights.

The First Prize-winning playwright will receive a professional three-day workshop of the script in September 2021 at Queen’s University. In addition, the DAN School of Drama and Music, in partnership with Kingston WritersFest, will offer a public staged reading of the winning play, followed by a talk-back session, as part of the programming of the 2021 Kingston WritersFest.

About THE VOADEN PRIZE in PLAYWRITING

This biennial nation-wide open competition, named to honor the Canadian pioneer playwright Herman Voaden, is judged “blind”. The judges select the Winners and Honorable Mentions without knowing the names of the playwrights.
Herman Voaden (1903-1991), Canadian playwright, director and theatrical innovator, was a lifelong champion of Canadian culture.
“It gives some satisfaction to know that the crusade I have helped to lead has made it possible for the dreamers and innovators of today’s theatre to follow their dreams and continue their innovations.”
The competition is made possible by a generous bequest from Mr. Voaden’s estate. The award is dedicated to his memory and honors his goals to develop a distinctively Canadian art of the theatre and to encourage the writing of Canadian drama.