The Armenian Dramatic Arts Alliance proudly announces the:

2008 William Saroyan Prize for Playwriting


Finalists

NADIA, by Lilly Thomassian
About an Armenian family living in Iraq confronting the chaos of the war.

FLESH AND TENDERNESS, by Kristen Lazarian
A fourth-generation Armenian American woman coming to terms with her family history.

THE LIVING AND THE DEAD, by Matthew 'Yazo' Yaldezian
Recounting the early life, love and writings of William Saroyan.

THE AWARD

The Armenian Dramatic Arts Alliance is pleased to announce the establishment of the biennial William Saroyan Prize for Playwriting, a $10,000 prize to be awarded for the first time in 2008 for a new play based on Armenian themes.

One award of $10,000 will be made to the winning script biannually. The award will be presented publicly at a west coast event. The award will be administered by the Armenian Dramatic Arts Alliance which will establish a panel of noted theatre professionals to select the winning script. It is anticipated that the next William Saroyan Prize for Playwriting will be scheduled for 2010.



GUIDELINES

Plays must be based on an Armenian subject, although there are no restrictions on style, location, or time period. Authors need not be of Armenian ancestry. We welcome entries from non-Armenian writers as well as those of Armenian descent. Submissions must be full-length original works or adaptations, written in English (no translations). Submitted plays must have had a professional reading or production within the last three years. No scripts will be returned. The paper will be recycled. All Rules and Regulations must be followed and the material below submitted for eligibility.

RULES

1) All submissions must be postmarked by Feb 15, 2008. ADAA accepts no liability whatsoever for loss or non-receipt of any script.

2) Submitted plays must be wholly original work of the writer(s). Adaptations or works based upon an underlying work are accepted. ADAA will not accept unsolicited updated drafts or revised pages of any plays or any additions after they have been received.

3) Each person can submit a maximum of one full-length script per every other year. Plays written by more than one person are eligible for entry; however, only one prize will be given for the winning selection. 

4) One prize in the form of $10,000 in cash will be awarded biannually.  The prize will be awarded to a stage play at the sole discretion of Armenian Dramatic Arts Alliance and its judges.  The winner of the award will be responsible for any and all tax liabilities associated with the prize. 

5) All writers of submitted material must be at least 18 years of age or older.

6) With respect to submitted materials to the competition, such materials must be free of any incumberances, not subject to any arrangements or agreements that would preclude the development or production of the material. Writers are required to notify ADAA immediately if material submitted for consideration under the terms and conditions of this competition is optioned during the judging period.

7) Writers need not be of Armenian descent. Writers from any country or ethnicity are eligible. The $10,000 award will be in U.S. dollars. Scripts must be on Armenian themes.

8) Plays must be in English, printed - - on 3-hole white paper with the pages numbered. Scripts should be fastened with 2 or 3 brads with the title, name of writer(s) and contact information on the title page ONLY. Scripts should be between 90-130 pages and in standard stage play format.  The font should be 12-point Courier or Times New Roman. 

9) All submissions must contain the following:

(a) A biography and photograph of the entrant.
(b) A resume of the entrant’s body of work, including proof of submitted play’s staged reading or production.
(c)Four (4) hard copies of a properly formatted manuscript. Electronic submissions are encouraged at adaa@armeniandrama.org
(d)Resume
(e)Non-refundable entry fee of $20.00 (check or money order only ) made out to the Armenian Dramatic Arts Alliance.
(f)A one paragraph synopsis of the script.

PLEASE NOTE: Name and contact information must only appear on title page otherwise script will be disqualified. Submissions must be mailed to the ADAA/WILLIAM SAROYAN COMPETITION address: 20 Concord Lane, Cambridge MA 02138 by regular mail or UPS that does not require a signature.  The entry fee is $20.00.  Checks should be made out in the name of “The Armenian Dramatic Arts Alliance.” No more than one stage play submission per person is allowed per contest.

10) Except for members of the Committee, the William Saroyan Foundation, or ADAA Board of Directors, any dramatist’s work, as defined, is eligible for consideration.

11) Please read and understand all rules and regulations. Failure to adhere to these guidelines will result in disqualification and forfeiture of the entry fee. Failure to adhere to correct formatting will also result in disqualification. Phone calls regarding the competition will not be returned. If you have any further questions after reading the rules, you may contact ADAA at the general email address at adaa@armeniandrama.org with ”WILLIAM SAROYAN COMPETITION ” inquiry written in the subject line.

12) Judging will be performed by trained readers and/or industry professionals and/or principals of the Armenian Dramatic Arts Alliance.  The top three (3) selected finalists will be read by the panel of finalist judges. The judges’ decisions will be final and you must abide by the decision of the judges with regard to all matters.

13) Entry fees are nonrefundable. No entry will be read until the entry fee is received.

14) If in any year all the competitors shall fall below the standard of excellence fixed by the Committee and/or Jurors, the amount of such prize may be withheld

15)The ADAA and the Sponsor reserves the right to modify or cancel this competition at any time.  In the event of a cancellation prior to the first prize being awarded, the ADAA shall return all entry fees unless unable to do so due to a natural disaster.  By participating in this competition, each person submitting material hereby releases and agrees to hold harmless the ADAA, its affiliates, partners, subsidiaries, officers, directors, agents, employees and all entities associated with ADAA from and against any liabilities, costs and expenses (including reasonable attorneys fees) arising from the development, promotion and exploitation of such persons submitted materials.  

16) I understand that any disputes shall be submitted to arbitration in Boston, Massachusetts, in accordance with the rules and regulations of the American Arbitration Association then in effect. The arbitrator’s decision shall be controlled by the terms and conditions of this agreement and shall be final and binding, and shall provide for each party to bear his or its own costs of arbitration and attorneys’ fees.

 
TO ENTER:

Please submit the following materials:

• 4 copies of your script, with your contact information on the title page ONLY
• A completed entry form -ENTRY FORM - CLICK HERE -
• A $20.00 entry fee made out to “The Armenian Dramatic Arts Alliance”
• A resume
• A brief synopsis (one page maximum)
• A character breakdown
  
  

POSTMARK DEADLINE

Feb 15, 2008



ANNOUNCEMENT

Winners will be announced by August, 2008.