On our way...

The scripts are out to readers right now and we will get our first round results in roughly two weeks.

Here we go...

(updated 3:30 pm)

Thank you to all of the young playwrights, parents, and teachers who submitted work to the 2012 New Jersey Young Playwrights Festival. I have begun the process of sorting scripts, which will be sent out to readers (hopefully) by the end of this week.

Please note that we DO NOT confirm receipt of scripts. However, if there is a problem with your submission (for example, a script, but no survey, or vice versa) you will get an email message by the end of the day today. (As of 3:30 pm, these messages were sent to you and to a teacher, if that info was provided.) You will then have 24 hours to remedy the error in order to keep the play in the contest. So... no news is good news.

If anyone else had difficulty submitting a script, please notify me immediately at njypf@ptnj.org.

Also, we will not be notifying anyone of the contest results until late March. Our procedure is to first notify the playwrights and their families, then the playwrights' schools. Only then will we announce the winning scripts to the public.

So, in the meantime, congratulations and break a leg! Now take a much deserved break and start thinking about your next creative project. AND we encourage you to consider submitting your script to similar programs in New Jersey and across the country. We have some information about those programs elsewhere on the blog, or simply type "young playwrights" into a search engine and go from there. Or send me a note at njypf@ptnj.org and I'd be happy to provide a few resources.

Happy writing!

Last day before the weekend deadlines!

As of 1:15 today, we have 194 entries for the Contest; however, I have noted that a handful of them are entries that are not complete. This means that you either have not sent a script to njypf@ptnj.org or did not finish completing the form online. Be sure to do both!

Also, when sending your script to njypf@ptnj.org, you MUST indicate the following in the subject line of your email:

YOUR LAST NAME - TITLE of PLAY - DIVISION ENTERING

We have a lot of emails that don't have that info and are playing catch up to make sure they get in the right place. You can help ensure that the play is received and processed properly by including that information above in the subject line of your email.

Remember, plays are due by 11:59 pm on the following dates:

• Saturday, January 14 - Grades 10-12
• Sunday, January 15 - Grades 4-9

Happy writing! And happy entering!

2 1/2 days to go!

As of this moment (2:30 pm), we currently have 152 scripts in the mix for the 2012 New Jersey Young Playwrights Contest & Festival. Keep 'em coming!

5 Days to go!

This is the final week of open submissions to the 2012 New Jersey Young Playwrights Contest! Be sure to submit your work by the appropriate day:

 

• High School (grades 10-12) - script due NO LATER than 11:59 pm on Saturday, January 14
• Junior HS (grades 7-9) and Elementary (grades 4-9) - script due NO LATER than 11:59 pm on Sunday, January 15

 

To submit your script you must do BOTH of the following:

1. Complete the online information page at http://www.njypf.org/ (click the link for Guidelines and Play Submissions, then scroll down to the bottom of the new page)
2. Send your script via email as either a Microsoft Word or PDF file to njypf@ptnj.org. Please include your last name, play title, and division in the subject line of your email.

If we do not receive BOTH of the above items, your play will not be included in the Contest!

 

Thanks and happy writing!

Revisiting the debate about format

With 10 days until the script submission deadline, I thought I would publish the link to one of our most visited posts: "The Debate About Format". Every year there are many questions about how to format a script submission. Please use the information in this post as a guide. You will find the link below.

http://njyoungplaywrights.blogspot.com/2009/12/debate-about-format.html

Happy writing!

Congratulations to former NJ Young Playwright, Mary Hamilton

We recently read that former New Jersey Young Playwright Festival winner Mary Hamilton (2000 and 2001) was named as one of six finalists for the 2012 Page 73 Playwriting Fellowship. Congratulations, Mary!

http://www.p73.org/2011/12/14/finalists-for-the-2012-p73-playwriting-fellowship-2/

(11 days to go until scripts are due!)

Deadline approaching

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you had a creative and inspiring holiday season.

Today begins our official countdown to the submission deadlines for the 2012 New Jersey Young Playwrights Contest & Festival. While there are two deadlines for scripts, the countdown will mark the days until January 14, which is the date that High School division (grades 10-12) plays are due. So...

12 days remaining to submit your script!

Be sure to visit the program website at http://www.njypf.org/ for details on how to send us your play. Please remember that this is a two-step process. Many of you have registered via our online survey form over the last few months, but have not yet submitted your play. I will follow up via email with everyone who has done this by the end of this Friday (January 6). After that time, the reminders will stop. So, get that play in now!

(The information below contains a correction from the original post)

Also, if you are planning to submit your work to the national Young Playwrights Conference (a separate program conducted by Young Playwrights, Inc.), that deadline was yesterday, January 2; however, Young Playwrights, Inc. has indicated on their website that they will accept scripts with a POSTMARK of January 3 since yesterday was a Federal holiday and the post office was closed. Please see their website for details about that contest at http://www.youngplaywrights.org/. YOU CAN SUBMIT TO BOTH CONTESTS, so you are highly encouraged to do so.

Happy writing!