VSA Playwright Discovery Program

Each year outstanding disabled writers from around the world are selected to participate in the Access/VSA Playwright Discovery Program. In addition to receiving financial stipends, these talented young writers enrolled in secondary school (generally, ages 14-19) participate in a script development program and explore the theater industry through exclusive workshops.

The program focuses on developing works in the 10-minute script format. Multiple winners will be selected by a panel of theater industry professionals.

The program includes:

• Virtual and in-person script development sessions
• One-on-one sessions with a professional dramaturg
• A trip to the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. for a session with professional actors and theatrical designers that mimics a first day of rehearsal
• Workshops covering key business-related topics
• Networking opportunities

Young writers enrolled in senior high school (generally, ages 14-19) with disabilities are invited to submit a ten-minute script of any genre for the opportunity to participate in a playwrights program. Entries must be the work of an individual student. A panel of theater professionals selects winners.

Writers are encouraged to craft short (10 minute) works from their own experiences and observations through the creation of fictional characters and settings, writing realistically, metaphorically or abstractly about any topic, including the disability experience. Scripts may be non-linear.

Writers must be enrolled in senior high school (generally, ages 14-19) and have a disability. Please read the eligibility for participation.

Multiple winners will receive exclusive access to participate in workshops provided by the Kennedy Center. Workshops will take place both virtually and in-person. Winners will have the opportunity to work with industry professionals to further develop their script, receive coaching/mentorship, and participate in networking opportunities.

DEADLINE: The application deadline is Wednesday, January 7, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.

PLEASE READ ALL INFORMATION AND GUIDELINES COMPLETELY BEFORE BEGINNING THE APPLICATION PROCESS*

Upon request, parents and legal guardians of Minors will have the opportunity to review the Personal Information collected regarding their Minors, make corrections, revoke consent, and request deletion. A parent or legal guardian shall not be subject to any discrimination for making such requests. If a parent or legal guardian would like to review the Personal Information collected and used by the Kennedy Center, revoke consent or request deletion, please contact: Privacy@Kennedy-Center.org .

Eligibility:

To be eligible to enter the Access/VSA Playwright Discovery Program applicants must meet the following criteria:

• The competition is open to U.S. and international applicants. However, all pieces must be submitted in English or ASL; pieces submitted in other languages will not be accepted.
• Author must be a student with a documented disability.
• Author must be students enrolled in senior high school (generally, ages 14-19) on Wednesday, January 7, 2026 in order to apply.
• Previous applicants are eligible to reapply in subsequent years until they win or age out of the competition. Any applicant may win only once.
• Winners must be present for all Access/VSA Playwright Discovery Program workshop events (virtual dates March 28, April 25, May 30, and June 27, 2026; in-person dates July 12-16, 2026) in order to be eligible for the award.

If selected as a finalist, applicants are required to provide proof of age and disability, and must be willing to publicly disclose that they have a disability for all materials and public appearances associated with the Access/VSA Playwright Discovery Program.

Selection Process:

An advisory panel of distinguished theater professionals and educators will assist with the selection process.

Submission Rules:

• All applications must be submitted through the online application form.
• Provide a synopsis of your script (up to 250 words) in the provided text box.
• To request application materials in a different format, please email vsainfo@kennedy-center.org

Script Rules

• Pieces must be submitted in English or ASL; pieces submitted in other languages will not be accepted.
• All entries that are scripts must be in the ten-minute play format. A ten-minute play is a play with at least two characters. It is not a scene, skit, or sketch. Structurally, it should have a beginning, middle, and end, just as any good one-act or full-length play. Since we only have ten minutes to bring the story full circle, a dramatic conflict should be posed as quickly as possible. The resolution of that conflict is what plays out across the remaining pages. The true success of a ten-minute play is reliant on the writer’s ability to bring an audience through the same cathartic/entertaining experience that a good one-act or full-length play accomplishes. Ten-minutes means eight or nine pages, but certainly no more than ten pages. Read your play out loud to see how long it takes.
• Pieces may be submitted as written scripts, video, or audio files (if applicable).
• Applicants may submit only one script, whether under their name or a pseudonym.
• Entries must be original, unproduced, and unpublished at the time of submission. Pieces with previous readings or workshops are acceptable, as long as they were not produced for a paying audience and have not been publicly reviewed.
• If an entry includes any material that is copyrighted or otherwise owned or controlled by someone other than the author (including but not limited to, poetry, music and/or lyrics, characters originally created by others in any medium, and/or stories based on real people and/or other people’s lives) the author must provide proof of written permission to include such material in the script.
• All entries should follow these formatting guidelines:
  • Include a cover sheet listing the title of the piece and the cast/character list.  IMPORTANT: Do not show your name, address, or any identifying information on the cover or any page of your entry.
  • Typed in 12-point Arial font.
  • List page numbers on each page of the piece (not counting the cover sheet).
  • Set the page layout to portrait (no landscape, please)
  • Before uploading your file, please re-name the file as the TITLE OF YOUR SCRIPT

The application deadline is Wednesday, January 7, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.