You have 10 minutes to tell a story. What will it be?
Theatre Oxford’s annual 10-Minute Play Contest draws new works from all over the world. The grand prize is $1,000 plus production in arts-loving Oxford Mississippi, a town beloved for its literary history.
The second-place winner will receive $250, and the third-place winner will receive $100. All finalists from the 2023 Contest will be considered for production in the 2024 10-Minute Play Festival which will take place February 16 and 17, 2024, at the Powerhouse, Oxford’s arts hub.
Submission portal for the 2023 contest is closed. We hope to hear from you in summer of 2024!
Please see guidelines below. Good luck and thank you for your work.
2023 CONTEST ENTRY RULES
Deadline: August 31, 2023
Submission fee: $12 (U.S. dollars).
ELIGIBILITY
- Only original plays, never before produced, are eligible.
- The play, exclusive of title and cast pages, may be no more than 10 pages.
- Play should have 2-4 characters and minimal props and costumes.
PERMISSIONS
All authors agree to permit Theatre Oxford to produce their contest-entry play if the theater should wish to do so. Furthermore, winners and finalists agree to permit Theatre Oxford to publish a limited run, print or electronic edition (100 or fewer copies) of selected plays from our festival. Permission does not guarantee publication. Authors will retain copyright and full ownership of their plays.
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS
Script Assembly
Please help our reviewers by assembling the script as follows:
- First page: Title, cast of characters, time and place information.
- Second page: First page of the script. The other pages of the play follow. If you are unfamiliar with the formatting for the body of a play script, you can find standard rules HERE.
- Include the Title and Page Number on the header of every page of the script (pages 2-end).
- Remove all author information (including your name) from text body, headers, and file name, and document properties. Removal ensures an anonymous review process.
Submission
Each play submitted must be accompanied by a separate form and entry fee.
- Go to the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council website to pay the $12 submission fee: https://oxfordarts.com/tickets-classes
- Open the link you receive after paying your fee.
- Fill out the online submission form that appears after you open the link.
- You must fill out all required fields.
- Upload the manuscript as .doc, .docx, or .pdf file.
Once you’ve sent us your play, you will receive an automated confirmation via email. Please query if you haven’t received this confirmation within 24 hours: theatreoxford@gmail.com.
Winner Selection
All plays are judged anonymously over multiple rounds with multiple reviewers who will select finalists and the three winners. Every author who submits will be notified of final judging results.
Prizes
- Grand prize: $1,000 and production of the winning script
- Second prize: $250
- Third Prize: $100
Thank you and have fun!
Questions? Please email theatreoxford@gmail.com
10-Minute Play Contest FAQs
Why do you ask for (optional) demographic information?
This information is entirely optional; however, we appreciate your help. By filling out demographic information, you will be helping Theatre Oxford understand our contestant base and whether any groups are underrepresented in our submissions.
What is your reading process?
Round #1: A pool of readers score each play based on established criteria. Each reviewer receives approximately 10 plays. The top three ranked plays from each reader move to the next round. One reader reviews each play in this round.
Round #2: A smaller pool of reviewers review approximately five plays each. Each reader ranks their plays in order of recommendation. Our coordinator selects 10 finalists based on the reviewer rankings. Three readers review each play in round two.
Round #3: A committee formed from the Board of Directors reviews the plays that reach the final round. Each committee member ranks the plays from 1-10. The committee consolidates the rankings to determine the three winners of the contest.
How do we choose the plays for the festival?
We will produce six to eight 10-minute plays during our festival. Theatre Oxford guarantees a production of the winning play. All other contest finalists are entered into a pool of potential plays to produce. The selection committee chooses from the pool of potentials based on a variety of criteria, from playability (“does Theatre Oxford have the resources to actually produce this?”) to fit (“does this work well with the other plays we’ve committed to producing?”) to audience (“do we think our audience will like this play?”).
