- UK’s longest-established playwriting prize, sponsored by Character 7, opens for submissions 12 January – 13 April
- Winner to receive biggest prize yet: £12,000 and a full production
- A second writer to receive new Character 7 Commission
- Initial judges joining chair, Character 7’s Stephen Garrett, announced: Ambika Mod, Beth Steel and Roy Williams
Today Soho Theatre announces the 2026 submissions launch for the Verity Bargate Award, the UK’s longest established playwriting prize sponsored by Character 7.
The Verity Bargate Award is open to writers living in the UK and Ireland, who have had fewer than three professional productions. Submissions open on Monday 12 January 11am. This year’s submission window is open until midday on Monday 13 April 11am.
The winner will be announced in late 2026 and will receive:
- £12,000 for an exclusive option for Soho Theatre to produce the prize-winning play
- A full London run of the play staged at Soho Theatre
Alongside the winner of the Award, another writer will receive the Character 7 Commission. This writer, selected by sponsor Character 7 in consultation with Soho Theatre, will be commissioned by Soho Theatre and join the 2027 cohort of writers on Soho ReDraft. Announced in September, Soho ReDraft is a commissioning programme aimed at supporting playwrights in developing existing first drafts of their plays into production-ready scripts through workshops and dramaturgy sessions facilitated by guest speakers and Soho’s theatre team. The current cohort includes Lena Kaur, Nadya Menuhin, Rianna Simons, Eleanor Tindall, and Natasha Tripney.
This year the judging panel hail from film, TV and theatre and bring a wide range of perspectives to the judging process, from both inside the theatre industry and beyond. The panel is chaired by Stephen Garrett of award-winning independent production company Character 7 (The Night Manager, Culprits, The Undoing), and includes actor Ambika Mod (Porn Play, Royal Court; One Day, Netflix), playwrights Beth Steel (Till the Stars Come Down, National Theatre; The House of Shades, Almeida) and Roy Williams (Death of England, National Theatre; Sucker Punch, Royal Court). Further judges to be announced.
This year, 2022 winner Sam Grabiner’s Boys On The Verge Of Tears took home the Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Affiliate Theatre, and 2024 winner Eoin McAndrew’s Little Brother concluded its critically-acclaimed Soho Theatre run. This month Eoin travelled to Playwrights Horizons in New York for a reading of his play, as part of an exchange programme created by Soho Theatre, before heading to the NCPA in Mumbai and British Council Centre in New Delhi for Little Brother workshops and readings as part of Soho Theatre’s commitment to champion South Asian artists and to bring UK playwrights and comedians.
Rose Abderabbani, Soho Theatre’s Head of Theatre Programme, said: ‘In a year that saw previous winners Sam Grabiner and Eoin McAndrew earn widespread acclaim for their remarkable plays, the enduring significance of the Verity Bargate Award has never been more evident. We’re delighted to announce its return with its largest prize to date, along with the newly created Character 7 Commission, which will support a second writer who will go on to join our new pilot commissioning programme, Soho ReDraft. We can’t wait to discover the best new play of 2026.’
Character 7’s Executive Chairman and Verity Bargate Award Judging Panel Chair Stephen Garrett said: ‘With each passing day I’m increasingly conscious of the debt that we who tell stories on screen owe to the training that so many of our greatest writers are given in the massively less well funded world of theatre. And now with yet another government barely able to pay lip service to the importance of the arts, supporting the brightest and the best of emerging talent through the Soho theatre’s very brilliant Verity Bargate award is as much a pleasure as it is a privilege, and a duty.’
About the Verity Bargate Award
Launched in 1981, the VERITY BARGATE AWARD is Soho Theatre’s flagship playwrighting competition, sponsored by Character 7. It is one of the longest-established playwrighting awards in the UK and the only award to guarantee the winning play a fully staged production in one of Soho Theatre’s stages in their central London venue. The award honours Verity Bargate, Soho’s co-founder who passionately championed new writing during her time at the small but hugely influential fringe theatre company, Soho Poly.
For 50 years Soho Theatre has championed new writing, from lunch time plays in the 1970s to today’s commissions, attachments, Writers’ Labs and awards. Open to new and emerging UK and Irish writers, the Verity Bargate Award uncovers the best new plays and launches the careers of some of Britain’s most established playwrights and screenwriters. Previous winners and nominees include Eoin McAndrew (Little Brother at Soho Theatre, 2025), Sam Grabiner (Boys on the Verge of Tears at Soho Theatre, 2024), Nathan Ellis (Super High Resolution at Soho Theatre, 2022), Amanda Wilkin (Shedding a Skin at Soho Theatre, 2021 & 2022), Matt Charman (A Night at the Dogs, 2004), Vicky Jones (The One at Soho Theatre, 2014), Toby Whithouse (Jump Mr Malinoff Jump, 1998) and many, many more.
The biennial award is judged by a panel of industry experts and attracts approximately 1,700 submissions. Past judges have included Anupama Chandrasekhar, Moira Buffini, Ryan Calais Cameron, Anthony Lau, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Laura Wade, Russell T Davies, Sue Townsend, Emma Rice, Irving Wardle, Meera Syal, Ikenna Obiekwe, Alan Cumming, Lolita Chakrabarti, April De Angelis, Theresa Ikoko, Morgan Lloyd Malcolm, Rebecca Lucy Taylor AKA Self Esteem, James Graham, and more. The award is chaired by film and television producer, Character 7’s Stephen Garrett.
-ENDS-
NOTES FOR EDITORS
For further information: press@sohotheatre.com
PRAISE FROM ARTISTS AS SOHO THEATRE MARKS 25 YEARS IN 2025
Ryan Calais Cameron: ‘Soho Theatre was a major launchpad for me, it helped nurture my voice through
the Writers’ Lab, gave my play Typical its first stage, and took Queens of Sheba from Dean Street to New
York. It’s where my stories first found their rhythm and their reach.’
Poppy Jay: ‘[Soho Theatre] is embracing of talent and people from other backgrounds. It’s completely different to how I always imagined theatre spaces to be.’
Bryony Kimmings: ‘It’s an extraordinary space for people whose work is genre-pushing… They never say no. They trust you to be creative. It’s managed to establish a mark of quality and experimentalism. It feels like if you’re there, you’re original, you’re good quality.’
Jack Rooke: ‘It’s always been good at taking a risk on new talent and not just following where the buzz is.’
Prashasti Singh: ‘It’s surreal that I was aware of Soho Theatre as this very elite and prestigious venue. It was this fancy thing in my head where really big artists perform and it’s very classy, so on Monday when I came here and I saw my face on the entrance of Soho Theatre, I could have never imagined this day – it’s such a big deal and it’s such an honour. It’s great how life works sometimes.’
Phoebe Waller-Bridge: ‘Soho Theatre has a genuinely experimental, risk-taking attitude. It’s one of the only theatres that consistently puts on provocative work from lesser-known writers and performers and encourages them to be original. I’ve seen some of the best work of my life in those spaces.’
SOHO THEATRE is London’s most vibrant producer for new theatre, comedy and cabaret. Our central London venue in Soho is celebrating 25 years as one of the UK’s busiest with a buzzing bar, lively audiences and an entertaining year-round festival programme with a queer, punk, counter-culture flavour. Our second London venue SOHO THEATRE WALTHAMSTOW opened in May 2025, bringing our vibrant programme to its biggest stage yet. Work extends beyond our venues with a full touring programme and connections with New York, Melbourne and Mumbai. Edinburgh Festival Fringe is a huge part of our year, we present many shows and scout hundreds more and we are the UK’s leading presenter of comedians from India. Our filmed comedy specials can be seen on international airlines and online. And our artist development and participation programmes are as important as the work on our stages. Soho Theatre is a charitably-owned social enterprise; with annual audiences projected to increase to over 400,000 this year, turnover to exceed £11m and strong international links, it makes a positive contribution to growth in creative industries and UK soft power. sohotheatre.com / @sohotheatre.
CHARACTER 7
Character 7 is an award-winning independent production company based in London.
Founded by Stephen Garrett, the company is driven by a deep belief in the power of great writing and the importance of nurturing talent. Character 7 champions both established and emerging voices; collaborating with leading screenwriters, directors, and the next generation of storytellers shaping the future of screen drama.
Reflecting its long-term commitment to discovering and supporting new writers, Character 7 is the headline sponsor of Soho Theatre’s Verity Bargate Award and the Royal Court’s Open Submission Festival.
Renowned for producing intelligent, stylish, and emotionally charged drama, Character 7 has worked with the BBC, AMC, HBO, Lionsgate, Starz, Amazon Prime, and Disney+ to deliver globally acclaimed series including The Night Manager, Culprits, The Undoing, and The Rook.
Season 1 of The Night Manager was nominated for twelve Emmys and won three Golden Globes. Season 2 – once again led by Garrett as Executive Producer – arrives on screens around the world in January 2026.
