Submissions for the 2026 Relentless Award now closed.

Thanks so much to all who submitted!

 

Stay tuned for info about our next award cycle,

The 2027 Relentless Musical Award

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FAQs about The Relentless Award and our

submission process can be found here.

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The 2026 Relentless Award

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The Relentless Award, established in honor of Philip Seymour Hoffman and his pursuit of truth in the theater, is the largest annual cash prize in American theater awarded to a playwright in recognition of a new full length play.
 

Eligibility/Criteria for Submission:
 

• Play must be unproduced, with no production commitment.

• Author(s) must have either United States citizenship, possess a green card, or currently reside in the United States and have lived here for at least four years.

• Plays with a producer, producing organization, or theater attached for future production are not eligible.

• Plays that have received more than $10,000 in commission, author fees, or other award prize money (cumulatively) are not eligible.

• One-act plays, musicals, and plays for children are not eligible.

• The author(s) must be at least 21 years old at time of submission.
   

*Please note: the Relentless Award uses a blind submissions process (the names and identifying details about the authors are hidden from the judges.) It is imperative that all submitting writers create a draft of their submission with all identifying information (name, contact information, representation information if applicable, development history, any identity-describing author's note/dedication) redacted. Failure to do so may disqualify your script and render it ineligible for consideration.  

 

**Please note: our submission window will close automatically at 11:59pm EST on January 1, 2026 and no late submissions will be accepted. Due to Submittable's 48 hour turn around time for user inquiries, we strongly urge you to allow yourself ample time before the deadline, in case of any technological or other difficulties.

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***Please see our FAQ here for more information. We highly recommend reading the FAQ before submitting, as some of the details provided are relevant to the eligibility of your submission. ​​