This inspiring awards ceremony celebrating new literary works at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe was launched in 2019 by the Popcorn Group, a film and theatre company, to recognise fearless work that engages with current issues and social trends in a playful and artistic way and makes a positive contribution to public debate.
To be considered, pieces had to be submitted before the closing date of 21 June 2024 – a new work with no more than seven performances before this year’s Edinburgh Fringe and performances at partner venues including Assembly Festival, Gilded Balloon, Pleasance, Summerhall, Traverse Theatre, Underbelly, Greenside Venues, ZOO Venues and theSpaceUK.
“It’s wonderful to be back in Edinburgh with BBC Writers this year to win the Popcorn Writing Award. The Fringe is all about new writing, risk-taking, courage and the ability to fail. It’s an inclusive, imaginative, creative and incredibly inspiring festival and gathering.” Founder of the Popcorn Group, Charlotte Colbert
“In this third year as a partner of the Popcorn Awards, BBC writers are looking forward to seeing the best new writing the Fringe has to offer… writing that shows imagination, nuance and courage.”Jess Loveland, Head of New Scripts at BBC Drama
The Edinburgh Guide has reviewed some of the nominated plays – The English Persian Kitchen, So Young, Trawled etc. So it will be exciting to see which playwright wins the Popcorn Award 2024.
The shortlist of plays and authors for the Popcorn Writing Award 2024:
A knock on the roof by Khawla Ibraheem, Traverse
BACON by Katie Greenall, Summerhall
Count to five by Zamalisa Mdoda, Greenside
Dear Annie, I hate you by Sam Ipema, Zoo Venues
Diary of a gay catastrophe by Rachael Mailer, Underbelly
Gracie and the beginning of the end of the world (again) by Zoë Bullock, Assembly
HOW I LEARNED TO SWIM by Somebody Jones, Roundabout @ Summerhall
HYPER by Ois O’Donoghue, Summerhall
In the Lady Garden by Babs Horton, Pleasance
My English-Persian cuisine by Hannah Khalil, Traverse
Let’s go, Michelangelo! by Dylan MarcAurele, Gilded Balloon
Really good exposure by Megan Prescott, Underbelly
REVENGE: After the Levoyah by Nick Cassenbaum, Summerhall
So young by Douglas Maxwell, Traverse
squid by Tiggy Bayley, Pleasance
The Book of Mountains and Seas by Yilong Liu, Pleasance
The last incel by Jamie Sykes, Underbelly
Trawled – when adventure becomes survival by Eoin RyantheSpaceUK
VL by Kieran Hurley and Gary McNair, Roundabout @ Summerhall
Weather Girl by Brian Watkins, Summerhall
The innovative Popcorn Writing Prize has a prize fund of £6,000 which goes directly to the playwrights. Previous winners include Bryony Kimmings, who later wrote Last Christmas with Emma Thompson and Sabrina Ali, who won last year with her piece Dugsi Dayz.
The winners of the 2024 Popcorn Awards will be announced at a ceremony on August 22 in the Pleasance Courtyard.
