The TYE Center currently sponsors two playwriting contests. The Utah Young Playwrights for Change contest is for middle school playwrights. The Old Miner Children’s Playwriting Contest is for adults writing plays to be performed for or by elementary school students.

Young Playwrights for Change

The TYE Center sponsors the Utah regional contest for Young Playwrights for Change.  Sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students submit ten-minute plays that explore issues including family, bullying, and promoting positive change.  The winning play in the Utah contest is published in an anthology with the other regional winners and is advanced to the national contest.  The winner of the national contest has his or her play featured at a national children’s theatre conference and receives an all-expense-paid trip for three to see it presented.  In 2015, the national winner was Utah winner Alexia McCarty from DaVinci Academy for her family drama, Life Goes On.  It was performed for an audience of 500 theatre professionals in Chicago.

Old Miner’s Children’s Playwriting Contest

The Old Miner’s Children’s Playwriting Contest is funded through the generous support of the Tom and Mary Norris Foundation, and is named after Tom Norris, born January 2, 1920 in Caliente, Nevada. Growing up during the Depression as the oldest of seven children, Tom was well acquainted with poverty. He had one life’s ambition: to make a million dollars. He did so, many times over, in the mines of Battle Mountain, Nevada. Once he accomplished his goal, he realized that working hard to make the money was more fun than having it.  Tom never spent much money on himself, but was generous to the community around him, especially the children. He never received a college education, but was a voracious reader and passionate learner. He wanted to make sure the children in his community got the best education, were knowledgeable about world events, and learned to think for themselves. Tom was an avid debater and prolific writer of letters to the editor which he always signed as “The Old Miner.”

The contest has two divisions (a) the “National Division” for a playwright currently living in the United States and (b) the “Utah College Division” for a playwright currently enrolled at a Utah college or university.

The National Division winner will receive:

• A five-day residency culminating in a staged reading of the script
• The opportunity to mentor the winner of the Utah College Division
• $1000 cash prize
• Airfare from the continental United States, lodging, and meal per diem
• The option of design or verbal responses from UVU theatre students
• Mentoring and support from a director and/or dramaturg

The Utah College winner will receive:

• Up to eight hours of workshopping and rehearsal, with a staged reading
• Mentorship from a professional playwright
• $250 cash prize
• Lodging, if playwright resides outside of Utah County
• Mentoring and support from a director and/or dramaturg

(please note transportation is not included for the Utah College Winner)

Plays based on the lives of real children are eligible for a bonus $500 “Strike It Rich” prize.