The Lysicrates Prize celebrates the best new Australian writing by mid-career writers.

Past winners of the prize include Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam by Steve Rodgers and The Literati by Justin Fleming, and both have gone onto mainstage productions. Scroll down to see the 2024 finalists.The 2024 winner is "Ripple". View the event here

The 2024 Lysicrates Prize took place on Sunday 25 February 2024 at the Verbrugghen Hall, Sydney Conservatorium

Jacob Sgouros with his play "Ripple" was the winner!

A wonderful afternoon and evening was enjoyed by all.

The sun shone with a cool breeze. Perfect for all concerned!

The packed audience watched three outstanding first acts by playwrights Daley Rangi (The Mountain Remembers), Jacob Sgouros (Ripple), and Keziah Warner (Nightcaps).

Read all about it here

WHAT IS THE PRIZE?

The Lysicrates Prize encourages early to mid-career playwrights to focus on the first act or ‘setup’ of a brand-new play yet to be written in full.

These first acts are performed in front of a live audience who then vote for the winner, who receives a $15,000 prize to commission the full play and is then supported with a dramaturg and development process to hopefully see that play through to production.

Playwrights were required to submit the first act or setup of (no more than 15 pages) of a play that is yet to be written. All submissions are read by a panel of industry leaders to determine the three finalists. The three finalists have their submissions performed as a moved reading by a professional director and cast at the Verbrugghen Hall, where the audience will then vote for the winning play.

This year’s prize is supported by the St George Foundation, Australian Plays Transform, and the Australian Writers’ Guild

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The annual Lysicrates Prize

Discover all the Lysicrates Prize events and learn more about the previous winners.

The 2024 Event

The 2015 Event

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Discover The 2015 Event

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The 2024 Event

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Discover The 2024 Event

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The 2023 Event

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Discover The 2023 Event

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The history of Lysicrates

The origin and inspiration behind the annual playwriting competition Lysicrates Prize.

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The Martin-Lysicrates Prize Event 2023 overall winner!

The Martin-Lysicrates Prize celebrates the best of Australian playwriting for children and they get to vote for the winner! Joseph Brown, for his play “Nothing Scares Us Any More” receives a Lysicrates commission of $12,000 and the help of a dramaturg to get the play fully ready for performance.

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