The winners of this year’s Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting have been announced, as the major award continues to elevate new voices.
This year’s overall winner is British-Nigerian writer Tolu Okanlawon, with his debut play SHOOTERS, which follows African American photojournalist Gordon Parks as he documents the lives of a group of teenage boys in 1940s Harlem for Life Magazine.
In his play, Tolu focuses on the question of who has the right to tell another person’s story, delving into themes of power, vulnerability and accurate representation.
Tolu has received a £20,000 award at the Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting, with the winners announced at a glittering ceremony at the Royal Exchange Theatre last Monday.
Previous winners of the Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting have included Phoebe Eclair-Powell, Duncan Macmillan, Alistair McDowall, Janice Okoh, Nathan Queeley-Dennis and Katherine Soper.
This is a landmark year for the Prize, which is marking its 20th anniversary and celebrating the long-standing collaboration between Bruntwood (one of the UK’s leading commercial property developers), The Oglesby Charitable Trust, and the renowned Royal Exchange Theatre.
Also announced at the ceremony are the winners of this year’s Prize categories, which champion writers across the globe and at all stages of their playwriting careers.
The Judges Award, and a £10,000 prize, went to Przewalski’s Horses by Silva Semerciyan, which follows a woman fleeing war-torn Kyiv as she seeks refuge with her estranged grandmother in the radioactive wilderness of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone.
She has previously been shortlisted for the Bruntwood Prize, and for the Off West End Awards.
Jesús I. Valles, a queer Mexican immigrant writer-performer from Texas, won The International Award with SPREAD, which follows a group of boys in 9th grade as they navigate the balance of childhood and the ever-present push of adult pressures.
R Lady’s by Daisy Miles received the North-West Original New Voice Award and Residency.
The Stockport-born writer is currently training with the Royal Exchange Theatre’s Young Company of Writers, and R Lady’s is her first full-length play.
The Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting event at the Royal Exchange Theatre
For the first time, a special commendation has also been awarded as part of the North-West Original New Voice Award, to disabled, hard of hearing, neurodivergent writer and actor Terri Jade Donovan, who was recognised for their play DOG DOG DOG – an unpredictable exploration of the impact of childhood trauma and neglect.
Terri was awarded a £5,000 grant.
Selina Cartmell, Artistic Director at the Royal Exchange Theatre and judge for the Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting, said: “As a judge for this prize in its landmark 20th year, I’ve had the extraordinary privilege of reading work that has challenged, surprised, and moved me in equal measure.
“Our 15 shortlisted writers represent something remarkable – the courage to imagine different worlds, to ask uncomfortable questions, and to trust us with their most profound creative insights.
“Each script on our shortlist offers a unique window into who we are as a society, and more importantly, who we might become. SHOOTERS is an extraordinary play beautifully crafted by Tolu Okanlawon, a huge congratulations to him, to our other winners and to every writer who has shared their bold visions with us.
“None of this would be possible without the remarkable partnership between the Royal Exchange Theatre, the Oglesby Charitable Trust, and Bruntwood. So, let’s celebrate our shortlisted writers, honour our partnerships, and look forward to a future filled with the stories we haven’t yet imagined.”
Chris Oglesby, CEO of Bruntwood, added: “The Bruntwood Prize was born out of a deeply held passion that my parents had for theatre, in particular the Royal Exchange, and their recognition that a vital part of its ecology was new writing.
“20 years later, we are still uncovering incredible new stories and brilliantly talented new writers. The success of this Prize is testament to the wonderful partnership both the Oglesby Charitable Trust and Bruntwood have with the Exchange and is proof that philanthropy is about so much more than making a donation.
“Together we have created a Prize that now has international reach, putting Manchester on the map as a home for phenomenal new writing.
“The Prize has continued to champion and recognise the hard work of writers and the impact that plays can have on those who watch them. Today, we get to celebrate more winning writers, and I cannot wait to see what they do next.”
You can find out more and see all the winners HERE.
Bohemian FC are giving away five of their viral Oasis football shirts
Danny Jones
Irish football club and growing cult favourite footy fashion industry-leaders, Bohemians, recently dropped a limited edition Oasis shirt to celebrate the Live ’25 reunion tour.
Now, if you were at the Heaton Park dates or any of the comeback shows, you will likely have seen a fair few gig-goers donning the Bohemian FC x Oasis kit collab.
In fact, even if you’ve walked through Manchester city centre over the past couple of months, the chances are you passed someone wearing one of these Britpop-inspired shirts, which have quickly gone down as music culture collectables.
And while pretty much every bit of Oasis’ official adidas Originals clobber and countless other bits of merch continue to sell out, ‘The Bohs’ are offering you lucky lot the chance to cop a free kit. If you’re interested, keep reading…
The Bohemians x Oasis collab shirt is one of our favourites of the year. (Credit: Bohemian Football Club (supplied)
For anyone unaware of the background behind this crossover, the Bohemians are a 100% fan-owned, not-for-profit organisation, who also happen to be the oldest club in the League of Ireland.
Based in Dublin, the SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division side has remained deeply immersed in the local community and its sporting culture throughout their history, and of late, they’ve been further infusing that heritage with their equally deep connection to the arts.
Over the past few seasons, they blended footy with the music world, releasing several exclusive and highly sought-after kits that all tie back into the club in some capacity, including shirts inspired by Bob Marley, compatriots Thin Lizzy and Fontaines D.C. (equally viral), as well as our very own Oasis.
Liam and Noel Gallagher’s following and its Irish contingent, in particular, are as strong as they’ve ever been, so ahead of the reunion shows getting underway last month, Bohemian FC revealed their special FAI Cup shirt paying homage to the Burnage boys.
Featuring the band’s iconic logo in the traditional blue tones of Dublin City, it went down as an instant hit among Oasis and Bohs fans alike, as well as among footy kit culture connosieurs.
Better still, all the profits from the shirt sales are being split between Bohemian FC and two key charities back in the Emerald Isle and in 0161: Music Generation Ireland and Irish Community Care Manchester, based on Stockport Road – not too far from where the Gallaghers grew up.
Now, although the Manc music legends never played Bohemians’ home stadium at Dalymount in Phibsborough, the Gallaghers remain two of the most iconic green and gold-blooded musicians ever.
Having crossed off Cardiff, Manchester, London and Edinburgh off their Live ’25 reunion tour, their Dublin double-header is up next this August, with two shows taking place at Croke Park, less than a mile from the hallowed ground.
Whether or not you’ve got tickets to see them in the ancestral homeland, or anywhere else for that matter and want to look the part, or just want to wear your colours for as long as Oasis mania lasts, you might as well throw your hat in the ring to win one of five FREE Bohs footy shirts.
As for how to enter, it’s all very simple: fill out the competition form HERE; like and share this post on X (formerly known as Twitter), and follow our Audio North music page, as well as the official @bfcdublin account on Instagram.
Oh, and tagging a friend or sharing a pic of your best Oasis memories wouldn’t hurt either.
That’s it; we didn’t want to make things complicated – this is a giveaway not only in the hopes of scoring our readers with a freebie but a charitable one that helps Irish cousins over the water and here in Manchester.
Comedy nights, run clubs, and resident parties – why The Castings is Manchester’s most social city centre neighbourhood
Emily Sergeant
Manchester is a city full of opportunity – and The Castings is the perfect place to live to experience all it has to offer.
As the bustling hub of the north – and, arguably, the UK’s ‘second’ city, depending on who you ask – Manchester has firmly cemented itself as being somewhere people of all walks of life want to live, thanks to the wealth of live music,sport, nightlife, and so much more.
And for those who want to get amongst it, one of Manchester’s newest city centre neighbourhoods, The Castings, has a social life built right in, ready for residents to make the most of.
Currently rated number one on HomeViews, it has been voted by its residents as the best place to live in the city.
And it recently celebrated its first birthday too, in one of the ways it knows best, of course – with a free party for all residents.
A glimpse into life at The Castings’ stunning lifestyle-led apartments / Credit: The Manc Group
If you were unfamiliar withThe Castings until now, it’s a stunning community made up of 352 apartments to rent in Piccadilly East.
With its range of studio, one, two, and three-bedroom homes, The Castings’ design-led spaces are inspired by industrial shapes, flowing forms, and molten textures.
As well as its stunning apartments, the lifestyle-led development also features a fitness studio, high-spec gym, games room, private dining spaces, a co-working hub, and a 21st-floor rooftop terrace with panoramic views of Manchester.
The Castings is one of Manchester’s most social city centre neighbourhoods / Credit: The Castings
It sits in the heart of Piccadilly East is a neighbourhood often touted as Manchester’s next-generation, and named by The Sunday Times as one ofthe UK’s best places to live and The Castings has been ‘bringing new life’ to this up-and-coming area near Manchester Piccadilly stationever since it launched it last summer.
Even though Piccadilly East – which is conveniently-adjacent to Ancoats, New Islington, and the Northern Quarter – is already home to some of Manchester’s most popular food, drink, and liveentertainment venues, residents at The Castings don’t even need to leave the comfort of their own community to get involved with a wide variety of events and make some new friends along the way.
In just the year since the first residents moved into The Castings, it has hosted everything from live comedy nights to regular yoga and fitness sessions, run clubs, and seasonal resident ‘socials’.
One of the biggest highlights in The Castings’ social calendar so far has to be the recent ‘Spring Social’, which helped welcome the new season in style, complete with an ice cream van, DJs, big Jenga, and lots and lots of pizza, making it a ‘standout’ moment of the year.
If The Castings sounds like somewhere you’d love to live, then the final few apartments are still remaining, and you can head online to book a viewing now.
Daisy Jackson -
25th July 2025 
