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All the talented winners of this year’s Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting 

A huge congratulations to all

Daisy Jackson - 25th July 2025

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.

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.”

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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.

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Featured image: The Manc Group