Max Afford Playwrights' Award

Promoting interest in Australian drama

This award is an initiative of the late Thelma May Afford in memory of her husband, Max Afford. She wanted to provide young writers with the incentive to improve their creative writing as well as to enhance the general public’s appreciation of Australian drama and playwrights.

It’s a biennial award for young writers of either stage, TV or film plays.

The total value of the Award is $20,000.

Are you eligible?
To be eligible for this award, you should be between the ages of 18 and 40 at the close of entries date.

You must be a resident of Australia for the 4 years preceding the closing date for entries.

PlayWriting Australia
The National Script Workshop supports the development of six new plays by emerging and established professional playwrights. The winner of the 2011/12 Max Afford Award received up to $10,000 towards two weeks of creative development.


 - Playwriting Australia

How to apply
Applications have now opened for 2012 with applications extended for another three weeks.  Please click here to apply.

Key dates
 Applications close at 5pm AEDT on Friday 24 February 2012.
Winner announcement to made in late March.
Script workshop development May 2012.

Previous Winners & Judges

  • 2010  Tom Holloway, Faces Look Ugly
    2010  Judges were Chris Mead, Katrina Foster and Damien Millar
  • 2008  Jonathan Ari Lander Revolution
    2008  Judges were Brett Adams, Nick Marchand and Francesca Smith
  • 2006  Mary Brown Australian Gothic
    2006  Judges were Tom Healey, Katherine Thompson, and Francesca Smith
  • 2004  Vivienne Walshe Birth Nation
    2004  Judges were Andrea James, Christopher Mead, and Katherine Thomson

Where are they now?
Last year’s Max Afford winner has had fantastic success since winning the Award. Read about his achievements below:

Tom Holloway
Since winning the Max Afford award in 2011, Holloway's plays have been seen across the world. His play Fatherland premiered at The Gate Theatre in London before touring to the 'Young And Radical Festival' in Munich, the opera for which he wrote the libretto, Make No Noise, had its world premier at the Munich Opera Festival, He was part of the team behind the Thin Ice/Malthouse co-production of Die Winterreise, his play And No More Shall We Part had a critically acclaimed season at Griffin Theatre in Sydney and a version of his Max Afford Award-winning play Faces Look Ugly, was produced by one of Denmark's biggest theatre companies, Aårhus Teater.

As well as the Max Afford Award, Tom was also one of five winners of the British Council's Realise Your Dream Award and he is currently in London for the rehearsals of a production of And No More Shall We Part, produced by Hampstead Theatre and directed by one of Britain's most acclaimed theatre directors, James Macdonald.

The Max Afford Award allowed Holloway to develop the script of Faces Look Ugly significantly. Getting to be part of Playwriting Australia's National Script Workshop meant Holloway got to work with some of the country's top theatre professionals. This workshop was incredibly important in the development of the script, allowing Holloway to pull the work apart, interrogate it intensely and rebuild it in to something much more advanced. And all with the support of some of the best theatrical minds in the country. 

Recently Tom Holloway was interviewed for the National Play Festival blog, where he talks about the Max Afford win, http://nationalplayfestival.org.au/2012/?p=35.

As trustee with logoFurther information
The Trust Company is the trustee for the Max Afford Playwrights' Award.

For more information about the award, please contact Christina Piazza on (02) 8295 8100 or trustawards@thetrustcompany.com.au.