The Leodis Prize will return to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2027, with submissions opening on 1 September following the critically acclaimed success of inaugural winner Sanctuary at this year’s festival.
Launched in 2025, the Leodis Prize celebrates exceptional first-time playwrights and attracted almost 350 submissions from across the UK and beyond in its first year.
The award offers a fully funded staged production at the Edinburgh Fringe, representation from Leodis Talent, a £2,000 cash prize and publication by Methuen Drama, providing a significant platform for emerging theatre-makers.
The first Leodis Prize-winning production, Sanctuary, is the debut play by Jacob Sparrow. Inspired by real events in a Suffolk village during the early 1990s, the drama explores memory, belonging and community through a story in which past and present collide as one man confronts long-suppressed memories.
The production stars Matthew Tennyson and Richard Cant, and is directed by Josh Seymour.
Announcing the prize’s return, Daniel Hinchliffe, Managing Director of Leodis Talent and founder of the award, said: “The reaction to Sanctuary has been incredible. I’m so proud of the production and the reception it has received from the audiences and critics. And I am delighted to announce that The Leodis Prize will return to Fringe next year, with a new play from an as yet to be discovered writer.”
The production has attracted strong reviews throughout its Edinburgh Fringe run, with critics praising Sparrow’s writing and the performances at the heart of the two-hander.
Further details about the 2027 Leodis Prize, including the venue for the winning production, will be announced in due course.
More information can be found here.
