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Student Playwriting Competition

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Previous Competition Winners

View winners from 1975-current.

History

The Wichita State University National Playwriting Contest was created in 1974 by Bela Kiralyfalvi, Ph.D., Theatre Professor and Director of the School of Performing Arts until his retirement in 2003. In 2022, the School of Performing Arts renamed the competition to the Bela Kiralyfalvi National Student Playwriting Competition in his honor.

Born in Balkany, Hungary in 1937, Bela emigrated to the United States in 1956 during the time of the Hungarian revolution. He spent about three years working in New York until a Hungarian friend encouraged him to visit Phillips University in Enid, Okla., where he was working on a degree. Bela began studying philosophy and drama with the intention of becoming a college professor.

At Phillips University, Bela learned about every trade from lighting and set design to directing and makeup, which he says made him a much better teacher and director. After earning his doctorate he developed specialties in theater history and dramatic literature.

At WSU Kiralyfalvi taught acting, playscript analysis, playwriting and developed an improvisation course. Although he served as Director for many years, he claimed his most satisfying highlight was simply being as a teacher. 

"Teaching has always been exciting and interesting. I've enjoyed learning and understanding things better through the process. I joke with students when they are getting ready to graduate after four or five years. They'll say, 'Oh I am going to be so glad to get out of here.' I tell them, 'You know, I've spent 45 years in college, and I still haven't left.' And it's true you never cease to be a student. If you cease to be a student, you will not be a good teacher."

In Memorium

In 2024, Bela passed away at the age of 87. He will be missed but his passion for theatre and enthusiasm for teaching will live on through past students, alumni, faculty, staff, friends, and family.

"As a WSU graduate student, I learned so much from Dr. Kiralyfalvi.  I was also a winner of the WSU National Student Playwriting Contest that he created when he served Chair of the School of Performing Arts.  After I began teaching Theatre for WSU, I had the honor of serving as administrator of this contest and during that time, the Theatre Faculty agreed to rename the contest as WSU Bela Kiralyfalvi National Playwriting Competition.  This contest is entering into its 50th year and offers emerging, student writers from all universities across the opportunity that may not have been available previously if Bela hadn’t brought this contest to fruition.  He was an incredible educator. He was an incredible person.  He’ll be sorely missed."  – Jeannine Saunders Russell

Obituary

Bela Kiralyfalvi National Student Playwriting Competition

Accepting Submissions for 2027

Award & Submission

  • The winning playwright will receive:

    • An invitation to be the guest-artist-in-residence for a development workshop culminating in a staged reading or a fully realized production
    • The residency may include class visits and other University events
    • The show may be entered as an associate or participating entry in the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF)
    • The script will be submitted to KCACTF for consideration in playwriting award categories
    • Travel and lodging (within the US) is reimbursed

  • Please include with your submission:

    • Original, unpublished and unproduced script
    • A character list with short description for each
    • A synopsis
    • A playwright/artist statement
    • Headshot and bio for marketing if work is selected
    • See guidelines below for more details

Guidelines

  1. All submissions are completed using the submission form link.
  2. The contest will be open to all undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at any college or university in the United States. 
  3. Submissions must be:
    1. Original
    2. Unpublished
    3. Unproduced
  4. Full-length and one-act plays may be submitted
    1. Full-length plays in one or more acts should be a minimum of 90 minutes playing time
    2. Two short plays on related themes by the same author will be judged as one entry. The total playing time should be a minimum of 90 minutes
    3. One-act plays should be a minimum of 30 minutes playing time to a maximum of 60 minutes playing time
    4. Musicals should be submitted to the Music Theatre Incubator program
  5. Scripts should contain no more than 4 - 6 characters and the setting must be suitable for an 88-seat black box theatre
  6. Eligible playwrights may submit up to two entries per contest year
  7. Scripts must be typed and arranged in professional play script format
  8. Two title pages must be included
    1. One should display the author’s name, address, telephone number and email address if applicable
    2. The other should only display the name of the script; do not include any personal identifying information 
  9. The deadline for submission has been extended to January 14th from December 14th. The winner will be notified on May 1st.
  10. No entry may be withdrawn after January 15th

Selection Process

The selection of the winning play will be conducted by a panel of three or more approved adjudicators from the school faculty, students, or alumni. Adjudicators will be looking for scripts that are suitable for an 88-seat black box theatre. This is defined as scripts with settings that are capable of being produced with a limited budget, by student designers, and specifically written to be performed onstage, i.e. scripts with workable costume/scenic changes and with limited production elements. (Scripts that are written in a cinematic style--overly complex costume and setting changes--will be rejected).

Development Process

The selected script will go through a development process with the assigned director, which will involve re-writing and polishing the script. Staged readings will also be used to assist with this process.

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