Dramaturgy Papers
Dramaturgy Papers
Dramaturgy Papers
d'n Award & Fellowship 2026
The Dramaturgs’ Network is delighted to announce that we will be making two important awards in 2026, as part of our ongoing work to celebrate and advocate for the work of dramaturgs in the UK, and raise the profile of dramaturgy generally.
To begin our 25th anniversary year, we will be inviting nominations for the Established Dramaturg Award, to be given in recognition of committed and generous practice and an outstanding contribution to the field of dramaturgy.
To end our 25th anniversary year, we will be inviting nominations for the Emerging Dramaturg Fellowship, which awards a grant of £500 to an emerging or mid-career dramaturg, to go towards their professional development.
Criteria for the Emerging Dramaturg Fellowship will be announced in due course; read on to learn more about the criteria for nominations for the Established Dramaturg Award, and the timeline for nominating, judging, announcing and celebrating.
The Established Dramaturg Award 2026
This is a new award created by the Dramaturgs’ Network, designed to recognise committed and generous practice and an outstanding contribution to the field of dramaturgy.
The winner will be a literary, movement or process dramaturg, residing and primarily working in the UK, who has been a dramaturg for a minimum of 12 years. They might work entirely freelance, be building- or organisation-based, or a combination of these things: the key is their distinctive and dedicated approach to dramaturgical practice.
The Established Dramaturg Award builds on the success of the Kenneth Tynan Award, previously won by Gail Babb, Suzanne Bell and Ruth Little, among others. It is intended to raise awareness of the work done by dramaturgs in the UK – often overlooked or undervalued – and to inspire emerging dramaturgs with an expansive sense of possibility and creative courage.
In keeping with the collaborative nature of dramaturgical practice, we do not invite self-nominations. Theatre professionals engaged in any aspect of the theatre-making process are invited to nominate dramaturgs - such as colleagues, collaborators or those whose work they admire on-and-off stage - enhancing the atmosphere of peer recognition and cross-industry respect for the award-winner’s work.
The award will be judged by a panel of industry experts, alongside members of the d’n board. Our hope is that the winning dramaturg will participate in a live event in spring 2026, contributing to the wider understanding and appreciation of dramaturgy.
We also welcome donations to the d’n to help cover the costs of the award and the live event.
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The nominee must be a literary, movement or process-oriented dramaturg, working and residing in the UK.
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The Established Dramaturg Award is designed for dramaturgs who have been practising for a minimum of 12 years.
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Nominations can be made by a theatre professional only (anyone working paid or unpaid in live performance in the UK).
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Each person can nominate one person only, except themselves.
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Nominations can only be made via the google form on the d’n webpage. These can be in written, audio or video format. Please include the following information
- name and contact details of the nominator
- Name of the nominee
- Brief description of a work that exemplifies the nominee's practice (max. 400 words)
- Brief description of their broader contribution to dramaturgy and why they deserves this award (max. 400 words)
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Nominations via audio or video should not be longer than four minutes.
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The closing date for nominations will be updated here very soon.
Award FAQs
Can I nominate myself? A. In the spirit of collaborative working and increasing the visibility of dramaturgy, we would like to encourage many different theatre makers to think about the value of dramaturgy, therefore we invite peer nominations. We will not consider self nominations.
Can I nominate someone who isn’t working in new writing? Yes. You can nominate a process dramaturg, movement dramaturg or a literary dramaturg. What we mean by process dramaturgy is dramaturgy for collaborative performance making and in the rehearsal room.
Are movement dramaturgs, and dramaturgs working in other genres included? A. Yes. Dramaturgs working in any genre or type of performance are included. This includes: New writing, Devised performance, Musicals, Dance, Physical theatre, Visual theatre, Circus, Storytelling, Puppetry. Clowning and more.
When will the shortlist be announced? The shortlist will be announced on UPDATE LATER. Please see the timeline for details of all the dates.
Can I nominate someone using a different format from text? Yes. You may nominate via a minute video or audio file (sent to xxx, no longer than three minutes total) or via the form.
I work with someone who has been a dramaturg for less than ten years, can I nominate them? This award is specifically for dramaturgs who have been working professionally, for a minimum of 12 years. Later in 2026 we will open nominations for the emerging/mid-career Fellowship Award and invite you to nominate for less experienced dramaturgs then.
I’ve only worked with the dramaturg once: is that enough to be able to nominate them? Yes! As long as you can give an impression of how, in your experience, they meet the criteria of committed and generous practice and an outstanding contribution to the field of dramaturgy.
Do I need to be a member of the Dramaturgs Network to nominate someone? No. We welcome nominations from across theatre and movement work, from playwrights, directors, designers, etc.
Does the dramaturg I’d like to nominate have to be a member of Dramaturgs Network? No – but we hope they will consider joining!
The dramaturg I’d like to nominate works outside the UK, is that OK? This award is for dramaturgs who do the majority of their work in the UK. There is space in the nomination form to let us know the rough ratio of the dramaturg’s work inside and outside the UK. There is flexibility on this question for dramaturgs who work across the island of Ireland.
Can I nominate more than one dramaturg? We ask that you nominate just one dramaturg for this award.
Will the number of times a dramaturg is nominated affect the outcome? No. A dramaturg may be nominated by numerous people or just once. All nominees will be considered equally, and repeated nominations for the same individual will not affect the outcome either way.
The d'n Fellowship is currently the only award in the United Kingdom that is given to a dramaturg.
In recognition of the central role of dramaturgy to theatre and performance activity in the UK, we invite donations to help cover the costs of the award and the live event. We welcome donations big and small!
Donate using PayPal
With thanks to our generous sponsors, including David Hare and Nick Hern Books
