Best Writer
Criteria and information for the Best Writer category.
Sponsored by Sonia Friedman Productions
First professional writing credit in a production staged between July 18, 2024 and July 17, 2025 in the UK and reviewed by The Stage.
Nominees must be over 16 years old or over.
Best Writer Joint Winner
Ava Pickett
Almeida Theatre, London
This debut play about female friendship and male power by TV dramatist Ava Pickett was vividly engaging and delivered with dash and flair.
Agent: Curtis Brown
Training: Royal Central School of Speech and Drama
Best Writer Joint Winner
Milly Sweeney
Pitlochry Festival Theatre and Byre Theatre, St Andrews
Raw, real and mightily moving, Sweeney’s debut told a Glasgow-set story of depression, desperation and connection.
Agent: Brennan Artists
Training: New College Lanarkshire
2025 Best Writer Shortlist
Sarah Bond
Laurels, Whitley Bay
Bond’s accomplished debut was a sharply funny and perceptive story of teenage friendship set in a seaside amusement arcade.
Nathan Englander
What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank
Marylebone Theatre, London
Englander’s play was a fiery and intelligent exploration of Jewish identity.
Agent: Aragi
Danny James King
Bush Theatre, London
King’s play was a blisteringly beautiful exploration of dementia, community and connection in a rapidly changing London.
Agent: United Agents
Nancy Netherwood
Southwark Playhouse, London
Netherwood’s smart, atmospheric play upended well-worn horror tropes to tell a tale of queer rage and catharsis.
Agent: Casarotto Ramsay & Associates
Ava Pickett
Almeida Theatre, London
This debut play about female friendship and male power by TV dramatist Ava Pickett was vividly engaging and delivered with dash and flair.
Agent: Curtis Brown
Training: Royal Central School of Speech and Drama
Milly Sweeney
Pitlochry Festival Theatre and Byre Theatre, St Andrews
Raw, real and mightily moving, Sweeney’s debut told a Glasgow-set story of depression, desperation and connection.
Agent: Brennan Artists
Training: New College Lanarkshire
Saana Sze
Finborough Theatre, London
Sze’s acid humour and sharply observed dialogue lifted this story of gender-nonconforming students and teachers within the English education system.
Previous Winners
- Anoushka Lucas for Elephant at Bush Theatre, London
- Tyrell Williams for Red Pitch at the Bush Theatre, London
- Temi Wilkey for The High Table at the Bush Theatre, London (in a co-production with Birmingham Rep)
- Jasmine Lee-Jones for Seven Methods of Killing Kylie Jenner at the Royal Court, London
- Andrew Thompson for In Event of Moone Disaster at Theatre503, London
- Katherine Soper for Wish List at the Royal Exchange, Manchester, and Royal Court Theatre, London
The Stage Debut Awards
© Copyright The Stage Media Company Limited 2026
