Call for Submissions: JMR Lenz Prize for New Drama of the City of Jena 2027

In 2027, the JMR Lenz Prize for Drama of the City of Jena will be awarded for the tenth time. For this occasion, we are looking for new dramatic works at different stages of development: ideas, sketches, drafts, and excerpts from more advanced pieces.

The Jakob Michael Reinhold Lenz Prize was established in 1996 and awarded for the first time in 1997. Since then, it has explored various forms of support and selection – from open playwriting competitions and thematic calls to writing workshops and project-based procedures. With the 2027 call, the prize will once again be awarded through an open competition for new dramatic works.

For the first time, the Jakob Michael Reinhold Lenz Prize will be awarded through an anonymous selection process. Excerpts and exposés will be submitted to the jury without any information identifying the author(s). In this way, we particularly want to encourage emerging and less established writers to submit their work. Texts created and further developed through collective authorship may also be submitted. The main language of the text should be German, but we also welcome multilingual submissions. There are no thematic requirements. Submitted texts or excerpts must be unpublished and their world premiere must still be pending.

Jury and Selection Process

The jury consists of five members:

  • Vernesa Berbo (actor, musician and writer)
  • Caren Jeß (playwright and writer)
  • Tóth (writer, visual and sound poet, illustrator and performance artist)
  • Birgit Liebold (Corporate Communications, JenaKultur)
  • Daniele Szeredy (director and Artistic Managing Director at Theaterhaus Jena)

The jury will select three to four nominated texts from all submissions.

The authors of the nominated texts will be invited to Jena in May 2027, where their texts will be presented as staged readings. The jury will then select the recipient of the 2027 JMR Lenz Prize from among these works.

The prize is endowed with €10,000, with part of the prize money being paid only after the completion of the text. The completed text is to be submitted by December 2027. To support the further development and work on the text, the prize includes dramaturgical support from Theaterhaus Jena and three short stays in Jena between August and December 2027. In addition, Theaterhaus Jena intends to stage the world premiere of the winning play.

The other invited authors will receive a nomination prize of €1,500.

Submission

Please submit two separate PDF files:

  • The first file should contain a maximum 10-page excerpt or draft from the dramatic work being submitted, as well as an exposé of no more than 1 page. The format and design of the submission are up to the applicants. The entire document must be anonymized and must not contain the name(s) of the author(s), images, or any other information or references that could reveal the identity of the submitting person(s). Submissions that are not sufficiently anonymized will not be considered. Please name this file “L_TEXT_WorkingTitle”.
  • The second file should contain the contact details and a short CV of the submitting person(s), no more than 1 page. This file will only be made available to the jury after the anonymized first-round selection has been completed. Please name this file “L_CONTACT_WorkingTitle”.

Both files must be sent by email by and including January 3, 2027 to BewerbungLenz27@theaterhaus-jena.de.

In order to preserve the anonymity of applicants and ensure a fair selection process, there will be no opportunity to ask questions during the first round. Emails containing questions will therefore not be answered.

We look forward to receiving your submissions!