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Overview

What are the Clive Awards?

The Clive Awards is a new playwriting competition presented by Fellowship for Performing Arts to encourage the writing of new works that advance FPA’s mission to produce theater from a Christian worldview to engage a diverse audience. FPA is excited to connect with literary artists who are inspired by our history of producing smart, imaginative, multilayered stories and adaptations.

What is Fellowship for Performing Arts?

Founded by award-winning actor, Max McLean, FPA is a not-for-profit New York City-based production company producing theatre and film from a Christian worldview to engage a diverse audience. FPA has a special interest in the works of C.S. Lewis and his contemporaries and has produced new theatrical adaptations of The Screwtape Letters and The Great Divorce as well as a play and film about Lewis’ spiritual journey called The Most Reluctant Convert.

FPA told the story of Martin Luther and Katie von Bora on stage in Martin Luther on Trial by Chris Cragin-Day and Max McLean. The company also premiered a contemporary theatrical retelling of Paradise Lost by Tom Dulack and has produced revivals of great plays like Robert Bolt’s A Man for All Seasons and William Nicholson’s Shadowlands, which delve into such issues as pain and suffering, freedom and conscience.

Prizes

FPA intends to award two prizes:

  1. First Prize Winner will receive $25K total. At the announcement of the prize, the First Prize winner will receive $10K. An additional $15K will be distributed to the First Prize Winner during a collaborative development process during which the winning play will receive at least one live or virtual staged reading.
  2. The Second Prize winner will receive $15K total. At the announcement of the prize, the Second Prize winner will receive $5K. An additional $10K will be distributed to the Second Prize Winner during a collaborative development process during which the winning play will receive at least one live or virtual staged reading.

FPA shall reserve the right not to award winners for any reason.

Deadline for Submissions
August 31, 2023
Judging Period

September – December 2023

Semifinalists alerted: November 2023

Finalists alerted: December 2023

Announcement of Prizes
January 2024

Submission Requirements

Submission requirements:

  • Submissions will be restricted to unpublished, unproduced, full-length plays with approximate run times between 60 and 100 minutes. Cast lists will be capped at 6 actors maximum.
  • All material must directly reflect FPA’s mission of producing theatre from a Christian worldview to engage a diverse audience.
  • Submitted plays may be original or adapted. If adapted, the source material must either be in the public domain or the playwright must be able to prove that they own any underlying or third party rights.
  • Playwrights may submit up to two (2) plays per contest. Submitted scripts must not currently be under option or commissioned by another theatrical entity. Plays that have received previous readings will be considered.
  • Submissions from any country of origin are welcome, but the script must be submitted in the English language and writers must accept the contest rules and conditions.
  • There is no entry fee.

Playwrights must submit one single PDF file to include:

  • A cover page with name, address, email, phone number and brief bio (1 page).
  • A brief summary that includes cast breakdown, setting and story synopsis as well as disclosure of any readings or other development activity that the script has previously received (1-2 pages).
  • A typed script, written in English, with numbered pages.
  • If your script contains any copyrighted material, please also include a signed letter from the authors and underlying rights representative stating that you have secured underlying rights. Alternately, you may provide a copy of your contract with all financial information redacted. The following information should be made clear:
    • Length of agreement and standards for renewals/extensions
    • List and definitions of all parties involved
    • Indication of who has artistic control over the piece and what approvals are needed at what stages

When submitting your file, please include the playwright’s first and last name and the title of the play in the file name, as in: FirstNameLastName-TitleOfPlay.pdf

FAQs

Submissions will be accepted starting January 31, 2023 and must be submitted no later than August 31, 2023.

Playwrights must submit typed, electronic submissions in the Submit Your Entry area of the Clive Awards website. Paper scripts will not be accepted. Please refer to the Submission Guide for help with how to format your submission. Writers should note the submission requirements when uploading and will also be required to accept the rules and conditions.

There is no entry fee for The Clive Awards.

Each contestant may submit up to two (2) plays, but the plays must be submitted separately and the rules and conditions must be accepted separately.

Submissions will be considered if they are full-length plays with approximate run times between 60 and 100 minutes and no more than 6 actors maximum in the cast (roles may be doubled if necessary). 

All material should directly reflect FPA’s mission of producing theatre from a Christian worldview to engage a diverse audience. Plays should not contain profanity or material that is considered obscene or offensive. 

No – As long as the play is written to reflect FPA’s mission, any time period or setting is acceptable. 

If the play is an adaptation of existing material, the source material must be in the public domain or the playwright must be able to prove that they own any underlying or third party rights. For more specific information, please review the rules and conditions and the submission guide.

No – Only plays will be considered this year.

Yes – Playwrights who reside outside the U.S. and its territories may submit their work as long as they agree to the rules and conditions.

Semi-finalists will be notified in November 2023, finalists in December 2023 and prize winners announced in January 2024. Winners will receive phone calls/emails and winners will be announced on the FPA and Clive Awards websites.

The first prize winner will receive $10K upon announcement of the award and the second prize winner will receive $5K. FPA will work with the writers to hone their scripts in preparation for staged readings, which will take place within one year of the awards announcement. The remaining $15K (first prize) and $10K (second prize) will be paid to the playwrights at the times of the staged readings.

FPA commits to presenting a live or virtual staged reading of each winning play. It is the hope of FPA that the winning plays will later develop into full FPA productions, but there is no guarantee of such. 

Further inquiries may be addressed to: [email protected]

Submit Your Entry

* indicates required.

Rules and Conditions

The Clive Awards are administered by Fellowship for Performing Arts, Inc., 630 Ninth Avenue, Suite 1401, New York, NY 10036. The Clive Awards 2023 shall be governed by these Rules and Conditions, subject to all applicable U.S. federal, state, and local laws.
  1. Entry Period: The entry period begins at 12:00AM EST on January 31, 2023, and ends at 11:59PM EST on August 31, 2023.
  2. Eligibility: Worldwide submissions are accepted. Winning a prize is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements set forth herein.
  3. Entry Guidelines:
    1. Submissions must be unpublished, unproduced, full-length plays written in English, with run times between 60 and 100 minutes.
    2. Musicals are not eligible for consideration.
    3. While the number of characters may be limitless, a play must be realistically performed by no more than six (6) actors to be considered.
    4. Submissions may be original or adapted from underlying material. If adapted, the source material must either be in the public domain or the submitting Playwright must be able to provide a written release granting fully transferable rights to the copyrighted third-party material.
    5. If a submitted script contains any copyrighted material, the Playwright must include in their submission: a signed letter from the authors and underlying rights representative stating that the Playwright has secured underlying rights. Alternately, Playwright may provide a copy of their signed contract with all financial information redacted. The following information should be made clear to Fellowship for Performing Arts (FPA):
      1. Length of agreement and standards for renewals/extensions
      2. Definitions of all parties involved
      3. Clauses indicating who has artistic control over the piece and what approvals are needed at what stages
    6. Submissions must not currently be under option or commissioned by another entity. If, during the course of the contest review period (January 31, 2023 – January 31, 2024), the rights to the script are promised or assigned to another party, the Playwright must inform Fellowship for Performing Arts and the script will become ineligible for consideration for the 2023 Clive Awards.
    7. Plays that have received previous readings will be considered. Please include a list of any readings or other development activity along with your submission only if applicable.
    8. Submissions are required to include:
      1. A cover page with the Playwright’s name, mailing address, email address, phone number and biography (no more than one page).
      2. A summary page with the title of the play, the Playwright’s name, a list of cast/characters (with doubling indicated), a synopsis of scenes, and indications of any precious development activity if applicable (no more than two pages).
      3. A typed script, written in the English language, with numbered pages
      4. If the script is an adaptation of material not in the public domain: proof of rights to use the material (see section 3d).
    9. The entire submission – Playwright name and contact information, Playwright bio, play title, character breakdown, scene synopsis, list of readings and/or development activity (if any), script, and proof of rights (if script is an adaption of material not in the public domain) – should be submitted as one (1) single PDF document. Please include the Playwright’s first and last name and title of the play in the file name, as in: FirstNameLastName-TitleOfPlay
    10. Simultaneous submissions are not permitted.
    11. Individual playwrights may submit up to two (2) plays for consideration. Each submission must be submitted separately, per the Guidelines.
    12. Any current employees of FPA, including contractors, are ineligible to be considered for the 2023 Clive Awards.
  4. Selection Criteria: FPA produces plays from a Christian worldview to engage a diverse audience. The judges will award the prizes to plays that reflect and serve that mission. FPA reserves the right to not award either or both prizes. At the sole discretion of FPA, any submission that contains profanity or lewd gestures, or promotes bigotry, racism, sexism, hatred, or harm against any group or individual or promotes discrimination based on race, sex, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation, or age will be disqualified without notice to the Playwright.
  5. Selection of Winners: An FPA-designated panel of judges (led by FPA’s Literary Manager) will review all submissions and select, in their sole discretion, a selection of finalists for further review. The Judges will notify finalists directly and may, at their sole discretion, request additional information or confirmation from some but not necessarily all finalists as part of the final review process from which the winners will be selected.
  6. First Prize: Contingent upon the Playwright agreeing to the Rules and Conditions, which include a development process and option agreement (outlined within), the First Prize winner will receive a $25,000 cash prize, including:
    1. $10,000, paid upon announcement and acceptance of the award.
    2. $15,000, paid following a development process and the completion of a staged reading presentation (live or virtual).  By way of example, the development process may require the Playwright to generate multiple revised drafts of the play based on dramaturgical feedback from FPA, including consideration of criteria as defined in section  4. FPA and Playwright will work together to schedule the staged reading in a timely manner.
    3. An option agreement, wherein it is understood that FPA will retain the exclusive option to produce the first production of the Play for a period of 24 months following the date of the staged reading presentation.
  7. Second Prize: Contingent upon the Playwright agreeing to the Rules and Conditions, which include a development process and option agreement (outlined within),  the First Prize winner will receive a $15,000 cash prize, including:
    1. $5,000, paid upon announcement and acceptance of the award.
    2. $10,000, paid following a development process and the completion of a staged reading presentation (live or virtual).  By way of example, the development process may require the Playwright to generate multiple revised drafts of the play based on dramaturgical feedback from FPA, including consideration of criteria as defined in section 4. FPA and Playwright will work together to schedule the staged reading in a timely manner.
    3. An option agreement, wherein it is understood that FPA will retain the exclusive option to produce the first production of the Play for a period of 24 months following the date of the staged reading presentation.
  8. Payments: Winning Playwrights shall be personally responsible for any and all income, employment or payroll taxes, workers’ compensation and unemployment compensation insurance or payments required by Federal, State, International or local law associated with any and all compensation the Winning Playwright receives from FPA.
  9. Winner Notification:
    1. Finalists will be notified on or around December 31, 2023.
    2. Winners will be notified on or around January 31, 2024.
    3. FPA shall have no liability for any winner notification that is lost, intercepted or not received by potential winner for any reason. In FPA’s sole discretion, selected potential winner may be disqualified and required to forfeit the prize, and an alternate potential winner may be selected from among the remaining eligible Entrants if selected potential winner: (i) cannot be reached for whatever reason after a reasonable effort has been exerted; (ii) declines or cannot accept, receive or use the prize for any reason; (iii) is found to be ineligible to enter The Clive Awards or receive the prize; or (iv) cannot or does not comply with any provision of these Rules and Conditions. Forfeited or unclaimed prizes may not be awarded. FPA is not obligated to contact potential winner in any other manner than otherwise mentioned in these Rules and Conditions. Selected potential prize winners may be required to complete (as directed by FPA) an Affidavit of Eligibility, Release of Liability, and Publicity Release, and a completed W9 (collectively, the "Affidavit"), along with a signed Developmental Option Agreement.
    4. If potential prize winner does not comply with these requirements, in FPA's sole discretion, prize may be forfeited and an alternate winner may be selected from among the remaining eligible Entrants.
    5. FPA reserves the right to modify the notification and Affidavit procedures in connection with the selection of alternate winner, if any.
  10. Grant of Rights:
    1. Except where prohibited by law, by accepting a prize, each winner agrees and acknowledges that FPA and any of its designees may, without any limitation or further compensation, use winner’s full name, city of residence, submission title, or other likenesses, entries, pictures, portraits, voices, testimonials, biographical information (in whole or in part), and/or statements made by winner(s) regarding The Clive Awards or FPA, worldwide and in perpetuity for any and all purposes, including, but not limited to, advertising, trade and/or promotion on behalf of FPA, in any and all forms of media, now known or hereafter devised, including, but not limited to, print, TV, radio, electronic, cable, social media, or World Wide Web, without further limitation, restriction, compensation, notice, review, or approval (“Publicity Release”).
    2. By participating in The Clive Awards, Entrants and anyone shown in their submissions will be sharing their personal information with FPA.
  11. No Tampering, Right To Cancel, Modify: FPA shall not have any obligation or responsibility, including any responsibility to award any prize to Entrants, with regard to: (a) entries that contain inaccurate information or do not comply with or violate the Rules and Conditions; (b) entries, prize claims, or notifications that are lost, late, incomplete, illegible, unintelligible, damaged, or otherwise not received by the intended recipient, in whole or in part, due to computer, human, or technical error of any kind; (c) entries who have committed fraud or deception in entering or participating in The Clive Awards 2023 or claiming the prize; (d) internet, telephone, electronic, hardware, software, network, or computer malfunctions, failures, or difficulties; (e) typographical, printing or other errors or omissions in these Rules and Conditions, in any Clive Awards-related advertisements or other materials, or other problems or errors of any kind whether computer, network, mechanical, human, electronic, typographical, printing, or otherwise including, without limitation, errors or problems which may occur in connection with the administration of The Clive Awards, in the processing of entries, in the selection or announcement of winners or in the awarding of prizes; (f) any inability of the winner to accept the prize for any reason; (g) if a prize cannot be awarded due to delays or interruptions due to Acts of God, natural disasters, terrorism, weather, or any other similar event beyond FPA’s reasonable control; or (h) any damages, injuries, or losses of any kind caused by any prize or resulting from awarding, acceptance, possession, use, misuse, loss, or misdirection of any prize or resulting from participating in The Clive Awards 2023. If for any reason, The Clive Awards 2023 is not capable of running as planned due to infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, phone malfunctions, or any other causes beyond FPA’s control, which affects the proper conduct of The Clive Awards, FPA reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel or suspend part or all of The Clive Awards 2023. PLEASE NOTE THAT ANY ATTEMPT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE ANY WEBSITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE CLIVE AWARDS IS A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, FPA RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES OR OTHER REMEDIES AT LAW OR IN EQUITY FROM ANY SUCH PERSON(S) RESPONSIBLE TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.
  12. Representations and Warranties/Indemnification: By entering The Clive Awards 2023, each Entrant represents and warrants as follows: (i) Entrant’s entry is Entrant's own original work and was created solely by Entrant for the purpose of entering The Clive Awards and that Entrant owns and controls the entry and all rights in it throughout the world; (ii) the entry, as of the date of submission, is not the subject of any actual or threatened litigation or claim; (iii) the entry has not been previously published, produced, distributed, or otherwise exploited; (iv) the entry does not and will not infringe the copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity, or other personal or proprietary rights of any person or entity; (v) the entry does not and will not violate any applicable laws.
  13. Severability: The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of these Rules and Conditions shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision. In the event that any provision is determined to be invalid or otherwise unenforceable or illegal, these Rules and Conditions shall otherwise remain in effect and be construed in accordance with their terms as if the invalid or illegal provision were not contained herein. FPA's failure to enforce any provision of these Rules and Conditions shall not constitute a waiver of such provision.
  14. Winners List: FPA will post a winner’s list at cliveawards.com.
Playwrights must submit ONE (1) SINGLE PDF FILE to include:
  • A cover page with name, address, email, phone number and brief bio (1 page).
  • A brief summary that includes cast breakdown, setting and story synopsis as well as disclosure of any readings or other development activity that the script has previously received (1-2 pages).
  • A typed script, written in English, with numbered pages.
  • If your script contains any copyrighted material, please also include: a signed letter from the authors and underlying rights representative stating that you have secured underlying rights. Alternately, you may provide a copy of your contract with all financial information redacted. The following information should be made clear:
    • Length of agreement and standards for renewals/extensions
    • List and definitions of all parties involved
    • Indication of who has artistic control over the piece and what approvals are needed at what stages

When submitting a file, please include the playwright’s first and last name and the title of the play in the file name, as in FirstNameLastName-TitleOfPlay.pdf

 

Please be sure that all information is included in the single PDF file that you upload.