The Nick Darke Writers’ Award 2017 entries closed in late May this year, after which a group of staff and students was set the task of reading every one of the 950 scripts.

Ranging in length from 20 to 150 pages this was no mean feat. As one of the volunteer readers, I read over ten scripts in under a month, all of which varied enormously not only in length but in theme and quality too.The shortlist is announced on the 1st September and the winner is announced at an awards ceremony on the 11th November.

Established in 2006 the wards we created to celebrate the best writing for stage, screen and radio. Funded by Falmouth University’s Academy of Music and Theatre Arts, and the School of Writing & Journalism, The Nick Darke Writers’ Award commemorates the playwright Nick Darke who wrote in many forms but earned his living in the world of theatre, screen and radio.

Open to all national and international writers aged 16 or over, the £6,000 Award provides the time to write that financial support facilitates.