The Mark Twain Prize for Comic Playwriting

The Mark Twain Prize for Comic Playwriting will be offered for the outstanding student-written comic play. As a social commentator, satirist and creator of memorable characters, Samuel Clemens - the distinguished 19th century novelist and essayist also known as Mark Twain - was a fearless observer of society, who outraged many while delighting and informing many more with his uncompromising perspective of social injustice and personal folly. He revealed the great truth of humor when he said "against the assault of laughter nothing can stand."This award is named in his honor and supported by the Kennedy Center.

• 1st Place Cash Award of $2,500 and a fellowship to attend the Sundance Theatre Lab.
• Dramatic Publishing Company may present the winning playwright with an offer of a contract to publish, license, and market the winning play.
• 2nd Place Award of $1,500.
• Dramatists Guild Award. The Dramatists Guild Award provides the playwrights with Active membership in the Guild.
• Grants of $750 and $500 will be made to the producing organizations of the first and second place award recipients, respectively.

The play must be produced by a college or university or publicly presented in a "rehearsed" or "staged reading" format following a significant development process. The play must be entered, as an Associate or Participating entry, in the KCACTF. It must comply with the guidelines for plays entered in the KCACTF Michael Kanin Playwriting Program.

For other questions, refer to "Rules and Procedures for the Michael Kanin Playwriting Awards Program" above.

The Mark Twain Comedy Playwriting Award Winners

2009

Winner - Miranda is Morning - Stephen Spotswood, Catholic University of America

2nd Place - Tennis at Nablus by Ismail Khalidi, New York University

2008

Winner - Well Plotted - Stephen Lewis, Catholic University of America

2nd Place - Burying Barbie by Christopher Dimond, Carnegie-Mellon University

2007

Winner - Reel, Paul Shouldberg, Indiana University

2nd Place - In The Sawtooths, Dano Madden, Rutgers University

2006

The Last Black Play, Nathan Louis Jackson, Ebony Theatre Company of Kansas State University

2005

Cow-Tipping and Other Signs of Stress by Gregory Fletcher, Playwrights' Theatre of Boston University

2004

Good Morning Athens! A Rock Musical , book, music and lyrics by Sean Keogh, University of Wyoming

2003

Training Wisteria, by Molly Smith Metzler, Playwrights'Theatre of Boston University

2002 (A first place tie)

The Movie Game, by Adam Hummel, University of Minnesota-Duluth

Rainy Day People, by Todd McCollough, University of Wyoming

2001

1st Place - These Two Couples Went to Italy.... by Paul Rusconi, University of Texas at Austin

2nd Place - Lenny Hackman's Liver by Matthew Dryden Roland, Boston University

2000

1st Place - An Irish Play, Dan O'Brien of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island

Mr. O'Brien received a cash award of $2500.00 and a fellowship to attend the Bay Area Playwrights' Festival in San Francisco. Brown University received a $750.00 grant for producing the play

2nd Place - Sid and Elsie, Benari Poulten of Brandeis University, Boston, Massachusetts

Mr. Poulten received a cash award of $1500.00. Brandeis University received a grant of $500.00 for producing the play