Following on from the success of the Popcorn Writing Award in conjunction with the Edinburgh Fringe, the NFTS Popcorn Award has been set up dedicated to film and television, to champion stories with strong identities which look to shape the conversation around social and political issues in a thought-provoking way.

The Popcorn Award will pause for 2026 as we take the opportunity to further develop and evolve the award. This next phase will allow us to build on the success of previous years and explore new ideas for the future.

We would like to thank all of our entrants, panelists, partners, and supporters for being part of the journey so far, and we look forward to returning soon with some exciting news.

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The Popcorn Writing Award is the only award celebrating new writing at the Edinburgh Fringe. The award offers a £6,000 prize fund pot that goes directly to writers recognised for their notable, groundbreaking scripts.

It champions brave and imaginative writing which playfully and artistically questions and addresses current affairs and societal trends and contributes positively to public debate.

Partnering venues include Assembly Festival, Gilded Balloon, Pleasance, Summerhall Arts, Traverse Theatre, Underbelly, Greenside Venues, ZOO Venues, Paradise Green and theSpaceUK.

Past Committee members have included: Lena Headey, Wunmi Mosaku, Ruth Wilson, Gonzalo Maza, Michael Longhurst and many others from across film, television, theatre and beyond.

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Past Information for 2025

Plays are eligible if they:

1) Are new pieces of writing with fewer than seven performances prior to the 2025 Edinburgh Fringe.

2) Are being staged during the Fringe at one of the partner venues - Assembly, Gilded Balloon, Pleasance, theSpaceUK, Summerhall Arts, Traverse, Underbelly, Greenside, Paradise Green or ZOO Venues.

To be considered, writers must send their piece of new writing, a 50-word summary of their play, a 10-word tagline, and a list of the show’s previous performance dates (if any). These materials should be submitted to the programming team at their respective venue with the subject line:

“Popcorn Writing Award 2025 // Title of Play // Writer’s Name // Venue Associated”

Any questions about the award should be directed to awards@popcorngroup.co.uk.