The Trust Company \ Philanthropy \ Awards and scholarships \ Max Afford Playwrights' Award
Philanthropy
Max Afford Playwrights' Award
Promoting interest in Australian drama
This award is an initiative of the late Thelma May Afford in memory of her husband, Max Afford. She wanted to provide young writers with the incentive to improve their creative writing as well as to enhance the general public’s appreciation of Australian drama and playwrights.
It’s a biennial award for young writers of either stage, TV or film plays.
The total value of the Award is $20,000.
Are you eligible?
To be eligible for this award, you should be between the ages of 18 and 40 at the close of entries date.
You must be a resident of Australia for the 4 years preceding the closing date for entries.
Applications for 2014
Applications will open again in 2014. To be placed on the database for a notification of applications opening, please email your details to trustawards@thetrustcompany.com.au,with the subject line stating the award name.
PlayWriting Australia
The National Script Workshop supports the development of six new plays by emerging and established professional playwrights. The winner of the 2011/12 Max Afford Award received up to $10,000 towards two weeks of creative development.
2012 Winner Announcement
The Trust Company as Trustee, today announced Declan Greene as winner of the $20,000 The Max Afford Playwrights’ Award 2012.
The talented young playwright is awarded the highly acclaimed national prize for his script, Eight Gigabytes of Hardcore Pornography.
Mr Greene, 27, receives $10,000 prize money plus a sought-after creative development opportunity at the forthcoming PlayWriting Australia’s National Script Workshop in Sydney.
Previous Winners & Judges
- 2012 Declan Greene, Eight Gigabytes of Hardcore Pornograpjy
2012 Judges were Chris Mead, Katrina Foster and Damien Millar - 2010 Tom Holloway, Faces Look Ugly
2010 Judges were Chris Mead, Katrina Foster and Damien Millar - 2008 Jonathan Ari Lander Revolution
2008 Judges were Brett Adams, Nick Marchand and Francesca Smith - 2006 Mary Brown Australian Gothic
2006 Judges were Tom Healey, Katherine Thompson, and Francesca Smith - 2004 Vivienne Walshe Birth Nation
2004 Judges were Andrea James, Christopher Mead, and Katherine Thomson
Where are they now?
Last year’s Max Afford winner has had fantastic success since winning the Award. Read about his achievements below:
Tom Holloway
Since winning the Max Afford award in 2011, Holloway's plays have been seen across the world. His play Fatherland premiered at The Gate Theatre in London before touring to the 'Young And Radical Festival' in Munich, the opera for which he wrote the libretto, Make No Noise, had its world premier at the Munich Opera Festival, He was part of the team behind the Thin Ice/Malthouse co-production of Die Winterreise, his play And No More Shall We Part had a critically acclaimed season at Griffin Theatre in Sydney and a version of his Max Afford Award-winning play Faces Look Ugly, was produced by one of Denmark's biggest theatre companies, Aårhus Teater.
As well as the Max Afford Award, Tom was also one of five winners of the British Council's Realise Your Dream Award and he is currently in London for the rehearsals of a production of And No More Shall We Part, produced by Hampstead Theatre and directed by one of Britain's most acclaimed theatre directors, James Macdonald.
The Max Afford Award allowed Holloway to develop the script of Faces Look Ugly significantly. Getting to be part of Playwriting Australia's National Script Workshop meant Holloway got to work with some of the country's top theatre professionals. This workshop was incredibly important in the development of the script, allowing Holloway to pull the work apart, interrogate it intensely and rebuild it in to something much more advanced. And all with the support of some of the best theatrical minds in the country.
Further information
The Trust Company is trustee for the Max Afford Playwrights' Award. For more information please contact Christina Piazza, Scholarships and Awards
Coordinator on 1800 622 812 or trustawards@thetrustcompany.com.au
