A celebrated author, illustrator, and longtime New Yorker cartoonist, James Stevenson explored the human comedy with energy and economy across many genres.

Playing on Air’s James Stevenson Prize for Comedic Short Plays was created in 2018 to bring new American short plays to a nationwide audience.  Sponsored by Stevenson’s wife, Josie Merck, the competition awards an audio production and $6,000 cash prize —  the nation’s largest for a new short play —  to the comedy that best celebrates the spirit and wit of its namesake. The second and third place winners receive cash prizes of $3,000 and $1,000, respectively.

The Stevenson Prize honors Jim’s legacy, his love of theater, and his extraordinary ability to pack a punch — and land a punchline — with very few lines.

“Jim was an irreverent soul who revered the truth in humor.  He would be pleased to know that the... Stevenson Prize winners are so truthful - and funny as hell," said 2018  judge and playwright Willy Holtzman.  

Each spring, the Stevenson Prize invites playwrights to submit short (10-25 pages), original comedic plays. Each playwright is encouraged to consider their script’s suitability for audio production and for distribution on podcast and public radio.

The submission window for the 2020 James Stevenson Prize closed on May 15th. Winners will be announced in early September. Please note that all playwrights with deliverable emails have received confirmation of their script status. Thank you for sharing your work with us!

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