Southeastern Theatre presents
Your story.
Center stage.
Southeastern Louisiana University's Annual Inkslinger Playwriting Contest discovers and champions compelling new full-length plays for the stage.
Submissions open August 1–October 2, 2026 · $10 per play
A home for new theatrical voices
More than a contest.
A path to production.
For more than a decade, the Inkslinger contest has connected playwrights with Southeastern theatre students, artists, and audiences. More than 200 scripts move through a careful three-round adjudication process each year.
The selected playwright receives a full Mainstage production, travel support, lodging, and the chance to see their work come alive in collaboration with Southeastern Theatre.
Rigorous review
Every eligible play enters a structured, three-round evaluation.
Full production
The winning script receives a Southeastern Theatre Mainstage production.
Playwright support
Travel and lodging help the winner participate in the premiere experience.
2026-27 competition
Rules & submission guidelines
Submit original, unpublished work.
Write for a college-aged cast and audience (students play a range in age.)
Full-length plays only.
Musicals are not eligible at this time.
Multiple entries are welcome; each play requires a $10 fee.
Use professional play-script formatting.
Submit by October 2, 2026.
Upload a blind PDF of script with playwright identifying information removed.
Two steps complete an entry
Upload your play in the entrant portal, then pay the separate $10 entry fee.
2026 winner
Enter Two Murderers
by Mark Holley
Life wickedly imitates art in this light-hearted tragicomedy, when actors playing Shakespeare’s murderous couple plan a murder of their own. And how will they react after “what’s done is done”?
An enduring legacy