Right. Gather round, theatre lovelies, because the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize has announced its 2026 judging panel for the 48th annual award, and it’s a proper line-up.
If you’ve never clocked the Blackburn before: founded in 1978, it’s the oldest and largest international prize celebrating women+ playwrights writing for the English-speaking theatre. In plain Yorkshire: it’s a big deal, with serious bragging rights and real financial support attached (the kind that pays rent rather than just buys you a congratulatory prosecco).
The winner will be announced on February 26, 2026, at a special invitation-only celebration at the Royal Court Theatre in London — which feels correct, because if any building in the city knows how to clap for new writing, it’s that one.
The 2026 judges
A judging panel that covers performance, production, design, writing, and direction — aka people who know what’s on the page and what survives the rehearsal room:
- Julie Hesmondhalgh (UK) – award-winning television and theatre actor
- Mara Isaacs (US) – Tony Award-winning Broadway producer
- Mimi Lien (US) – Tony Award-winning set designer
- Benedict Lombe (UK) – award-winning playwright
- Audra McDonald (US) – Emmy + Grammy winner, and six-time Tony-winning actor/singer
- Ian Rickson (UK) – celebrated theatre director; former Artistic Director of the Royal Court
(And yes, that is the sound of playwrights everywhere simultaneously sweating and hoping their script formatting is immaculate.)
Prize Executive Director Leslie Swackhamer basically summed it up as: this year’s panel represents excellence across the theatre-making spectrum — and their judgement and taste is central to celebrating the prize’s standout writers.
The 2026 finalists
Ten finalists, ten plays, and a dangerously high chance of you hearing about at least three of these everywhere by spring:
- Barbara Bergin (Ireland) — Dublin Gothic
- Hannah Doran (UK/Ireland) — The Meat Kings! (Inc.) of Brooklyn Heights
- Amy Jephta (South Africa) — A Good House
- Frances Poet (UK) — Small Acts of Love
- Ro Reddick (US) — Cold War Choir Practice
- Jasmine Sharma (US) — Pigeonhole
- Jen Silverman (US) — Regressions
- DeLanna Studi (Cherokee Nation) — “I” is for Invisible
- Else Went (US) — Initiative
- Bess Wohl (US) — Liberation
Honestly? Even the titles have range. From Dublin Gothic to Cold War Choir Practice — that’s a playlist of vibes.
What the winner gets (and yes it’s a proper prize)
This isn’t one of those awards where you receive a handshake and a tote bag.
- Winner: $25,000
- Also: a special print made for winners and signed by artist Willem de Kooning
- Special Commendation (if the judges choose): $10,000
- Each finalist receives: $5,000
Which is the kind of support that says, “we value new writing” and actually means it.
Why this prize matters
Over 500 plays have been honoured as finalists over the years — and plenty have gone on to major awards (Oliviers, Tonys, Evening Standard, the lot). Even more notably: 11 Blackburn finalists have later won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. That’s not coincidence, that’s the prize having proper radar.
The Blackburn also helps get plays moving between the US, UK, Ireland and other English-speaking countries — giving writers more productions, more visibility, and more chances for their work to travel.
And the list of past judges? It’s basically theatre royalty having a dinner party: Edward Albee, Eileen Atkins, Glenn Close, Marianne Elliott, Ralph Fiennes, Greta Gerwig, Tony Kushner, Meryl Streep, Tom Stoppard… and loads more besides. A “who’s who”, as the press release said — and for once they’re not exaggerating.
About the judges
Julie Hesmondhalgh (UK)
TV icon (Coronation Street, Broadchurch, Happy Valley), but don’t let that fool you — Julie’s theatre credits are stacked, with powerful work at the Royal Court, Young Vic, Royal Exchange and beyond. She’s also a writer, a Radio 4 regular, co-runs Take Back theatre company in Manchester, and does real-world good through fundraising and arts support. A judge who understands craft and community.
Mara Isaacs (US)
Tony and Grammy-winning producer, best known for Hadestown (Broadway + West End + touring), and someone who backs work across the full spectrum — from experimental pieces to big commercial titles. She’s also built major producer support platforms (Producer Hub) and arts initiatives in the US. She doesn’t just spot work — she helps it survive and thrive.
Mimi Lien (US)
Set and environment designer with an architectural brain and an artist’s sense of atmosphere. MacArthur Fellow (first stage designer to get one — massive), Tony winner for Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, and widely credited for designs that don’t just “look nice” — they change the relationship between audience and story.
Benedict Lombe (UK)
Congolese British playwright whose Shifters sold out at the Bush and then transferred to the West End — with Olivier nominations following. She won the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize in 2022 for debut play Lava, so she knows exactly what this prize can do for a writer. Also developing screen work, including adaptations — the woman is busy, and rightly so.
Audra McDonald (US)
A record-breaking theatre force: six Tonys, two Grammys, an Emmy, and a career spanning Broadway, opera, television and film. She’s performed roles that require virtuoso technique and deep emotional truth — which makes her a dream judge for writing that needs to land on a human being, not just on paper.
Ian Rickson (UK)
Former Artistic Director of the Royal Court (1998–2006) and one of the UK’s defining directors of new writing. Directed landmark plays including The Weir and major work by Jez Butterworth and Caryl Churchill, and has continued to champion writers across the Court, West End, NT and more. A judge who understands how writing becomes theatre — the hard way.
For more information about the Prize, please visit www.blackburnprize.org
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