British Council International Audio Drama Competition 2026

Opportunity type:  Open Call

For: Writers

Deadline: 04/06/2025

Rewards:  £2,500, trip to the UK, Drama recorded by BBC

Location Eligibility: Africa and other Non-UK countries

About this opportunity 

Applications are now open for the 2026 BBC World Service/British Council International Audio Drama Competition.
Writers from around the world are invited to submit their scripts for the 29th International Audio Drama Competition (previously the International Playwriting Competition) which is now open for entries. The global competition, hosted by BBC World Service and the British Council, offers the unique opportunity for writers from outside the UK to use the medium of audio drama to tell stories for an international audience.

Entrants should write an audio drama script of approximately forty to fifty minutes’ length on any subject of their choice.

Rewards

• Winners will receive a cash prize of  £2,500, be invited to attend an award ceremony in the UK in 2026, and to participate in the recording of their dramas for a world premiere on BBC World Service platforms.
• Flight and accommodation expenses are covered by the BBC.  A Special Commendation will be made for the runner-up in honour of the BBC World Service journalist and writer Georgi Markov (1929-1978).

Eligibility

• Writers can enter in one of two categories: English as a First Language and English as a Second Language.
• Entry is only open to anyone who at 4 June 2025 is (a) over the age of 18 and (b) not considered to be a resident of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Channel Islands or Isle of Man (“UK”). Professional and previously published writers are eligible to enter, but this is not a requirement of entry.

Entry Fee

Free

How to Apply 

Apply using the link: The International Audio Drama Competition 2026

All questions regarding this award should be sent to dramacompetition@bbc.co.uk