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BUAF Sets New Standard with 2025 Beeta Playwright Competition
The Beeta Playwright Competition (BPC), one of Africa’s most prestigious platforms for emerging playwrights, is back with its seventh edition. This year’s theme, “Connected Realities: A Closer World in a Digital Age,” challenges writers to explore the nuances of human connection in our fast-evolving digital world.
A major update to the competition: all interested participants must attend a mandatory virtual pre-submission workshop.
Spearheaded by internationally acclaimed playwright Dipo Agboluaje, the workshop ensures that every applicant is equipped with the tools to succeed in today’s theatrical landscape. The workshop registration closes on the 30th of August 2025 (Midnight) and the deadline for the play submission is on the 30th of September 2025.
“This is more than a competition, it’s a platform for growth, for learning, and for launching careers. “Every year, we see incredible stories that have the potential to impact the world. With the digital age opening new frontiers for storytelling, the 2025 theme challenges writers to imagine bolder, connect deeper, and think globally,” a statement quoted the Founder, Beeta Arts Universal Foundation (BAUF), Bikiya Graham- Douglas, to have said.
This year’s edition of the BPC was made possible by the collective efforts of all stakeholders, especially the sponsors: Chairborne, MTN Foundation, Five2Media, and Paperworth Books who have remained able partners of the vision.
Judging the competition this year are Prof. Ahmed Yerima as the Chairman; Dr Shaibu Husseini, Deputy Chairman and DG Film and Video Censors Board Nigeria; Ego Boyo, Veteran Actress/Producer; Ibiso Graham-Douglas, Publisher/CEO of PaperWorth Books Limited; Kenneth Uphopho, Director and Founder of Paw Studios Africa, and Ayo Jaiyesimi, Theatremaker and Founder Thespian Family Theatre and Productions.
Winners would receive a cash prize, play publication, and a professional stage production; a launchpad for careers in the arts.
“At BUAF, we are raising the bar for theatrical excellence by placing equal value on creative expression and intellectual depth. The introduction of a mandatory pre-submission workshop ensures that every aspiring playwright has access to professional guidance, industry insights, and artistic structure. It’s a powerful leveller that not only improves the quality of submissions but also enriches the entire ecosystem of African theatre,” Folakemi Philips, Brand Communications Lead, Beeta Universal Arts Foundation said.
