The Leah
(playwriting prize)
The Leah Ryan Fund began giving out its annual prize in 2010 to honor the memory of Leah Ryan, and to encourage and support the work of brilliant and unrecognized women, trans, and non-binary playwrights. It is the purpose of the prize to perpetuate the integrity, compassion, and creativity that Leah herself possessed and inspired in others.
Winners of The Leah playwriting prize receive a cash award, currently $5,000, and a public reading and summer workshop as part of the Powerhouse Theater Program at Vassar College. As hoped, the prize has been a springboard for winners who have subsequently won other competitions, have received full-staged productions of their work, and/or have gone on to successful careers in theater, TV, and film.
Past Winners
- 2024: Kaela Mei-Shing Garvin, PING PONG PLAY
- 2023: Gloria Majule, CULTURE SHOCK
- 2022: Jessica Moss, FUNNIE; OR THE MOST LAMENTABLE COMEDIE OF JANE THE FOOLE
- 2021: Stefani Kuo, FINAL BOARDING CALL
- 2020: Tyler English-Beckwith, MINGUS
- 2019: Eliana Pipes, DREAMHOU$E
- 2018: Gina Femia, ALLOND(R)A
- 2017: Susan Soon He Stanton, WE, THE INVISIBLES
- 2016: Genne Murphy, GIANTESS
- 2015: Boo Killebrew, MILLER, MISSISSIPPI
- 2014: Jen Silverman, THE MOORS
- 2013: Jiehae Park, HANNAH AND THE DREAD GAZEBO
- 2012: Rachel Teagle, THE EVER AND AFTER
- 2011: Laura Marks, BETHANY
- 2010: Megan Mostyn-Brown, THE REST OF YOUR LIFE
Past Honorable Mentions
- 2024: Ella Boureau, FUCKING AJAX! AN APPALACHIAN GAY SOUL SUICIDE (WITH MUSIC)
- 2024: Makeda Declet, DARLINGS
- 2024: Samah Meghjee, MAYBE YOU COULD LOVE ME
- 2023: Carolina Đỗ, AN CHOI: EAT. PLAY, RAGE (A DON’T FUCK WITH THE WEEKEND SHIFT PLAY)
- 2023: Daria Miyeko Marinelli, BEAUTIFUL BLESSED CHILD
- 2022: A.A. Brenner, BLANCHE & STELLA
- 2022: Emma Watkins, ELIZABETH IS GOING INTO THE GROUND
- 2021: Mathilde Dratwa, DIRTY LAUNDRY
- 2021: Julia Izumi, (AN AUDIO GUIDE FOR) UNSUNG SNAILS AND HEROES
- 2020: Amanda Keating, TEACH/TEACH
- 2020: Sophie Weisskoff, ENDA & OONA
- 2019: Lily Akerman, HIPPO
- 2019: Krista Knight, SHOOTER
- 2017: Monet Hurst-Mendoza, VEIL’D
- 2017: Lindsay Joelle, THE GARBOLOGISTS
- 2017: Sarah Mantell, EVERYTHING THAT NEVER HAPPENED
- 2016: Jacqueline Goldfinger, THE ARSONISTS
- 2016: Dipika Guha, THE ART OF GAMAN
- 2014: Diana Grisanti, INC.
- 2014: Lauren Yee, TIGERS AMONG US
- 2012: Brenda Withers, THE DING DONGS OR WHAT IS THE PENALTY IN PORTUGAL?
- 2011: Crystal Jackson, THE SINGULARITY
- 2011: Jen Silverman, STILL
Donate
To support The Leah playwriting prize from the Leah Ryan Fund, donate online through the Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley website.
You can also donate by mail:
Please make checks payable to the Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley, and make sure to write “Leah Ryan Fund” in the memo line.
Please mail to:
Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley
25 Van Wagner Rd, Suite 2
Poughkeepsie, NY 12603
We thank you in advance for your generosity in supporting the Leah Ryan Fund.