THE 16TH STREET FOUNDATION PRESENTS
THE COOPER PRIZE
A $20,000 PLAYWRITING PRIZE
The 16th Street Foundation and Company 16 announce the second instalment of the Cooper Prize, a prestigious playwriting prize beaconing original theatre works.
Amidst this culture of conformity, The Cooper Prize offers something rare: freedom. A space for playwrights to write boldly and explore difficult or controversial ideas with full creative integrity. We seek to support authors who challenge assumptions - not for provocations sake, but in pursuit of truth, beauty, and a better world.
The prize is open internationally, to published or unpublished playwrights. The submissions will be reviewed by a panel of industry professionals led by Iain Sinclair and Harry Haynes. The winning playwright will receive a $20,000 prize and their work will be considered for a full commission for production. All finalists will receive a professionally directed public reading of their submitted scene with professional actors.
“The Cooper Prize stands as a beacon for work that might otherwise never be heard - and in doing so, reaffirms the power of the arts to awaken, challenge, and heal.” - Philanthropist, Peter Cooper
PROMPT
Participants are invited to submit material that responds to the following prompts which draw inspiration from themes raised in Victor Frankl’s ‘Man’s Search for Meaning’ and Dostoevsky’s ‘The Brothers Karamazov’.
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The battle of doubt and faith
Is suffering redemptive or meaningless?
The power of truth
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“Above all, don’t lie to yourself”
- Dostoevsky
"He who has a why to live for, can bear almost any how”
- Friedrich Nietzsche
“The opposite of faith is not doubt, but certainty. Certainty is missing the point entirely.”
- Anne Lamott
“The line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties - but right through every human heart.”
- Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
ON THE MaiTri FOUNDATION
At the MaiTri Foundation we believe in the inherent value of human life. We hold that a free society rests on the capacity to think independently, act conscientiously, and take responsibility for oneself. We strive for a world where all are taught how to think, not what to think. We value true freedom, which isn’t the absence of boundaries and responsibilities, but the ability to create, speak, and live meaningfully within a shared sense of order, dignity, and respect for others.
ON COMPANY 16
Company 16 connects experienced mentors with emerging talent to preserve traditional acting skills and pass essential practices to future generations. By fostering a compassionate, intergenerational community, Company 16, supported by the 16th Street and Cooper Foundations cultivate the wisdom and resilience necessary for artists to reach their full potential.
How to Submit:
Applicants must provide:
A one-page document that includes: An explanation of your motivation for writing and the issues you wish to explore, a brief outline of your philosophical perspective and worldview that informs your work and a synopsis of your work.
First 10 pages of the play.
Applications are to be submitted by the form attached. The 16th Street Foundation and Company 16 look forward to receiving a diverse range of submissions.
Applications will not be reviewed if they do not comply with the submission requirements.
We reserve the right to withhold the prize if submitted entries do not sufficiently meet our criteria.
Applications close June 19th, 2026.
PREVIOUS WINNER
Australian Actor and Writer Named Recipient of the 2024 Inaugural Cooper Prize, Christopher Stollery.
On Monday, September 9th 2024, an enthusiastic audience gathered at 16th Street Actors Studio in Melbourne to hear excerpts from the Cooper Prize finalists’ new work. The four finalists were Australian writers Christopher Stollery and Maeve Hook, British writer Nick Maynard, and U.S. writer Linda Pallotta.
Following the public reading, the panel, comprising: Philanthropist Peter Cooper (Founder of Cooper Investors); Philanthropist Natalie Elliot (Head of CI Private Capital), Theatre Producer, Andrew Henry and Theatre Director Iain Sinclair – deliberated and announced Australian actor and writer Christopher Stollery the recipient of the 2024 Cooper Prize and the $10,000 award.
Christopher’s entry, ‘The Copernican’, reflects the mission of this new writing prize, which is to bring independence of thought and spirit to the theatre. On receiving the new playwriting prize, Christopher expressed, “This prize is a godsend for me. Writing is one thing, but getting someone to read it is another challenge entirely. And to hear it read so well – to such a fulsome audience response – that has provided me the evidence to allay the doubts, push through any writer’s block and dedicate the time to ride this unicorn home. And the cash is nice too.”