International Playwriting Competition 

BBC World Service and the British Council, with co-producer The Open University, have announced the winners of the International Radio Playwriting Competition. This was another record-breaking year, with nearly 1,500 entries received from 114 countries.

The prizes were won by Aziz H from Yemen with his play ‘A Broken Heart In A Warzone’, Colette Victor from Belgium with her script ‘By God’s Mercy’ and Bode Asiyanbi from Nigeria was awarded the Georgi Markov prize for his play ‘The Journey To Fortune?’

The judging panel comprised the highly-acclaimed actor Raymond Fearon; the award-winning writer and poet Sabrina Mahfouz; and co-Artistic Director of the North Wall Ria Parry; alongside BBC World Service Senior Commissioning Editor Steve Titherington; Director of Theatre and Dance at the British Council, Neil Webb; and Executive Producer of BBC Radio Drama, Marion Nancarrow.

Dr Derek Neale, Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at The OU says: “It’s thrilling to again be involved in this OU co-production with BBC World Service and the British Council – with a prize-winning event hosted by Commonwealth Writers. Entries came from an astounding 114 countries, the winners were from Nigeria, Yemen and Belgium - the latter with a play set in South Africa. It is a truly international competition and the OU and its creative writing students will again benefit greatly from this wonderful cross-continent collaboration.”

Further details on the competition are online at the BBC World Service.

Playwright winners

Winner: A Broken Heart in a Warzone by Aziz H 
Winner of the English as a second language prize. In this dark comedy set in an unnamed warzone, two thieves have come up with an audacious plan to use the bombing raids for their own ends. All is going well, until an adulterous domestic drama – and a wild animal – threaten their complacency.

This play will be broadcast on BBC World Service on Saturday 26th January 2019 at 19:06. 

Winner: By God’s Mercy by Colette Victor 

Winner of the English as a first language prize. Set in the Cape Flats township, South Africa, and narrated by a mattress who’s worried that its time on earth is coming to an end, this comedy, with an underlying social message, is the story of Mercy and her “house of pleasure”. She has to make tough decisions and sacrifices to put food on the table, look after her sickly husband Sollie, send her talented daughter to college and provide work for Prudence the daughter of an old friend.

This play will be broadcast on BBC World Service on Saturday 2nd February 2019 at 19:06. 

Winner: The Day Dad Stole a Bus by Pericles Silveira (Brazil)
Nayara’s father wants her to see her grandmother’s house after the dam disaster in Bento Rodrigues. But why has he stolen a bus to take her there – and why do things keep disappearing?

This play was broadcast on BBC World Service on Saturday 21 January 2017. A link to listen again is on the BBC site .

​Winner: Playing With Fire by Joanne Gutknecht (Canada)

In a remote house in rural Canada, passions rage like the encroaching wildfire in the marriage of Judy and Arnold. Scandal and infidelity threaten to tear them apart, and their disturbed son Daniel can’t stop playing with his dolls. How will they escape the imminent flame?

The play was broadcast on BBC World Service on Saturday 18 February 2017. Watch a preview below. A link to listen again is on the BBC site.   

Dr Derek Neale - Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing

A novelist and short story writer with a practical and research interest in drama and film, script and life writing, I have recorded many interviews with novelists, playwrights, autobiographers and biographers about their approach to writing. I taught fiction and dramatic writing at UEA over a number of years, and have also facilitated writing activities in a prison. I gained my Creative Writing MA and PhD in Creative and Critical Writing from UEA, and joined the OU in 2003, helping to design and write the materials for a whole new generation of Open University writing courses.

Derek enjoys working with BBC World Service on the series, commenting “The Open University is delighted to continue co-producing with the World Service this unique competition.  It encourages new talent nationally and internationally, and is a wonderful source of inspiration and insight for our students at all levels – undergraduate or MA, whether they are just starting or experienced scriptwriters.”

Find out more about Derek.