Sapling’s play Roots of Trouble wins Women’s Prize in Playwriting | stage

The work exploring what happens when trauma is left to fester, set in Belfast in the Troubles, has won the 2025 Women’s Prize for Playwriting.

The judges praised what they described as the consistent and poignant writing in Sapling by Georgina Duncan, a working-class playwright from Lancashire.

Eli Keel, founding director of the award, said: “Sapling is the rare kind of play that producers dream of discovering and audiences long to see: captivating, bold and deeply moving. Georgie’s writing is full of heart and vital energy, matching her exceptional craft in every scene.”

Sapling’s story has its roots in the murder of Connor Flynn by another child during the final years of the Troubles – an act that shocked a community already reeling from decades of violence. According to a synopsis released by the award organizers, the story follows his brother Jerry Flynn when he was 16 – 10 years after the murder.

“Despite the decline of home life, the pains of adolescence, and the lingering shadow of a brother who never grew up, he’s just trying to hold it together—until the events of one day shatter it all.

His brother’s memorial park is destroyed, his killer is released from prison, and the arrival of a charismatic stranger, Ryan, forces Jerry to confront the haunting dilemma: Is Ryan the solution to his problems or the reason they exist in the first place?

“The Seedling is a tender, darkly funny story about what grows when deep-rooted pain is left untreated.”

The latest edition of the award, which was launched in 2019 as the only national award to champion and support playwrights who identify as female or non-binary, received 1,275 entries – the highest number of entries to date, organizers said. The award is open to English-language plays of more than 60 minutes, and offers the first prize winner £20,000 along with an option for Ellie Keel Productions, Paines Plow and Sheffield Theaters to co-produce the work.

Kell said the judges – who included National Theater artistic director Indu Rubasingham, actress Romola Garai and Guardian editor-in-chief Catherine Viner, among others – underwent an “extremely rigorous” meeting, “reflecting the impressive standard of all our last five plays”. She added: “These playwrights and writers have incredible futures on big stages and I can’t wait to follow their journeys.

It was also announced that Kristin Scott Thomas will be the first winner of a newly created lifetime achievement award called the Leading Light Award. Organizers said the award is designed to “honor pioneering women in the arts industry for their lasting influence, outstanding work, and outstanding contribution to culture.”

The winners were announced at an awards ceremony held on Monday at West End venue @sohoplace.