The Steinberg/ATCA New Play Awards

Largest Playwriting Award in the United States.

By: ATCA - May 06, 2026

 

The Steinberg/ATCA New Play Awards were presented on Saturday, May 2, as part of the Pacific Playwrights Festival in Costa Mesa, California.

The 2026 Steinberg/ATCA winner was The Pilon by Zach Barr, produced by Red Theater (Chicago). Runners-up were Berlin by Mickle Maher, produced by Court Theatre (Chicago), and Things With Friends by Kristoffer Diaz, produced by American Blues Theater (Chicago). Given in partnership by ATCA and the Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, the Steinberg/ATCA Awards recognize outstanding new plays premiered outside of New York City. With $40,000 in prize money dispersed, it remains the largest playwriting award in the United States.

At the same ceremony, ATCA also presented the M. Elizabeth Osborn Award to Noa Gardner for his play The Staircase, produced by South Coast Repertory (Costa Mesa, Calif.). Named in honor of the late ATCA member Margaret Elizabeth "Betty" Osborn, the award is presented annually to an emerging playwright who has yet to win a major national playwriting award or receive a major production of their work in New York. Gardner joins past winners such as JT Rogers, Rebecca Gilman, Rob Ulin, and Jonathan Norton.

The Steinberg/ATCA and Osborn Awards were presented by Cameron Kelsall, chair of ATCA's New Play Committee, and Lou Harry, vice-chair of ATCA's Executive Committee, alongside Jim Steinberg of the Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust. They wish to thank South Coast Repertory and the Pacific Playwrights Festival for generously hosting the awards for the fifth year.

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Front row, L to R: Angel Ysaguirre (executive director, Court Theatre); Mickle Maher (Steinberg/ATCA runner-up); Noa Gardner (Osborn winner); Zach Barr (Steinberg/ATCA winner); Editha Rosario-Moore (president of the board of directors, American Blues Theater)
Second row, L to R: Charles Newell (artistic director, Court Theatre); David Ivers (artistic director, South Coast Repertory); Jim Steinberg (director, Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust); Clare Brennan (co-artistic director, Red Theater)
Back row, L to R: Lou Harry (vice-chair, Executive Committee, ATCA); Cameron Kelsall (chair, New Play Committee, ATCA); Jessica Love (director, The Pilon); Wyatt Kent (co-artistic director, Red Theater)
Not pictured: Kristoffer Diaz (Steinberg/ATCA runner-up)