Ambassador Peel Playwriting Challenge 2025

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Do you have a script you’ve think needs to be performed?

Have you been burning to tell a story?

Would you love to share in the experience of bringing a production to life onboard a cruise ship?

Ambassador Cruise Line and their entertainment Partners the PEEL Entertainment Group are proud to launch the Ambassador Peel Playwriting Challenge 2025. We are looking for exciting unseen new work to produce on our ships as part of our Theatre@Sea™ programme.

We encourage entrants of all ages and backgrounds to share their scripts with us. Please see Guidance and Eligibility below.

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The competition will open for entries on 15th January 2025.

A special feature of this competition is that entries which make the shortlist will be eligible for a scripted reading onboard the Ambassador Ambition in regions around the UK. Bristol, Newcastle, Dundee, Belfast, Liverpool and Tilbury (for London).

The Winning Prize

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Prize Money

The winning entrant will be awarded £6000. 

Free Cruise

A Free Cruise for 2  people is gifted to the winner to take or gift (t’s and c’s apply).

Video Journal

A Video journey of the winning play will be made from first reading to first performances.

On-Board Performance

The winning play will be produced by PEEL (PEEL Entertainment Group Ltd) on the Ambassador ship The Ambition in 2026 for a season (usually performed once a week for 6 months). 

In Conversation With...

The winner/s will be invited on a cruise in 2026 for the playwright to take part in ‘In Conversation With’ to be interviewed about the play, what the inspiration was, why it was written, how it feels to win and what it’s like to see the work on stage.

Shortlisted Playwrights

The shortlisted playwrights will be invited to one of the regional scripted readings of their play.

Important Dates

15th Jan 2025

The competition opens for entries.

4th April 2025

The competition closes for entries at 6pm.

6th June 2025

Shortlisted entrants will be advised.

5th Dec 2025

The winner of the competition will be announced!

Entry Information

  • The play must be between 45 mins and 1hr in length.
  • It must be written for a cast of a minimum of 2 actors up to 4 actors, they will likely be 2 male and two female (identifying or non-binary) – there is the ability to add a very small part for a 5th actor who may be seconded from the show team.
  • There is no upper age limit but all entrants must be over 18 years by March 1st 2025. 
  • We can only accept entrants from the UK and ROI. 
  • You may submit more than one up to a maximum of two plays. 
  • The submitted play/s may have been entered in other playwriting competitions but not performed or published as part of any other competition.  The work must be unpublished and unproduced (by which we no more than 3 performances or readings whether professional or amateur). 
  • No experience is required, and entrants may be amateur or professional.
  • We will accept co-written pieces provided all co-writers are applying together, (in this case the prize will be shared between the co-writers).
  • We will not accept plays written for children, musical theatre (however where appropriate to the play it may contain music and also where appropriate may have songs of no more than 5 mins and relevant). 
  • We will accept adaptations providing there are no copyright payments required by PEEL as the producer, or Ambassador as the venue, (if copyright has been acquired by the entrant).
  • The winner will have their journey documented on video from script reading shortlist to going live performances. 
  • The competition owners reserve the right to edit the play for the performance on the cruise, this will be done in conjunction with the writer and only where necessary for the logistical reasons that would necessitate change or adaptions to suit the stage and audience and budget. 
  • Submissions should be in pdf format or MS word format with name and telephone number on front page. Each script requires a title. You may provide a synopsis on front page if you wish.
  • Please do not include CV.
  • We prefer to receive scripts in MS Word or as a PDF – however we are open to other methods as we don’t want to stop anyone from entering if we can accommodate them. 
  • Entrants are required to upload on the Portal in the Theatre at Sea website  www.theatreatsea.com and you will receive an acknowledgement of submission. 
  • FAQ will be updated regularly on the website. There will be a window of opportunity during the submission process to submit questions, the answers to which will be shared on the portal for all to benefit from.
  • The play must be original and exclusively owned or controlled by the entrant or entrants, or if an adaptation all or any other rights required to perform must also be owned by the entrant.
  • Entrants grant PEEL Entertainment Group Ltd the right to produce their script onboard Ambassador cruise ships for 3 years.
  • The winning script will also be under option to Peel Entertainment for a period of 12 months after the last onboard production.
  • The winning script must not be offered or appear on another vessel without full written permission from Ambassador/PEEL, in any case no permission will be granted for a period of three years after last appearing on an Ambassador ship and a licence from PEEL and Ambassador both may be required to be reproduce the play, if within a five year period of the winning announcement.
  • This does not affect any other rights to reproduce on land save for the right outlined above (at point 3).
  • As a condition of entry all entrants give their permission and grant a right to PEEL/Ambassador to do a scripted/rehearsed reading as part of the shortlisted readings on board Ambassador Ambition.
  • PEEL/Ambassador Cruises will not automatically hold any rights to produce any of the shortlisted entrants but may at their discretion wish to enter discussions for rights to produce a shortlisted play on our usual commercial terms, which are not related to the prize fund.

No topics are out of bounds; however, entrants must bear in mind this is being performed on a cruise ship and will be viewed as part of a holiday. Our audiences are excited to watch new plays, we regularly attract an onboard audience of between 200-500 per week, enjoying many subjects and styles of performance including thrillers, comedy and drama. We would encourage entrants to think of challenge and interest in the development of their story or narrative – or in non-narrative, a development of understanding that an audience can follow.  


Entrants are advised that a ship audience can be varied in demographic and cultural backgrounds and that they have not selected to attend the play as they would on land, this offering is available among a suite of other activities but is one of the most popular offerings for PEEL/Ambassador entertainment programme – which is why we are using the Theatre at Sea programme to launch the competition.


While the stage is large – (dimensions will be provided on the webpage), scene change opportunities are relatively limited. Scenery storage is limited so keep stage sets compact and simple.


We encourage the use the large LED screens as much as possible to change scenery backdrops.


Please think carefully about practical props i.e. unusual or specific food and drink items may be difficult to refresh given the ships itinerary so please bear this in mind.

If you are shortlisted, readings will take place onboard the Ambassador Ambition Cruise Ship

If you are shortlisted, readings will take place onboard the Ambassador Ambition Cruise Ship

Our team of onboard actors will do a reading of up to 2 shortlisted scripts per region. The shortlisted writers will be invited to join the ship for the day to see their work in a rehearsed reading, as guided by one of PEEL’s experienced cruise theatre director’s. One or more of our competition Readers or Judges may be present. (These readings do not form part of the judging process but are in order to share the shortlisted plays with our Ambassador audience).

BRISTOL – Sunday 29th June 2025

NEWCASTLE – Wednesday 30th July 2025

DUNDEE – Thursday 31st July 2025

BELFAST – Monday 15th September 2025

LIVERPOOOL – Tuesday 16th September 2025

TILBURY (for LONDON) – WINNER CHOSEN Friday 5th December 2025 (reading with Actors and Writer present if possible)

WINNERS & SHORTLIST JOURNEY

Shortlisted entrants announced 

Week beginning 15th December – Meet the Production Team to discuss the Rehearsal schedule and production.

REHREASALS – selected days in Jan/Feb/March 2026

INSTALL PLAY – March/April 2026

PLAY GO LIVE/OPENING NIGHT AND PRESS INVITE DATE TBC

We have full details of the judges and 3 out of the 5 are independent. However we agreed to not announce them until January so that we get a second press release and press opportunity.

Questions can be sent to info@theatreatsea.com.

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The Judges

We have a fabulous judging panel of experienced writers and directors and we will be announcing their names in January before the competition opens.

Theatre at Sea

Theatre@Sea™

Ambassador Cruise Line has been pleased to invite The PEEL Entertainment Group to bring its Theatre@Sea™ programme to its ships Ambience and Ambition. Our onboard acting troupes are among the few existing repertory companies operating out of the UK.

Over the past two years we have staged a wide range of plays onboard both ships to a great reception from our cruise passengers. Our theatre productions have ranged from thrillers and dramas, comedies, and modern adaptations of classics.

We engage a range of experienced specialist writers and directors who have made outstanding new work. Alongside our onstage productions we also produce ‘live interpretation’ pop up vignettes, which provide informative and entertaining pieces for the benefit of guest throughout the whole ship.

Are you ready to enter?
Submit your play.
Enter Now

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