Six playwrights have been named as the 2025 recipients of The New York Community Trust’s Helen Merrill Award for Playwriting. Each winner will receive $35,000 to support their work in theater. This year’s honorees are Jonathan Payne, Lisa Sanaye Dring, Monet Hurst-Mendoza, Jennifer Kidwell, Rehana Mirza, and Ifeoluwa Olujobi.
Jennifer Kidwell commented on receiving the award: “After damned near a decade of dreaming, planning, and making, I just opened a new piece. The uncanny timing of the Helen Merrill Award means that I have financial support to begin dreaming of the next project.”
The Helen Merrill Award has previously recognized playwrights who later went on to win major honors such as Pulitzer Prizes and Tony Awards. Past recipients include Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Michael R. Jackson, Taylor Mac, Qui Nguyen, Kristoffer Diaz, Jackie Sibblies Drury, and Lisa Kron.
Craig T. Peterson, program director for arts, culture, and historic preservation at The New York Community Trust said: “Thanks to the generosity of New York icons like Helen Merrill and an outstanding committee of theater leaders who have their fingers on the pulse of this industry, The New York Community Trust can make this vital investment in New York’s cultural landscape and support these distinctive voices.”
The selection process for the awards does not involve applications or restrictions on how winners use their prize money. An advisory committee made up of theater professionals selects recipients from writers at different stages in their careers. This year’s committee included Lisa McNulty (WP Theater), Ralph B. Peña (Ma-Yi Theater Company), Niegel Smith (The Flea), Lloyd Suh (playwright), and Moe Yousuf (Lower Manhattan Cultural Council).
Monet Hurst-Mendoza said: “As a Latina playwright who has worked in this industry for twenty years, it feels incredibly validating to be recognized alongside many talented artists I’ve long admired. In the wake of the 2023 writers’ strike, this award is a lifeline that will allow me the financial freedom to continue to pursue my art without worry.”
This year’s recipients bring varied backgrounds and achievements:
Jonathan Payne has held residencies at New Dramatists and fellowships with organizations including The Playwrights Realm and Ars Nova Play Group. His works have premiered at venues such as Rattlestick Theater and Williamstown Theatre Festival.
Lisa Sanaye Dring is a writer and director whose play SUMO was produced by La Jolla Playhouse and Ma-Yi Theater Company in 2023 as well as by The Public with Ma-Yi in 2025. She has received several nominations for her work including Lortel Awards and Drama Desk Awards.
Jennifer Kidwell is known for original projects like we come to collect: a flirtation with capitalism (The Flea Theater/UTR Under Construction) and Those With 2 Clocks (The Wilma Theater). She won an Obie Award for Underground Railroad Game.
Monet Hurst-Mendoza is a playwright and TV writer whose plays have been developed by multiple theaters nationwide. She is also recognized for her work on “Law & Order: SVU” where she served as writer/producer from seasons 21-24.
Rehana Lew Mirza’s body of work includes plays such as Hatef*ck and Bhangra Nation (originally Bhangin’ It). She shares a Kleban Award with Mike Lew and held a Mellon Foundation National Playwright residency at Ma-Yi.
Ifeoluwa Olujobi is a Brooklyn-based Nigerian American playwright whose play Jordans was produced by the Public Theater and received recognition from the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize along with a 2025 Obie Award.
The Helen Merrill Award continues its tradition of supporting playwrights without imposing conditions on how they use their funds or requiring them to apply.
