Established in 1984, The Jane Chambers Playwriting Contest honors lesbian dramatist, poet, and novelist Jane Chambers (1937-1983), whose influence on the American stage was shaped by her female-centered plays such as A Late Snow (1974), Last Summer at Bluefish Cove (1980), My Blue Heaven (1981), and Kudzu (1981). This annual prize is administered by The Women and Theatre Program, in association with the Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE). Each year two winning plays are chosen — one given to a professional dramatist and one to student. The contest helps to increase finalists’ production access by publicizing their work to literary managers and agents, university audiences, and producers. In so doing, the contest helps plays to find their audiences and theatres their playwrights.

Two anthologies of awarding-winning from the Jane Chambers Prize are available from NoPassport Press: