APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN!
Application 2027

GENERAL INFORMATION

The Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards and Festival will be held in New Delhi

The Festival Secretariat invites entries from across the country, from theatre groups in the following categories:

  • Best Production
  • Best Director
  • Best Stage Design
  • Best Light Design
  • Best Sound Design
  • Best Music Design
  • Best Costume Design
  • Best Choreography
  • Best Actor in a Lead Role - Male
  • Best Actor in a Lead Role - Female
  • Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Male
  • Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Female
  • Best Original Script
    • 2
  • Best Ensemble

The award consists of a specially designed trophy and a cheque.

Theatre productions may be verbal or non-verbal and may include physical theatre, puppetry, multimedia, musicals, movement, and dance.

The META Secretariat invites theatre groups, individuals, playwrights, and critics to submit their productions for META 2027.

Entries will be accepted from 4th August 2026 to 15th January 2027, for the 21st edition of the festival.

A Selection Committee, composed of eminent personalities from the cultural sector, will select 10 plays to be physically staged in Delhi.

Nominations will be announced on our website in February 2027.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

  • The META Secretariat invites theatre groups, individuals, playwrights, and critics to submit their productions for META 2027.
  • Theatre productions may be verbal or non-verbal and may include physical theatre, puppetry, multimedia, musicals, movement, and dance.
  • Entries will be accepted from 4th August 2026 to 15th January 2027, for the 22nd edition of the festival, to be staged in March 2027.
  • A Selection Committee, composed of eminent personalities from the cultural sector, will select 10 plays to be physically staged in Delhi.
  • Nominations will be announced via the META website in February 2027.

CRITERIA - IN ORDER TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE AWARDS

  • The play must be produced in India.
  • Plays must have been produced between 01st January 2022 and 15th January 2027, i.e productions should not be older than five years.
  • Plays must have been staged at least once in the recent year, 1st January 2026 to 15th January 2027.
  • Plays can be in any Indian language or can be non-verbal.
  • There is no restriction on the number of entries by a single applicant.
  • A play must have a minimum runtime of 45 mins.
  • For Best Original Script: A play should be an original or devised script. It can be an adaptation of a novel or short story.
  • The Director/Writer/Producer must have copyrights for adaptation/ use of existing music/ visual effects, etc.
  • The Producers/ Theater group must ensure they have the rights to broadcast the nominated production.
  • Adapted or inspired productions must credit the work they have adapted from.
  • You cannot submit a play that has been submitted to the META Secretariat in the past. This will be considered an invalid application. However, if a play withdrew once selected for reasons beyond their control, the Secretariat will consider reapplication in the following year. META Secretariat holds the sole discretion of reconsideration in this kind of case in adherence with due diligence. The final decision of being selected in the top 10 will solely remain with the Selection Committee of that particular year.
  • All plays must be video recorded in a suitable environment where all theatre aspects are visible, for e.g., stage, sets, lights, costumes, sound, etc., can be seen with subtitles in English. (Plays should not be shot during a rehearsal).
  • A recording of the entire production must be submitted via the link provided on the Official META website. The link should be available through YouTube.
  • Excerpts and trailers will not be accepted.
  • Plays must be submitted in their original language along with subtitles in English. (Without subtitles, the application will be disqualified).

Important Information:

  • There is no application fee required for submission.
  • Nominated plays will be staged during the festival in Delhi.
  • The cost of shipping the set or the set build, travel of the groups by AC II and III Tier Sleeper, boarding and lodging, venue cost and any additional technical requirement, along with an honorarium, will be provided for by the Festival Secretariat. Kindly note that if train tickets are not available, the option of self-booking for groups will be provided with a provision of reimbursement of the train fares consolidatedly.
  • In cases of copyright infringement, whether local or international, the submitting producer shall be held responsible and the play will be disqualified. The Festival Secretariat will not be held liable.
  • Theatre companies that are unable to afford the cost of recording a video of their production for submission to META may apply for financial assistance of up to ₹5,000. All such requests should be sent via email to metawards@teamworkarts.com. An invoice should be made in the name of Teamwork Arts Pvt Ltd.
  • All plays in languages other than English, if selected, will be staged with subtitles. Line-by-line subtitles in PPT format have to be provided by the producer/director.
  • In case a production house finds it impossible to send in their digital application, the Secretariat will consider accepting a physical application. The Secretariat should be informed well in advance in such a case. These entries will only be accepted if there is a valid reasoning to it.
  • In the event that the production is nominated for the festival, groups will be invited to stage the play in New Delhi as part of the Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards and Festival, which is scheduled from the 11th to the 17th of March, 2027.
  • The schedule as decided by the Secretariat is not bound to be influenced by the availability of a production to perform on any specific date of the festival. Applicants are requested to be aware of the festival dates and shall make themselves available in case of selection.
  • Nominees in each award category are expected to attend the Award Ceremony in formal attire.
Application 2027