Jackie White Memorial National Playwriting Contest
Founded in 1988 by then CEC President Debbie Baldwin, the Jackie White Memorial Playwriting Contest seeks to encourage playwrights to write quality plays for family audiences. Young authors may also submit their works for consideration.
Who was Jackie White?
Dr. Jackie Bromstead White was a playwright, a Columbia native, and former head of Rock Bridge High School's Drama Department. She created guidelines for contest readers on how to fairly critique and judge plays, many of which are still followed today. Dr. White was instrumental in the early success of the contest, which was renamed in her honor after her passing in 1991.
The Jackie White Memorial Play Festival aims to find the best scripts in the world written specifically to educate and invigorate audiences of children.
Jackie White was an educator who taught to inspire the passion for theater in the next generation. Under the direction of Betsy Phillips, The Jackie White Competition came to be known at a national level as a contest that supports the development and production of children's theatre plays. Traditionally, the first and often second place winners were produced by CEC's Theatre School… and in 2025, we’re reviving that tradition.