Ambassador Cruise Line and PEEL Entertainment Group have confirmed the two finalists for the Ambassador PEEL Playwriting Challenge 2025.

Venison by Huw Turnbull and The Splintered Globe by Bryan Moriarty have been selected to progress to the live final on Friday, December 5. The event will take place on the Ambition at London Tilbury, where the ship will be docked for one of its festive events.

The Ambassador PEEL Playwrighting Challenge is the first of its kind to take place on a cruise ship, and the award offers a route for experienced writers and first-time playwrights to have their work performed as part of Ambassador’s Theatre@Sea programme, an initiative that has run for more than 25 years.

Bob McGowan, chief experience officer at Ambassador Cruise Line and member of the judging panel, said: “Ambassador Cruise Line launching a new national playwrighting competition onboard a ship has been hailed as a strong, innovative move for the cruise industry.”

“We were determined to work together with our partners PEEL Entertainment to create a path for new and exciting writers to get their work seen onboard in the very successful Theatre@Sea program that we know our guests value very highly as part of their holiday adventures.”

Susannah Daley, founder of PEEL Entertainment and chair of judges, said: “We had 260 entrants for our Ambassador PEEL Playwrighting Challenge, which we were over the moon with, especially for a new first-year writing competition.”

“The writers all commented on how special and useful it had been to see the actors bring their work to life in the regional readings held around UK ports on the ship. We are so excited about our two finalists; they are two exceptionally talented writers,” added Daley.

“This whole experience has delivered work beyond our expectations, and no matter who wins on the day, we have now established a new network of innovative writers we would be delighted to work with in the future alongside our established writing, directing and producing team.”

Ambassador said in a press release that the finals will feature rehearsed readings of both plays performed by a professional cast under the direction of Dr Chris Ford, an internationally acclaimed theatre practitioner, followed by the announcement of the winner and media interviews.

According to the press release, the challenge was launched in January to support and celebrate new writing talent at a time when opportunities for emerging playwrights continue to diminish.

The winning playwright will receive a cash prize of £6,000 and a complimentary cruise for two, with their play staged onboard the Ambition in 2026.