CAATA Announces Inaugural Godfather Prize for Playwriting
Graphic Created by Jesse Jae Hoon
Honoring Legacy, Resistance, and Evolution in AANHPI, SWANA, MENA, & Mixed Race Playwriting
New York, NY — February 2026 — CAATA is proud to announce the inaugural Godfather Prize, a new national playwriting award supporting AANHPI, SWANA, MENA, and Mixed-Race playwrights. Made possible through the generous foundational support of Roger W. Tang, the Godfather Prize centers artists whose work reflects artistic excellence, cultural impact, and the spirit of legacy, resistance, and evolution.
Godfather Prize finalists will be invited to participate in CAATA’s inaugural 10-Minute Playwriting Festival: Legacy. Resistance. Evolution. This online festival features live-streamed presentations of each finalist’s play in November 2026.
Photo of Roger Tang aka The Godfather of Asian Theater
The Godfather Prize
One playwright will be selected as the inaugural recipient of the Godfather Prize. The award includes:
A $1,000 cash award
A full staged reading of a play of the playwright’s choice, presented online and/or in partnership with one of CAATA’s affiliated network theaters
A free Full Pass to CAATA’s ConFest 2028 (location to be announced)
The Godfather Prize honors a playwright whose work exemplifies artistic excellence, cultural resonance, and the spirit of legacy, resistance, and evolution, while also celebrating the essential role of long-term investment in the future of the field.
Photo Taken from Hawai’i ConFest in 2024
Festival Benefits
The six to eight finalists selected for the Godfather Prize will be invited to participate in CAATA’s 10-Minute Playwriting Festival: Legacy. Resistance. Evolution.
Finalist benefits include:
$200 honorarium for festival participation
Pairing with a director and/or dramaturg
Professional actors and rehearsal support
Their 10-minute play is being presented in a live-streamed festival presentation
Eligibility for the final Godfather Prize selection
A free Full Pass to CAATA’s ConFest 2028
The festival will be shared online as a Pay-What-You-Will event, with free access for CAATA members, ensuring broad and equitable participation.
The Godfather Prize is a growing investment in our playwrights. In its first year, prize founder Roger W. Tang will match every donation dollar-for-dollar, up to $30,000. All funds raised will go directly toward increasing the prize amount and supporting the Playwriting Festival. Contributions will be accepted through CAATA’s dedicated Playwright Festival fund.
Graphic Designed by Jesse Jae Hoon
Call for Submission
As a collective of Asian American, Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander (AANHPI), South West Asia and North Africa (SWANA), Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and Mixed-Race theater artists and leaders, CAATA celebrates the vitality of our communities while working toward our shared values of social justice, cultural equity, artistic diversity, and inclusion.
CAATA invites playwrights who identify as a part of our collective to submit an original 10-minute play to be considered for the Godfather Prize.
Submissions will be reviewed through a multi-round, anonymized process. Selected finalists (8 playwrights) will be featured in CAATA’s 10-Minute Playwriting Festival, from which the final Godfather Prize recipient will be chosen.
The submission portal will open on March 2, 2026, and will remain open until April 3, 2026 at 11:59 PM EST, or until the first 200 eligible submissions are received, whichever occurs first.
Submission Capacity:
CAATA will accept the first 200 eligible submissions only.
Once capacity is reached, the submission portal will close.
To protect the integrity of the process, applicants are asked not to contact any members of the selection committees directly. All questions or concerns should be directed to Kayla Kim Votapek, CAATA Executive Director, at Kayla@caata.net.
Submission Guidelines
Applicants must submit:
One (1) original 10-minute play that centers on Legacy. Resistance. Evolution
Artist Statement of about 250-300 words (required)
The artist statement will not be reviewed during the initial rounds
It will only be considered during the final round of selection
The statement should speak to the playwright’s artistic practice, relationship to legacy/resistance/evolution, and cultural lineage or community context
Additional Script Guidelines:
One submission per playwright
Maximum length: 10 minutes
1–4 actors maximum
Must be suitable for Zoom / online staged reading
Must meaningfully support and reflect the lived experiences, histories, or futures of AANHPI, SWANA, MENA, and/or Mixed-Race communities
Eligibility
Applicants must meet all of the following criteria:
Playwright should self-identify as part of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander (AANHPI), South West Asia & North Africa (SWANA), Middle East & North Africa (MENA), and/or Mixed-Race communities that CAATA is dedicated to supporting
Have not received a major national or international playwriting award
Have not had a play produced by a LORT or commercial theater
Have not achieved sustained national recognition (defined as consistent visibility across the U.S. beyond local or regional contexts)
Open to all ages
CAATA is a community-centered organization, and this prize is intentionally designed to uplift playwrights from within the communities CAATA serves.
Ethics & Transparency Statement
CAATA is committed to an equitable, community-centered, and transparent selection process. All submissions are anonymized during early rounds to minimize bias and ensure fair evaluation. Clear conflict-of-interest policies are in place to maintain the integrity of the process, including restrictions on committee member participation and prize eligibility for Board Members.
This initiative is intentionally designed to support playwrights from the communities CAATA serves, and all decisions are made with care, accountability, and respect for the artists and communities involved.
Conflict of Interest Transparency
CAATA Board Members are eligible to apply and may participate in the festival if selected; however, they will not be eligible to receive the Godfather Prize or equivalent monetary benefits.
Members of any selection or review committee are not eligible to apply to this opportunity.
CAATA Membership Benefit
All eligible applicants who submit to the Godfather Prize will receive a complimentary CAATA membership, regardless of selection outcome.
Photo Taken from Hawai’i ConFest in 2024
Festival Structure and Timeline
The festival will unfold over several months:
March 2nd, 2026, to April 2nd,2026 – Submissions open
April–May – First Round Review (CAATA Staff)
June–July – Second Round Review (Regional Selection Committee)
August – Announcement of Finalists
September – Playwrights paired with directors and dramaturgs
October –Actor Recruitment & Zoom rehearsals
November – Tech rehearsal, live-streamed festival with post-show talkback, award announcement
The Godfather Prize recipient will be selected by CAATA’s Board of Directors from the final eight plays and announced at the festival in November.
The final event will be hosted online and offered on a Pay-What-You-Will basis, with free access for CAATA members.
Photo Taken from Hawai’i ConFest in 2024
Selection Process and Committees
All submissions will be anonymized before review to ensure an equitable selection process. Kayla Kim Votapek, CAATA Executive Director, will manage the anonymization of scripts and will not participate in any reading or deliberation.
The selection process will occur in three rounds:
First Round Review – CAATA Staff Committee
Anna J. Zheng
Kody Lin
Rahi Dhopte
Sarah Machiko Haber
Tingyu Yuan
Second Round Review – Regional Selection Committee
Alegra Batara, Pork Filled Productions (Seattle)
Michelle Pokopac and Amee Vyas, East by Southeast (Atlanta, Georgia)
Caro Asercion, Crowded Fire Theater, Bay Area, California)
Christine Hoang, Color Arc Productions (Austin, Texas)
Đavid Lee Huỳnh (New York City, New York)
Mei MacQuarrie (Boston, Massachusetts)
Final Round – CAATA Executive Committee
The final eight plays will be reviewed by members of the CAATA Executive Committee, who will select the recipient of the Godfather Prize.
Through this initiative, CAATA invites artists, audiences, and partner organizations to help shape a future where storytelling is a form of resistance and a blueprint for evolution rooted in legacy, community, and collective care.
Applications opening soon!
Graphic Designed by Jesse Jae Hoon
Join Us: Supporting CAATA’s Future
As we celebrate this historic moment, we invite you to join us in supporting CAATA’s future. We are aiming to raise $20,000 to support our continued work and ensure that CAATA remains a lifeline for artists in the years to come.
📣 Join the movement by sharing or donating to our fundraising campaign: Donate to CAATA’s 20th Anniversary Campaign