Winners of the 2025 Popcorn Writing Award revealed

Five-star satirical musical Hot Mess by Ellie Coote and Jack Godfrey has been named the winner of the 2025 Popcorn Writing Award at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

The award, presented this year by Miriam Margolyes at the Pleasance Courtyard, recognises new voices in playwriting and is judged by a panel of cultural figures assembled by the Popcorn Group in consultation with BBC Writers.

Selected from more than 200 submissions, the award has said that Hot Mess was praised for its inventive approach to themes of climate crisis, told through the lens of pop, comedy and romance. The winning team will receive a cash prize alongside development support from the Popcorn Group and BBC Writers. All shortlisted writers are also offered one-to-one development sessions with industry professionals.

Starring Danielle Steers and Tobias Turley, the show tells the story of Earth and Humanity as lovers, exploring the climate crisis as a relationship on the brink of collapse.

The musical has book and direction by Coote and music and lyrics by Godfrey, who won Best Composer, Lyricist or Book Writer at The Stage Debut Awards in 2024 for the WhatsOnStage Award-nominated 42 Balloons. The production is the first transfer to London from Birmingham Hippodrome’s in-house New Musical Theatre Department.

Following its run at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the new musical will transfer to Southwark Playhouse Elephant, where it’ll run from 16 October to 8 November 2025.

In their acceptance speech, Coote and Godfrey said: “It’s taken five years, two titles, four versions, and several break ups to write Hot Mess. We couldn’t have done it without the unwavering support of Vicky Graham and Birmingham Hippodrome’s New Musical Theatre Department, led by Deirdre O’Halloran, who is also our genius dramaturg. A musical about the climate crisis is not necessarily an easy sell and we’re so grateful to have the platform to be a part of the conversation in our own silly little way.”

Have a listen to the show here:

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Second place went to Ordinary Decent Criminal by Ed Edwards, while Abigail and Shaun Bengson took third for Ohio: The Bengsons. A special mention was given to Rodney Black: Who Cares? It’s Working by Sadie Pearson.

Now in its seventh year, the Popcorn Writing Award has become a recognised launchpad for new work, with past winners including VL by Kieran Hurley and Gary McNair, Weather Girl by Brian Watkins, Dugsi Dayz by Sabrina Ali and Brown Boys Swim by Karim Khan. The prize is presented in partnership with ten leading Fringe venues including Assembly, Pleasance, Traverse and Underbelly.