Chosen from over 150 nominated plays from across the U.S. and U.K., the finalists also include Sarah Burgess' Dry Powder; Rachel Cusk's Medea; Sarah DeLappe's The Wolves; Sam Holcroft's Rules for Living; Anna Jordan's Yen; Lynn Nottage's Sweat; Suzan-Lori Parks' Father Comes Home From the Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3); Bea Roberts' And Then Come The Nightjars; and Noni Stapleton's Charolais.

The international panel of judges includes the following: in the U.K., critic and author Kate Bassett; Jeremy Herrin, artistic director of Headlong Theatre; and stage and screen actress Tanya Moodie. In the U.S.: actress and filmmaker Greta Gerwig, Tony-winning director Sam Gold and Obie-winning playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins.

The winner, announced Feb. 22 at the National Theatre in London, will be awarded a cash prize of $25,000 as well as a signed and specially created print by artist Willem de Kooning. Each of the additional finalists will receive an award of $5,000.

Established in 1978 in honor of American actress and writer Susan Smith Blackburn, the prize is the oldest and largest award given to women playwrights. Past recipients include Annie Baker's The Flick, also winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Lucy Kirkwood's Chimerica, Caryl Churchill’s Serious Money, Paula Vogel's How I Learned to Drive and Wendy Wasserstein's The Heidi Chronicles, the latter recently revived on Broadway.

For more information visit BlackBurnprize.org.