Two student playwrights win awards at the 2026 METG Monologue & 10-Minute Play Contest, competing against more than 500 entries from over 150 schools across Massachusetts.

MIDDLEBOROUGH, MA — Middleborough High School is proud to announce that two of its students have won awards in the 2026 Massachusetts Educational Theatre Guild (METG) statewide playwriting competitions, one of the most prestigious student writing contests in the Commonwealth.

The METG hosts annual competitions open to high school students across Massachusetts, drawing participation from more than 150 member schools and over 500 entries each year. This year, Middleborough High School was represented by two exceptional student-artists whose work rose to the top of their respective categories.

First Place — Sherwood Collins Monologue Contest

Ruby Cole claimed First Place in the Sherwood Collins Monologue Contest for her monologue First Date. This category challenges students to compose a compelling, fully realized monologue at a professional level of craft, requiring imagination, structure, and careful revision.

Second Place — METG Monologue & 10-Minute Play Contest

Isabella (Bella) Townsend earned Second Place in the METG 10-Minute Play Contest for her original play Nine Crows. The 10-minute play category demands that student writers construct a fully developed dramatic piece — complete with character, conflict, and resolution — within a tightly constrained form.

Both students will be invited to participate in the METG Night of Readings, to be held at Norwood High School on May 21, 2026, where winners from across the state will read and perform their works before an audience of fellow student-artists, educators, and families.

“These competitions ask our students to compose, imagine, structure, and revise their work at the professional level. By winning these competitions, Ruby and Bella have demonstrated extraordinary creative ability and dedication to their craft. On behalf of the student-artists, thank you all for the unending support and encouragement that you give them in their artistic pursuits.”

— S. Mosher, Middleborough High School Theatre Department

About METG: The Massachusetts Educational Theatre Guild (METG) is a statewide organization supporting theatre education across Massachusetts, with more than 150 member schools. Its annual competitions encourage student creativity and artistry in performance, design, and playwriting.