Hamilton Arts Festival

Call for entries is now open for the 5th annual Hamilton Arts Festival. The Paterson Performing Arts Development Council is accepting entries for its Playwright Residency Competition and Short Film Series. HAF events and activities will take place from June 11 - 21, 2025, enabling both arising and accomplished artists to present work that deepens their practice as well as entertains, enlightens, and engages Paterson’s diverse communities.

PLAYWRITING COMPETITION
Playwrights are invited to submit full-length plays and musicals, which may be dramas or comedies but must depict a unique cultural experience, heritage perspective, and/or social issue. The first-place winning playwright will receive $500 and a workshop or main stage theater production. The second-place winner will receive a staged reading.

SHORT FILM SERIES:
Filmmakers are invited to submit short films from any genres (Fiction, Animation, and Documentaries). Films must be under 60 minutes in length and must depict a unique cultural experience, heritage perspective, social issue, and/or social justice. Submit a video link (i.e., Vimeo or YouTube) to the complete film (not trailers). If the video is password protected or "private," please ensure we have the requisite abilities to access the footage.

At the Paterson Performing Arts Development Council (PPADC), a 501C3 nonprofit organization, our mission is to bring together multicultural communities through performing arts and cultural events, to create pathways for aspiring and accomplished artists, and to promote the native land of the Leni Lenape people called the City of Paterson, NJ as a regional hub for the creative arts.