Lucy Prebble wins the 2020 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for A Very Expensive Poison

### Lucy Prebble wins the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize 2020 The winner of the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize was announced in a ceremony held yesterday, 2 March 2020. **Lucy Prebble** was awarded the prize for her recent work, ***A Very Expensive Poison***, based on the **Litvinenko** murder and **Luke Harding**'s tell-all book of the same name. The British playwright will receive a cash prize in the amount of $25,000 as well as a specially commissioned and signed print by **Willem de Kooning**. A special commendation prize in the amount of $10,000 was also awarded to **Aleshea Harris** for *What To Send Up When It Goes Down*, a play about people of colour who lost their lives due to racist violence. Ten finalists were shortlisted for this year's Susan Smith Blackburn Award, including** Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig** for *The King of Hell's Palace,* **Aleshea Harris** for *What to Send Up When It Goes Down, ***Kimber Lee** for *untitled f*ck m*ss s**gon play, ***Dominique Morisseau** for *Confederates*, Celine Song for *Endlings*, **Anne Washburn** for *Shipwreck*, **Anchuli Felicia King** for *Golden Shield, ***Zoe Cooper** for *Out of Water, ***Lucy Prebble** for *A Very Expensive Poison,* and **Stef Smith** for *Nora: A Doll's House, *which is currently playing until 21 March at the Young Vic Theatre. Last year's winner of the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize was Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright **Jackie Sibblies Drury** for *Fairview*. In 2018, **Alice Birch** won for *Anatomy of a Suicide; *in 2017, **Clare Barron** for *Dance Nation;* and in 2016, **Lynn Nottage** for *Sweat. * In 2014, the prize was awarded to *Chimerica* by **Lucy Kirkwood**, whose latest play [***The Welkin***](https://www.londontheatredirect.com/play/4500/the-welkin-tickets.aspx?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=buffer) is currently running at the [**National's Lyttelton Theatre**](https://www.londontheatredirect.com/venue/353/lyttelton-theatre.aspx). Other winners of the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize include** Caryl Churchill** (*Serious Money*), **Charlotte Jones** (*Humble Boy*), **Chloe Moss** (*This Wide Night*), **Dael Orlandersmith** (*Yellowman*), **Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti** (*Behzti (Dishonour)*), **Jennifer Haley** (*The Nether*), **Katori Hall** (*Hurt Village*), **Moira Buffini** (*Silence*), and **Paula Vogel** (*How I Learned to Drive*). The award was founded in 1977 by Blackburn's sister **Emilie Kilgore** and Blackburn's husband **William Blackburn**. The prize is named for the American actor and writer who resided in London for the remaining 15 years of her life.

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