Each season, PlayGround develops 36 original short plays through its monthly Monday Night PlayGround series. Of these, seven plays and playwrights are selected each year to receive PlayGround's Emerging Playwright Award and full production of the short plays at the Thick House as part of the Best of PlayGround Festival.

This year's winners include: John Jacob O'Reilly Smitherton's Bid to Save the World by Erin Bregman, Wednesday by Daniel Heath, All Thumbs by Aaron Loeb, Seen by Evelyn Jean Pine, Gymnopedie #1 by Kenn Rabin, Net by Geetha Reddy, and Truffaldino Says No by Ken Slattery.