Julia Riew has been named the winner of the 18th annual Fred Ebb Award for aspiring musical theatre songwriters.

Named in honor of the late, Tony-winning lyricist (Chicago, Cabaret), the award will be presented by Tony winner Beth Leavel (The Drowsy Chaperone) November 28 at 6 PM ET in a by-invitation-only ceremony at the American Airlines Theatre.

The Fred Ebb Foundation, in association with the Roundabout Theatre Company, presents the annual honor, which recognizes excellence in musical theatre songwriting for those who have not yet achieved significant commercial success. The prize includes a $60,000 award plus a one-night showcase of the winner's work produced by the Foundation.

Riew, a composer-lyricist and writer from St. Louis and New York City, is primarily known for her musical Shimcheong: A Folktale (a.k.a., "The Korean 'Disney' Princess Musical"). Her recent works include Alice's Wonderland (co-written with J. Quinton Johnson), Jack and the Beanstalk: A Musical Adventure, and Thumbelina: A Little Musical.

Past winners include John Bucchino (2005), Steve Lutvak and Robert L. Freedman (2006), Peter Mills (2007), Adam Gwon (2008), Marcy Heisler and Zina Goldrich (2009), Douglas J. Cohen (2010), Jeff Blumenkrantz (2011), Sam Willmott (2012), Michael Kooman and Christopher Dimond (2013), Chris Miller and Nathan Tysen (2014), Stacey Luftig and Phillip Palmer (2015), Thomas Mizer and Curtis Moore (2016), Shaina Taub (2017), Will Reynolds and Eric Price (2018), Angela Sclafani and Benjamin Velez (2019), Ben Bonnema and Christopher Staskel and Michael R. Jackson (2020), and Isabella Dawis and Tidtaya Sinutoke (2021).

The selection panel includes Foundation Trustee Mitchell S. Bernard, music director David Loud, and actors Matthew Scott and Emily Skinner. 

Each year, the Foundation also makes a donation to Broadway Cares.