The winning script, When Blood Ran Red, examines the friendships between African-American actor, singer and civil rights activist Paul Robeson and leading Soviet Jews in the aftermath of WWII.

NTYF is the longest consecutively producing Yiddish Theatre Company and Jewish performing arts organization in the world. The contest received a large number of submissions, with five finalists selected to be judged by a panel comprising Tony Award-winning Broadway producers Emanuel Azenberg and Jane Dubin; playwright and TV series writer Jeff Baron; Tony Award-winning composer-lyricist and orchestrator Jason Robert Brown; playwright and Pulitzer Prize finalist Jon Marans; and Drama Desk Award-winning playwright Israel Horovitz.

Following presentations of each of the finalists' plays at Manhattan Theatre Club, the panel selected When Blood Ran Red as the first ever winner.

“These five plays were of the highest quality, and this was not an easy decision to make. Though the plays all painted a picture of the significance of Jewish and Yiddish culture in our society, When Blood Ran Red brought a historical perspective that we found intriguing and unique,” said Emanuel Azenberg in a statement.

To learn more about NTYF visit nytf.org or call (212) 213-2120.