The Yale Drama Series Prize, will be given to Lily Padilla for her play "How to Defend Yourself." Seven college students gather for a DIY self-defense workshop after a sorority sister is raped. They learn to use their bodies as weapons. They learn to fend off attackers. They learn “not to be a victim.” Learning self-defense becomes a channel for their rage, anxiety, confusion, trauma and desire – lots of desire. How to Defend Yourself explores what you want, how to ask for it, and the insidious ways rape culture steals one’s body and sense of belonging. The 2019 award recipient was chosen byplaywright Ayad Akhtar. The winning play will receive a private staged reading at Lincoln Center Theater’s Claire Tow Theater in the fall. Now celebrating its thirteenth year, the Yale Drama Series is the preeminent playwriting award in cooperation with Yale University Press, and is solely sponsored by the David Charles Horn Foundation. The Yale Drama Series Prize is given out annually for a play by an emerging playwright, selected by a judging panel of one--a distinguished playwright of our time. The winner receives the David Charles Horn Prize of $10,000, as well as publication of the winning play by Yale University Press and a staged professional reading. The Yale Drama Series is an annual international open submission competition for emerging playwrights who are invited to submit original, unpublished, full-length, English language plays for consideration. All entries are read blindly. This year’s runners-up is Gina Femia for "Allond(R)a." Press contact: DKC/O&M (212/695-7400)...