Australian Playwright Finegan Kruckemeyer Wins BBC International Audio Drama Competition

The acclaimed writer’s ‘Here, on a High Hill’ was selected from more than 800 entries across 87 countries and will be broadcast internationally on BBC World Service on October 31.

Australian playwright Finegan Kruckemeyer has won the English as a First Language category at the 2026 BBC World Service International Audio Drama Competition, with his award-winning work Here, on a High Hill set to receive its international broadcast premiere on October 31.

The competition, presented by BBC World Service in partnership with the British Council, attracted more than 800 entries from 87 countries, with winners selected by an international panel of readers and judges.

As part of his prize, Kruckemeyer received a cash award and the opportunity to have his script developed into a professional BBC studio production.

Described as a poetic drama for voices, Here, on a High Hill follows four teenagers who gather in a graveyard on a hilltop in southwest Ireland, passing the time and reflecting on life in the aftermath of a terrible event.

The production stars Orla Scally, Zakaria Meknas, Máiréad Tyers and Oskar Smith.

The international recognition adds another significant achievement to Kruckemeyer’s career, which has seen the Australian playwright establish himself as one of the country’s most prolific and widely performed writers for young audiences.

Born in Skibbereen, County Cork, in Ireland, Kruckemeyer moved to Adelaide at the age of eight. He subsequently spent 15 years living in Tasmania before returning to South Australia.

His Irish birthplace provides a personal connection to the setting of Here, on a High Hill, which unfolds in the same region of southwest Ireland where he was born.

Over his career, Kruckemeyer has written 105 commissioned plays, with his work performed across six continents and translated into eight languages.

His writing has been recognised with 42 awards, including the 2017 Mickey Miners Lifetime Achievement Award for services to international theatre for young audiences and the 2015 David Williamson Award for Excellence in Australian Playwrighting.

He was also among the inaugural recipients of a Sidney Myer Creative Fellowship.

Kruckemeyer has built his reputation through a commitment to creating sophisticated, emotionally resonant work for children and young people, with his plays frequently exploring complex experiences through imaginative storytelling.

In 2024, he expanded into fiction with the publication of his debut novel, The End and Everything Before It.

His latest achievement marks a move into international audio drama, a medium that places particular emphasis on dialogue, sound and the ability to create an emotional landscape without visual storytelling.

The BBC World Service International Audio Drama Competition provides emerging and established writers with an opportunity to reach a global audience, with winning scripts receiving professional production and international broadcast.

For Kruckemeyer, whose theatre work has already reached audiences around the world, the award introduces his writing to listeners through one of the world’s most established international broadcasters.

Here, on a High Hill will be broadcast on BBC World Service on October 31 and will be available to listen to through the BBC World Service website.