As part of the annual American College Theater Festival, awards will be presented to the top student playwrights for dramatic works about black culture.

The organization holds regional festivals to determine the best students in all theater areas. These students will then be eligible to compete for national recognition, such as the Lorraine Hansberry Playwrighting Award for works about the black experience.

In 1975, the festival established the Lorraine Hansberry Playwrighting Award named for the youngest and first black playwright to win the New York Drama Critics Award. Hansberry wrote A Raisin In The Sun, a play centered on the struggles of a black family trying to purchase a house. She died at age 34 during the prime of her career, said professor Carole Brandt, chair of the department of theater arts.

Christine Houston's 1978 Hansberry award winning entry, "227," later became the NBC-TV networks sitcom of the same name.

The Atlantic Regional competition of the festival is being hosted by the University this week. Events include workshops taught by leading theater professionals and five plays performed by students from Maryland, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., New York and New Jersey.

According to a news release, WPSX-TV and the theater arts department are attempting to expand the University's support for the award. With increased funds, the department could bring a professional director and company to the University to produce annual plays about the black experience. The plays, which would relate to the black experience, will be taped by WPSX and then distributed to public television stations nationwide.

Norman Eric Bigelow, Black Caucus public relations officer, said this contest gives black playwrights an excellent chance to have their work critiqued based solely on its merit and worth. He said the festival's writing contests should also be made available for other minority groups to foster understanding of different backgrounds and ethnic groups.

"Not including other groups only adds to pervading ignorance on cultures such as Asian and Hispanic," Bigelow said.

Until this year, when the University took over responsibility for the Hansberry Award, McDonald's restaurants were the main supporter.

The first place winner will receive $2500 and a fellowship to the Shenandoah playwrights retreat this summer. A prize of $1000 will go to the second place winner. The theater departments of the universities producing the first and second place winners will receive grants of $750 and $500 respectively. This year, no University students are participating.

The contest is open to all graduate or undergraduate students whose work has been produced by a university.