Matty Mahoski has been named winner of the 2023 Write It Out! Prize for playwrights living with HIV, presented by playwright Donja R. Love (soft) in partnership with National Queer Theater. Mahoski was selected based on their play Un(in)sure.

"Matty's play is clever and muscular," says Love in a statement. "I found myself falling deeper and deeper into the story. How they used absurdism to speak to the incompetence and brokenness of the healthcare system was painful and hilarious. The play triggered my anxiety as I recalled many frustrating experiences navigating the healthcare system. Above all, Matty's play made me feel like I am not alone."

The Prize includes a cast award of $5,000 along with a year of dramaturgical support to develop a new work in the coming year. That new work will get a reading in 2024, the culmination of the prize.

"Receiving the Write It Out! Prize is a powerful affirmation of my personal progress, as well as a recognition of the heart and effort I have poured into this play," says Mahoski in a statement. "As an early career playwright, receiving these generous resources will create a firm foundation to stand on as I continue to learn and grow in this medium. Becoming HIV positive forced me to reimagine my life in every way I had previously considered it. Living with HIV has empowered me to walk fully into who I am and to hold myself with strength, with love, and with the knowledge that I am not alone; I am in a community. The WIO! cohort and prize have helped me to recognize that I want my work and my art to be of service to our community."

This year's prize was made possible thanks to support from Broadway Cares, the Terrence McNally Foundation, ViiV Healthcare, and GLAAD.

Visit LetsWriteItOut.com.