BBC Honor Efo Kodjo Mawugbe

Efo Kodjo Mawugbe, a Playwright and recently, judge of TV3�s Ghana�s Most Beautiful Programme has together with Erin Browne from the USA been awarded two top prizes in the BBC World Service and British Council International Radio Playwriting Competition 2009. Efo Kodjo Mawugbe won the English as a Second Language category with his play, The Prison Graduates, described by the judges as �imaginative�, �muscular� and �hysterically funny�. Writers from India, Romania, Georgia and Australia were also awarded special prizes in the competition which is only open to writers outside the UK and invites original 60-minute radio plays on any subject. The distinguished panel of judges included writer Kwame Kwei-Armah and actor Vincent Ebrahim. Erin Browne from the USA won the English as a First Language category with her play, Trying, described by the judges as �exquisite�, �human� and �spare�. Both winners will receive �2,500 prize money and will come to London to see their play recorded for broadcast. Both plays will broadcast in the World Drama strand on BBC World Service in November. In addition, prizes of radios are awarded to the best writers from four regions: � Vasil Bassa Janikashvili from Georgia claimed the top prize for Russia and the Caucuses for his play, On The Latch, and Anna Bennetts from Australia won for the Asia Pacific region with her play, Shift. � Meher Pestonji from India came first in the South Asia category with her play, Feeding Crows, and Csaba Sz�kely from Romania won for the Europe region with his play, Do You like Banana, Comrades?