Gruffydd Siôn Ywain, who is originally from Dolgellau, is the winner of this year's Drama Medal.
He received his award on the Pavilion stage today in a special ceremony. The Drama Medal is awarded for a stage play of any length with the most potential for further development by a professional company.
Gruffydd Siôn Ywain received the Drama Medal (presented in memory of Eiryth and Urien Wiliam by their children, Hywel, Sioned and Steffan) and £750 (donated by the Huw Roberts Memorial Fund, Pwllheli). An excerpt of the winning work will be performed at the Drama Medal Ceremony, with the support of the JO Roberts Memorial Fund.
This year’s adjudicators were Janet Aethwy, Sharon Morgan and Sera Moore Williams, and Janet Aethwy said when delivering the adjudication on behalf of her fellow judges, "There were fifteen entries and it is good to note that there was potential in all the plays... we would like to encourage everyone who competed to continue writing for the theatre in Wales - and would also like to encourage theatre companies to continue offering opportunities for young playwrights to learn their trade."
She went on to talk about the winning play: “This is a gripping story that has been skillfully put together. It is a confident and well-crafted play that portrays the relationship between a male couple seeking a surrogate mother in order to create a family, and their relationship with a female friend.
"The themes are current and controversial and relevant to today's audience (and) the characters are completely believable, artful and rounded. The dialogue is witty and emotional and flows brilliantly. The playwright uses his characters to push the plot forward carefully, and the certainty of the intention in building the story holds our attention as we invest in the fate of the characters."
Despite living with a cult of vegetarians in West Africa, surviving a line dancing competition in a dodgy bar in Texas and creating snake flavoured ice cream with disastrous results - winning the drama medal is certainly Gruff's greatest achievement to date.
Gruffydd Siôn Ywain grew up in Penybryn, Dolgellau, with two brothers and a sister. Although he studied at Ysgol Gynradd Dolgellau, Ysgol y Gader and Coleg Meirion Dwyfor, his greatest education was the annual Sesiwn Fawr where he took his first steps as a young designer.
Following his A levels, he spent a period in Ghana teaching, an unforgettable experience which showed him that he had no future in the world of education.
He spent a year at Coleg Menai on an art foundation course where he had the opportunity to experiment with different artistic techniques before deciding that his field was graphic design and animation.
He moved to Chelsea College London to study design and communication and has lived in London for 15 years. As a member of Côr Llundain he is part of the city's close-knit Welsh-speaking community.
He works as a Creative Director at the BBC and is responsible for the design of the corporation's production and creative systems. He also continues to undertake freelance creative work, collaborating recently with Sŵnami, Hansh and the Urdd.
His interest in drama and theatrical productions of all kinds was nurtured during his time in London but this is the first time he has competed for the Drama Medal.
The full adjudication for this competition and the all the other composition winners at this year’s Eisteddfod are included in the Cyfansoddiadau a Beirniadaethau which will go on sale at the end of the Chairing Ceremony on Friday afternoon.