The musical theater songwriting team of Sam Norman and Eliza Randall has been named the recipient of the 22nd annual Fred Ebb Award. Two-time Tony Award winner Bebe Neuwirth will present the award to Norman and Randall in a private ceremony at 54 Below on Dec. 7.
Honoring emerging musical theater songwriters who have not yet achieved significant commercial success, the Fred Ebb Award is presented annually by the Fred Ebb Foundation in association with Roundabout Theatre Company. The award and the foundation are named for the late Fred Ebb, a lyricist and book writer, having been part of the writing team of canonical musicals like “Cabaret,” “Chicago” and “The Rink.” Ebb won Tonys for his collaborations with John Kander as the lyricist of “Cabaret,” “Woman of the Year” and “Kiss of the Spider Woman” and was nominated for an additional 11 Tonys. The Fred Ebb Award includes a $75,000 prize, funded by royalties from Ebb’s catalog.
Norman, a lyricist and book writer, and Randall, a composer, collaborated on the musical “The Debutantes,” which follows the women who worked as codebreakers for British military intelligence during World War Two. The musical was selected for the 2026 Newport NewWorks Festival in Rhode Island and a developmental workshop with Manhattan Musical Theatre Lab. Norman and Randall also co-wrote “Echolocation,” a teenage road trip musical performed in darkness. “Echolocation” earned Norman and Randall the 2025-2026 Stiles and Drewe Mentorship Award (supported by Music Theatre International) and was performed at the U.K.’s Theatre Royal Plymouth as part of its Experiment program.
The selection panel for the Fred Ebb Award comprises foundation trustee Mitchell S. Bernard, producer and director Jen Bender, Tony-winning actor Francis Jue, music director David Loud and Tony-nominated actor Betsy Wolfe.
Founded to honor its namesake’s life, work and values, the Fred Ebb Foundation supports emerging musical theater songwriters through programs like the Fred Ebb Award. The foundation also makes an annual donation to Broadway Cares, the national grantmaking organization supporting critical services for people living with HIV/AIDS and other serious illnesses.
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