A play about friendship is the winner of the 22nd FutureFest at The Dayton Playhouse.

Each summer, the annual festival of new plays brings six playwrights from around the country to Dayton for a weekend, giving them the opportunity to see their work presented on stage — often for the first time. The winner is given $1,000.

This year’s top award — as determined by a panel of five professional judges from New York, Chicago and Cleveland — went to playwright David Rush, a former FutureFest finalist. His two-person play, “Nureyev’s Eyes,” is based on the real-life relationship between painter Jamie Wyeth and dancer Rudolf Nureyev. Wyeth’s paintings of the famous dancer were shown on screen during the production.

Rush, who is from Murphysboro, Ill., was obviously overwhelmed when the prize was announced Sunday evening, admitting that after seeing the four other plays, he was not expecting to be in the running for the top award. “This is incredible!” he said.

About 180 audience members filled the seats at the Playhouse throughout the weekend as each play was performed and discussed.