The plays of five middle and high school students will be developed during the 12th annual Youth Playwrights Festival at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center in Waterford.

The writers get to experience the “O’Neill process” of play development that has been used for decades at the center’s renowned National Playwrights Conference. So these youths will enjoy the chance to get professional support as they work on their one-acts.

The works and the writers that were chosen from 186 entries for this honor are:

“Worth More” by Grace Clarke, Fitch High School, Groton

“Love at First Catch” by Lauren Knowles, Waterford High School

“Achilles’ Dilemma” by William Palmer, Williams School, New London

“A Timepiece of Mind” by Amanda Rowe, Clark Lane Middle School, Waterford

“Saving Grace (The Human Experiment)” by Lucy Sydel, LaGuardia Arts High School, New York City

Young Playwrights Festival Director Sophia Chapadjiev said in a statement. “It’s been a record-breaking year in terms of submissions and we are so pleased that more and more students are writing and submitting to YPF. Our five selected playwrights are exploring a broad range from moments in history to imagined future possibilities: Greek myth, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, women in baseball, mystical time-shifting characters and a young girl who defies expectations are all part of this year’s YPF, and our ensemble of 30+ actors, directors, designers, dramaturges and mentors — comprised of National Theater Institute alumni — are looking forward to being of humble service to our young playwrights’ works.”

The public can attend a script-in-hand performance of these pieces on Sunday afternoon.

In addition to the five students selected to have their one-acts developed, 16 other young playwrights are participating in the Guest Playwright Observation program.

Young Playwrights Festival performance, 5 p.m. Sunday, Dina Merrill Theater, Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, 305 Great Neck Road, Waterford; free; (860) 443-5378.