Two LPTW Special Awards for Meritorious Service were given in 2023.

Yvette Heyliger is a playwright, producing artist, activist, and author of What a Piece of Work is Man! Full-Length Plays for Leading Women. She has contributed to many theatrical anthologies including: On Holy Ground: Plays from the National Black Theatre Festival; ARTemis Arts Wisdom Anthology; She Persisted: 30 Ten-Minute Plays by Women Over 40; She Persisted: Monologues from Plays by Women Over 40; The Children of the People: Writings By and About CUNY Students on Race and Social Justice, and Performing #MeToo: How Not to Look Away, to name a few.  She has also penned industry-related articles for HowlRound and Black Masks. Yvette’s plays have been presented by Billie Holiday Theatre, United Solo Theatre Festival, and National Black Theatre Festival among others, as well as by Twinbiz.

Her awards include: Advance Gender Equity in the Arts Legacy Playwright Grant Finalist; AUDELCO Recognition Award for Excellence in Black Theatre’s August Wilson Playwright Award; National Black Theatre Festival Emerging Producer Award, and Best Playwright nomination NAACP’s Annual Theatre Awards. Current Service: Honor Roll!, Dramatists Guild's DEIA, and LPTW Rachel Crothers Leadership Award® committees. Memberships include: Dramatist Guild, AEA, SDC, and AFTRA-SAG. Yvette teaches at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.