A one-woman play inspired by Greek myth has won the James Tait Black Prize for Drama.

Iphigenia in Splott by Gary Owen is the fourth play to win the prize since the award was launched in 2012.

It is described as a monologue centred on a woman from Cardiff, named Effie, whose self-loathing and excessive drinking leads to her life unravelling.

The £10,000 prize is part of the drama category of Britain's oldest literary awards.

The University of Edinburgh and the National Theatre of Scotland helped launch the award four years ago, in association with the Traverse Theatre.

Mr Owen said his work was inspired by the ancient Greek myth in which King Agamemnon, in order to allow his ships to sail to Troy for battle, sacrifices his daughter Iphigenia.

The accolade is open to playwrights from around the world and Owen's drama topped a shortlist of three that alsk included People, Places and Things by Duncan Macmillan and Hang by Debbie Tucker Green.

Chair of the judging panel Greg Walker said: "Gary Owen's Effie is wonderfully written: the snarling, fierce and witty young woman makes audiences laugh, cry and stand up to revolt.

"Iphigenia in Splott goes to the heart of what this award aims to do - recognise innovation in playwriting - and I am delighted it won this year's prize."

Orla O'Loughlin, artistic director at the Traverse Theatre, said: "Iphigenia in Splott is a magnificent piece of work that deeply affected everyone who saw it.

"Gary Owen perfectly hit a moment in time and in Effie gave us an epic roar of a character, reflecting back to us the painful reality and legacy of austerity-hit Britain.

"It is a worthy winner from a brilliant and inspirational shortlist."

Previous winners of the James Tait Black Prize for Drama include Gordon Dahlquist's Tomorrow Come Today (2015), Rory Mullarkey's first full-length play Cannibals (2014) and The Radicalisation of Bradley Manning (2013) by Tim Price.

Benjamin Markovits' novel You Don't Have to Live Like This won the James Tait Black fiction prize earlier this month while James Shapiro won the biography prize with his study of a pivotal year in Shakespeare's life - 1606, William Shakespeare and the Year of Lear.

Iphigenia in Splott is being performed at the National Theatre in London until February 20.