Please check the relevant websites for full entry terms and conditions.
Film Independent’s Screenwriting Lab
is an intensive four-week program that runs two to three evenings a week in Los Angeles every Autumn. It is designed to help screenwriters develop and express their unique voices as writers and to take their current scripts to the next level. Lab Fellows connect with various established screenwriters and explicate their films, learn about their careers, and discuss the writing process. The fellowship includes a $10,000 cash grant as well as inclusion in the Screenwriting Lab.. Non-member applications close on 18 April or Film Independent members have until 2 May to apply.
Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting
awards up to five fellowships of US$35,000 each year. This international screenwriting competition is open to writers based anywhere in the world, regardless of citizenship. All entrants must be aged over 18.The final entry deadline is 2 May.
CBS Diversity Institute’s Writers Mentoring Program
aims is to provide access and opportunities for talented and motivated diverse writers. The program is held in Los Angeles but writers do not need to be American residents to apply (there are no travel grants or subsidies though). Applications close 2 May.
Sundance Screenwriters Lab
is a five-day writer’s workshop that gives independent screenwriters the opportunity to work intensively on their feature film scripts with the support of established writers in ‘an environment that encourages innovation and creative risk-taking’. The next Screenwriters Lab will be held in January 2017, just before the Sundance Film Festival. Applications close on 3 May.
The David and Lynn Angell Student Comedy Fellowship
was created to honour David and Lynn Angell, who were aboard Flight #11, the first plane to hit the World Trade Center on September 11, 2011. David started his career on the staff of Cheers and went on to co-create Wings and Frasier. Submissions for this fellowship are submitted through universities only. The winner receives $10,000. Applications close 15 May.
The National Hispanic Media Coalition Television Writers Program
was created in 2003 and is an intensive workshop designed to prepare and place Latinos in writing jobs for the major television networks. This five-week workshop is mentored and guided by former NBC VP of Script Development Geoff Harris and is conducted in Burbank, California. Applications are expected to open in April.
The Disney | ABC Writing Program
was created in 1990 and is based in Los Angeles. The program aims to place participants as staff writers on Disney/ABC television series and begins with curriculum designed to better prepare them for this role. Writers become employees and will be paid a weekly salary. Applications open in May.
The Djerassi Residency Award/SFFS Screenwriting Fellowship
provides a one-month residency at the Djerassi Resident Artists Program for an emerging or established screenwriter. Located in the Santa Cruz Mountains, 40 miles south of San Francisco, the program provides artists with uninterrupted time for work, reflection and collegial interaction in a professionally supportive and inspirational environment. Applications close on 23 May.
NBCUniversal’s Writers on the Verge
is a 12-week program focused on polishing writers and readying them for a staff writer position on a television series. They are looking for writers who are ‘almost there’ but need that final bit of preparation with their writing and personal presentation skills. The program consists of two weekly night classes to be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays at NBCUniversal in Universal City, CA. Applications open on 1 May and close on 31 May.
The Warner Bros Writers’ Workshop
is for new writers looking to start and further their career in the world of television. Graduates include Terrance Winter (Boardwalk Empire), Marc Cherry (Desperate Housewives), Greg Garcia (My Name Is Earl) and Felicia Henderson (Soul Food). Applications close 31 May.
The BAFTA Rocliffe New Writing Forum
aims to connect aspiring British writers and filmmakers with agents, development executives and established industry members. Comedy script applications close on 18 April; Writing for Children script applications close on 18 July and Film Script applications close on 10 October.
AdaptLab
is an advanced course designed for professional screenwriters and/or writer/directors wishing to work in the field of adaptation. AdaptLab is a long-term training course consisting of three 6-day residential workshops and two online sessions for 12 participants. Applications for the 2017 program will open in October.
Cassian Elwes Independent Screenwriting Fellowship
is an annual program designed to encourage and identify new talent in the field of independent cinema by awarding one screenwriter each year with an all-expenses paid trip to the Sundance Film Festival and an opportunity to meet with Producer Cassian Elwes (Lee Daniels’ The Butler, Ain’t Them Bodies Saints). Registrations are completed via The Black List and a shortlist will be finalised in early December.
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