Best Screenwriting Fellowships: 8 Top Options

Screenwriting fellowships were created to help aspiring screenwriters succeed in their careers and to ensure that each of them has a chance to pursue their dreams.

These screenwriting fellowships are designed to offer established and emerging screenwriters the opportunity to develop their craft.

The programs work by awarding the winner a monetary award that goes towards tuition or other fees, housing, meals, and travel expenses for one year.

It also comes with an opportunity for an internship at a production company or agency.

This is beneficial for the recipient because it gives them the time and freedom they need to complete their screenplay while allowing them to be surrounded by positive influences.

It also gives the award-giver the opportunity to examine newly written scripts and choose future winners based on their talent and hard work rather than financial situations.

They are important because they allow young writers an opportunity to create new content that inspires people around the world.

Best Screenwriting Fellowships

They aren’t always easy to get into, but they can be a great way to fund your next project, or just to learn from some of the best in the business.

Let’s take a look at some of the best fellowships on offer for aspiring screenwriters.

Academy Nicholl Fellowship

The Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting competition, established by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1986, awards up to five $35,000 fellowships annually to promising new screenwriters.

The program is intended to help Academy members achieve their goals of writing excellence in the genres of feature film, original screenplay and animation. To enter the competition, writers must submit an original screenplay along with a letter stating his/her film industry affiliation and a letter from his/her employer verifying at least two years’ employment as a writer in the film or television industry.

Both letters must vouch for the writer’s bona fide status and be on letterhead stationery. The Fellowship competition has two rounds of judging: First, all entrants receive judging based on the written script alone. About 15 to 20 scripts are selected as semifinalists by this process.

For the second round of judging, approximately five to 10 days before the final deadline for submission, all semifinalists are contacted by phone and asked to submit a query letter along with any supporting materials that might aid the judges’ understanding of the script, such as production notes or storyboards.

These materials are not judged; they are simply requested so that the judges can better grasp the nature of each entry. No application

Sundance Screenwriters Lab Feature Film Program

The Sundance Institute Feature Film Program provides a unique opportunity for established and emerging writers to develop their feature film scripts with the support of established filmmakers, screenwriters, and industry professionals.

Terrifying, exhilarating, and exhausting — but above all rewarding — the Program is a rare chance for writers to learn from a community of peers and mentors, confront their fears and limitations, and begin a serious and important journey.

The Screenwriters Lab is three weeks of uninterrupted writing time in which participants focus on completion of their feature-length screenplay. Over the course of the Lab, writers receive feedback on their work-in-progress from established filmmakers, screenwriters and producers through a series of private consultations that help them clarify, strengthen and ultimately complete their screenplay.

During the evenings, participants have ample time to network with each other as well as with industry members in attendance at the Lab. The Feature Film Program culminates in an awards ceremony attended by Sundance Institute staff, directors and alumni as well as representatives from studios, production companies, agencies and other organizations committed to supporting new voices in independent film.

The Lab has been attended by such notable alumni as Diablo Cody (“Juno”), Nia Vardalos (“My Big Fat Greek Wedding”), Ryan Coogler (“Fruit).

Screencraft Screenwriting Fellowship

Thanks for your interest in the Screencraft Fellowship! We’re honored to have you. We believe that screenwriters are the most important part of any creative team, and we want to do our part to help them succeed.

This fellowship is designed for up-and-coming writers who are serious about their craft, but it’s also designed to help screenwriters get their scripts in front of industry professionals who can help them in their career development.

The fellowships consist of two parts: (1) Screencraft will read and evaluate your submission, then reach out to you with feedback on how you can improve your script; (2) Our industry partners will read your script if you make it to the final round and let you know what they think.

So this program is really two opportunities in one, which we think makes it very valuable. There are two rounds of competition. In Round 1 (April 4 – April 30), we will accept submissions from writers all over the world. In Round 2 (May 1 – May 14),

we will accept only those writers who were selected as finalists in Round 1, so please make sure that you submit by April 30 to ensure consideration for Round 2. To be eligible for consideration, please read the guidelines below:

Universal Writers Program

The Universal Writers Program is designed to help aspiring screenwriters succeed in the competitive world of television and film. Our program has helped hundreds of writers gain representation, develop their craft, find success and build long-lasting careers in Hollywood.

Tens of thousands of people have been involved with the Universal Writers Program, a unique partnership between NBCUniversal Television Group and Pilar Alessandra’s The Write Practice — training more than 100 writers each year.

TWWP is a paid membership program that allows members to submit one script per month to a professional reader who provides feedback on the work. It’s not an exclusive program — anyone can join — but many members go on to get representation or create industry relationships that lead to work.

You’ll also get access to webinars with top professionals in the industry, including: **Liz Tigelaar (co-creator, “Casual”). **Karen Horne (former vp drama programming at ABC). **Carly Wray (writer, “Mad Men”). **Mark Duplass (actor/director). **Jackie Levine (producer, “Orange Is the New Black”). **Michelle Ashford (showrunner/writer, “The Affair”).

Members come from all over the world — from Argentina.

Warner Bros Writing Workshop

Warner Bros. Television Group has found success with two of its primetime shows, Arrow and The Flash, based on DC Comics characters. These shows have introduced viewers to a new superhero universe from which other shows are spun off such as The CW’s Legends of Tomorrow and Fox’s Gotham.

Troy Aldersley, executive vice president of production for Warner Bros. Television Group, sat down with our group of journalists in his office on the studio lot to discuss how this universe is created.

“We talk about it as ‘planting seeds’ and we hope that one day they blossom into a full fledged series,” said Aldersley. “The great thing about the Berlanti team is that they’re so good at world building and they’re so good at establishing characters so quickly.”

Aldersley also commented on the success of The Flash, which was developed based on characters from Arrow. “The Flash was a show spawned from an idea that came out of the writers’ room on Arrow,” he said. “It really just grew organically out of what had been established on the original show.”

Aldersley also talked about the importance of having a strong script when developing a new show, especially with superhero shows like The Flash

   

Cbs Writers Mentoring Program

The CBS Writers Mentoring Program is a unique opportunity for writers to learn from the best. Each season, two writers who are new to television will be paired with staff writers who have been on a show for one to two years.

The goal of this mentoring relationship is to provide the new writers with an understanding of what it’s like to break story and outline a full season at a major television network.

Mentors and mentees will have online meetings together once every two weeks. They will also have in-person meetings twice a month. The mentors will discuss their experience as new writers on television, and share how they broke into the business and what they’ve learned.

Mentees will be expected to keep a journal during their time in the program, which all mentors and producers can add notes to. This journal will serve as an archive of your work, and is intended as a way for you to look back at what you learned each day, week, and month throughout the course of your development deal.

Mentees should feel comfortable asking questions throughout the process, including questions about how CBS works, how shows get made, and how writing rooms are run.

Warnermedia Access Writing Program

Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. today announced it is launching Warnermedia Access Writing Program, a new initiative that will provide 12-18 months of professional development support for 50 diverse emerging screenwriters each year.

Warner Bros. Television Group President and Chief Content Officer Peter Roth said, “In our first year of operation, the WarnerMedia Access team has already had a profound impact on our culture, developing and supporting initiatives that promote inclusion and diversity in front of and behind the camera.

The WarnerMedia Access Writing Program provides an important opportunity to further enhance our efforts in this area by supporting diverse voices who are looking to break into the writing profession.”

“We are extremely excited to launch the WarnerMedia Access Writing Program,” said Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. President & Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns. “This program is an extension of our company’s commitment to providing opportunities to underrepresented writers who are looking to break into the industry.”

Program Overview:

The WarnerMedia Access Writing Program will include a twelve-month class, three-month paid internship with an executive mentor, two months of one-on-one meetings with producer/writer mentors who will provide detailed feedback on each applicant’s work, and a Mentor Brunch with executives from top TV studios (including Warners

Universal Screenwriting Fellowship

Welcome to the Universal Screenwriting Fellowship. This is a program designed to support and foster screenwriters through a rigorous process of development, peer review and professional feedback.

Universal Studios has announced that this year’s fellowship recipients are Ben York Jones and Naren Shankar (writer, showrunner for SyFy’s “Eureka”), and Greg Garcia (creator of “My Name Is Earl” and “Yes, Dear”).

The Universal Screenwriting Fellowship is the latest in a series of programs that offers creative individuals the opportunity to gain insight into the entertainment industry through behind-the-scenes experiences and mentorship with top industry professionals.

Past programs have included the NBC Writers on the Verge program, which shows a select group of writers how television is developed; the ABC/Disney Writing Fellowship, an intensive, week-long program that gives writers an in-depth look at how television series are created; and the Creative Talent Initiative, which provides emerging artists from all disciplines with opportunities to learn from top industry veterans.

This year’s Universal Screenwriting Fellowship is part of NBC Universal’s ongoing commitment to fostering creativity in writers. The three fellows will be chosen from a diverse group of finalists who will participate in weeklong workshops with established scribes. Each fellow will receive master classes from working