The Nicholls Fellowship in Screenwriting – EARLY BIRD APRIL 1st 2010, REGULAR ENTRY MAY 1st 2010 – Application Fee Early Bird $30, Regular $45
This is the creme de la creme of screenwriting competitions. Five $30,000 fellowships are awarded to writers who have earned less than $5,000 writing for film and television. There are over 6,000 applicants each year. Being a quarter or semi-finalist is prestigious enough to be put on people’s resumes. Here is the basic info from the website:
The Competition
Since 1991, over 3,500 writers have entered the Nicholl Fellowships each year. A record 6,380 entries were received in 2009. All scripts are read at least once in the competition. About half are read a second time and about one-sixth are read a third time. About five percent of entries advance to the competition quarterfinals, about two percent advance to the semifinals and about 10 reach the finals.
Judging
The first and quarterfinal rounds are judged by industry professionals who are not members of the Academy. The semifinal round is judged by Academy members drawn from across the spectrum of the motion picture industry. The finalist scripts are judged by the Nicholl Committee.
Announcements
All entrants will receive notification of their status by e-mail sent no later than August 1 of each year. Quarterfinalist letters are e-mailed by August 1; fellowship recipients are announced in October.
To apply people need to submit:
- original feature film screenplay approximately 90 to 120 pages in length (there is no page limit) in PDF format only
- fill out the online application form
- early bird entry fee of US $30 (by 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time April 1) or regular deadline entry fee of US $45 (by 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time May 1)
