Penn State Altoona
INFO: The Penn State Altoona English Program is accepting applications for a one-semester teaching residency in both poetry and playwriting/screenwriting. Candidates should have credentials in both genres – publications in poetry and staged readings/performances (and/or publications) in playwriting or screenwriting.
They are seeking early-career writers, preferably without a published book. The program offers substantial time to write and a salary of $10,000 in return for teaching one general education level introduction to creative writing workshop during the Fall 2016 semester (August 22 – December 16).
In addition, the resident will also give a public reading, visit other creative writing courses, and work informally with English majors.
DEADLINE: April 1, 2016
URBANWORLD SCREENPLAY COMPETITION
Urban World Film Festival
INFO: Urbanworld Foundation Inc., a nonprofit organization that seeks to redefine and advance the presence and impact of the multicultural community in cinema, is seeking feature film length screenplays (90-130 pages) for its five-day festival. The screenwriter must consider himself / herself of African American, Latino, East Asian, or South Asian descent. If the screenwriter is none of the above, the screenplay must feature African American, Africans, Latinos or Asians in prominent roles.
SUBMISSION FEES: Please check the website for fee requirement.
DEADLINES:
- Earlybird – April 1, 2016
- Regular – April 29, 2016
- Late – May 27, 2016
- Extended – June 10, 2016
filmfreeway.com/festival/UrbanworldFilmFestival
New York Women in Film & Television
INFO: The Writers Lab is seeking submissions of full-length narrative screenplays by women all racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and cultural groups over the age of 40 (born before 4/14/76). The Lab will bring 12 women screenwriters (with promising scripts) together with outstanding professional female filmmakers for an intensive four-day screenwriting retreat of one-on-one meetings, panel discussions and other activities designed to inspire the artists; to prompt rigorous creative exploration; and, through revision, to cultivate first-rate cinematic stories.
DEADLINES & FEES: Thursday, April 14, 2016 ($65 entry fee, $30 Member fee)
nywift.org/newsletter.aspx?id=5866
DIVERSE VOICES SCREENPLAY CONTEST
WeScreenplay
INFO: WeScreenplay’s contest is focused on promoting and encouraging diverse voices and stories. The contest encourages stories that are told from perspectives – through the author and/or characters (ethnic minorities, women, women over 40, LGBTQ members, senior citizens, faith-driven characters, etc.) – that are often underrepresented in Hollywood today. The contest accepts Features, TV Pilots, Web Series, and Shorts.
PRIZES:
- Grand Prize - $1,654 ($1,000 in cash, $654 in prizes) + Script Distribution to Managers, Producers, and Agents
- Honorable Mention by Category - $654 in prizes each
- Finalists (Top 20) - $69 in prizes each
DEADLINE AND FEES: April 15th, 2016 ($49 entry fee)
wescreenplay.com/contests/diverse-voices
ACADEMY NICHOLL FELLOWSHIP IN SCREENWRITING
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
INFO: Each year, the Academy Nicholl screenwriting competition awards up to five fellowships to amateur screenwriters. Fellowship winners are invited to participate in awards week ceremonies and seminars in November and expected to complete at least one original feature film screenplay during the Fellowship year.
AWARD: $35,000 Fellowship
DEADLINE & SUBMISSION FEES:
- Regular Submission – April 18, 2016 ($60 entry fee)
- Late Submission – May 2, 2016 by 11:59pm PST ($85 entry fee)
Film Independent
INFO: The Film Independent Screenwriting Lab is an intensive four-week workshop that meets two to three evenings a week in Los Angeles every September and designed to facilitate each writer’s unique voice through the development of a single feature project. Through personalized feedback from experienced industry professionals and other writers in the program, Screenwriting Fellows will gain the tools to revise and refine their scripts for production.
The Screenwriting Lab also helps to further the careers of its Fellows by introducing them to film industry veterans who can offer guidance on both the craft and business of screenwriting. Each Screenwriting Fellow will be paired with a Creative Advisor, with whom they’ll work one-on-one and in Lab sessions to further develop their project over the course of the program.
SUBMISSION FEE: $45 for Film Independent Members; $65 for non-Member
DEADLINE: April 18, 2016 (non-Members); May 2, 2016 (Members-only)
filmindependent.org/labs-and-programs/screenwriters-labS
ASIAN AMERICAN FEATURE FILM FELLOWSHIP
Sundance Institute
INFO: The Asian American Fellowship aims to further the presence of Asian American voices in independent film by supporting a writer or writer/director on the development of their feature screenplay through participation in a Sundance Institute Screenwriters Lab, Screenwriters Intensive, or Creative Producing Summit.
Writers or writer/directors developing their first or second narrative feature film and of Asian-American descent or with significant themes and/or characters relating to the Asian American experience in their screenplay are eligible to apply.
Please visit the website for more information, including lab dates and locations.
DEADLINE: May 3, 2016 (6:00pm PST)
sundance.org/programs/feature-film#AsianAmerican-Application
2017 JANUARY SCREENWRITERS LAB
Sundance Institute
INFO: The 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. Through one-on-one story sessions with Creative Advisors, Fellows engage in an artistically rigorous process that offers them indispensable lessons in craft, as well as the means to do the deep exploration needed to fully realize their material.
The 2017 January Screenwriters Lab will take place January 15-20, 2017 at the Sundance Mountain Resort, Utah. 12 projects are chosen every year.
DEADLINE: May 3, 2016