2023 My Time Fellowship
Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow
DEADLINE: April 10, 2023
APPLICATION FEE: $35
INFO: The Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow is pleased to announce the 2023 My Time fellowship funded by the Sustainable Arts Foundation. Writers who are also parents of dependent children under the age of 18 are invited to apply. Work may be any literary genre: poetry, fiction, plays, memoir, screenplays, or nonfiction. The successful application will demonstrate literary merit and the likelihood of publication. Prior publication is not a requirement.
Two fellowship winners will receive a one-week residency to allow the recipient to focus completely on their work, at least one to be awarded to a Person of Color. A $500 stipend will be provided to cover childcare and/or travel costs. Each writer’s suite has a bedroom, private bathroom, separate writing space, and wireless internet. We provide uninterrupted writing time, a European-style gourmet dinner prepared five nights a week, and served in our community dining room, the camaraderie of other professional writers when you want it, and a community kitchen stocked with the basics for other meals.
Fellowship applications must be accompanied by a writing sample and a non-refundable $35 application fee. There is a limit of one submission per application. The submission period opens on Monday, January 30, 2023. The deadline is midnight CST on Monday, April 10, 2023. The winner will be announced no later than May 1, 2023. Residencies may be completed at any time during 2023. This may be extended up to twelve months for extenuating circumstances including COVID-19 concerns.
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NEW VOICES FELLOWSHIP
Humanitas
DEADLINE / FEE: April 14, 2023 / $50
INFO: The New Voices Fellowship is a four-month mentorship program for emerging television and screenwriters who are exploring the human condition in a nuanced, meaningful way. The program identifies and empowers five writers each year who are currently working on a 30- or 60-minute pilot or feature film screenplay. These are stories and people who, for varying reasons, may go overlooked by the traditional marketplace.
Humanitas also recognizes the importance of mentorship and the changing nature of apprenticeship in Hollywood, and how advancement in the film and television industries involves social access and community building.
With that in mind, through mentorship, workshops, conversations on professional development, and networking opportunities, New Voices equips writers with the tools needed to advance their careers. Fellows are paired with a mentor, invited to the September 2023 Humanitas Prizes event, and receive a trophy and $7,500 stipend.
Since 2010, 63 fellows have completed the New Voices program, with many becoming showrunners, producers, directors, and staff writers.
Former New Voices fellows include Will Pascoe (Absentia), J. Holtham (Supergirl, Jessica Jones), Jeanine Daniels (Snowfall), Rashaad Ernesto Greene (The Chi, Searching for Alaska), Carlito Rodriguez (Empire), Emily Silver (Finding Carter), Martin Zimmerman (Ozark), Obiageli Odimegwu (All American), Eric Anthony Glover (Tom Swift), and Eugene Ramos (The Dragon Prince).
PPROGRAM COMPONENTS:
Mentorship: Fellows are paired with award-winning showrunners for one-on-one mentorship focused on their project. Written notes are provided over a series of meetings. Former mentors include: Alan Ball, Jenny Bicks, Janine Sherman Barrois, Scott Z. Burns, Steven Canals, Matt Carlson, Liz Craft, Sarah Fain, Tom Fontana, Gary Glasberg, Gary David Goldberg, Deborah Goodwin, Marc Guggenheim, Hart Hanson, Chris Harris, felicia henderson, Winnie Holzman, David Hudgins, Jason Katims, Jay Kogen, Bill Lawrence, Ali LeRoi, Melanie Marnich, Justin Noble, Nancy Pimental, Rashad Raisani, Robin Schiff, David Shore, Patrick Sean Smith, Robin Swicord, Pam Veasey, Ligiah Villalobos, Ben Watkins, and David Zuckerman.
Conversation & Workshops Series: The Humanitas staff and the New Voices Advisor invite fellows to join a series of conversations and workshops focused on the most pressing issues facing emerging television and screenwriters. Topics have included the art of the pitch, general meetings, networking, representatives, “branding” yourself as a writer, the guilds, first jobs, career longevity tips, and more. Fellows are also encouraged to attend Humanitas public programming efforts like Industry 101 and participate in a mock writers’ room near the conclusion of the fellowships.
Professional Development & Networking: In addition to the community cultivated through the New Voices Conversation and Workshops Series, New Voices aims to present fellows with at least one networking opportunity per year. Once the New Voices Fellowship has concluded, the fellows’ creative materials and contact information are collected in the New Voices Fellowship Talent Guide and distributed to the Humanitas agents and managers network. New Voices Fellows also receive invitations to community events throughout the year.
Stipend: Each fellow receives a $7,500 stipend.
Humanitas Prizes 2023 Event: Fellows will be invited to attend the 2023 Humanitas Prizes Luncheon, which is currently planned as an in-person event in Beverly Hills, California in Autumn 2023.
NEW VOICES FELLOWSHIP CALENDAR:
February - April 2023: Application period
May - July 2023: Script evaluation
August 2023: Finalist interviews and New Voices Fellow announcement
September 2023: New Voices Fellows recognized at Humanitas Prizes event in Beverly Hills
September 2023 - January 2024: Fellowship period
Early 2024: New Voices Live (culminating celebration)
SUBMISSION MATERIALS:
Original 30- or 60-minute pilot, or feature film screenplay
Logline
Brief synopsis (~250 words)
Supplementary materials: bio, resume, and a short artist statement that speaks to the applicant's professional aspirations and why they felt compelled to write the submitted project.
ELIGIBILITY & ADDITIONAL DETAILS:
Applicants must be 21 years of age or older at time of application.
Applicants do not need to be a U.S. permanent resident and/or citizen but must be residing in the US during the fellowship. Humanitas is unable to provide Visa support for writers overseas.
Applicants must be available to participate actively in all dimensions of fellowship programming, including mandatory workshops, virtual gatherings, and virtual public programs.
The New Voices Fellowship is for emerging television and screenwriters who 1) do not have a manager or agent, 2) have not been previously staffed as a writer in a scripted television series’ writers room, and 3) have not otherwise received payment for produced scripted feature film or television writing services prior to the submission period. Writers paid for options on unproduced scripts or for writing services on unproduced treatments, micro-budget features, or on unproduced projects outside the WGA’s jurisdiction and below WGA-established minimums should contact Humanitas with details on their situation to determine eligibility.
Applicants are strongly advised to only submit one application and script per year.
Scripts must be an original work. Adaptations or reimaginings of true events or fictional stories are acceptable; by submitting you acknowledge you have secured all rights needed to adapt any material.
Former semi-finalists and finalists are eligible to reapply so long as they meet all other criteria. Former semi-finalists and finalists are advised that all application materials must have undergone notable revisions, including and especially the script sample if it is the same project as previously submitted.
Previous recipients of the Carol Mendelsohn College Drama Award and David and Lynn Angell College Comedy Award are eligible for the New Voices Fellowship so long as they meet all other eligibility criteria.
Former New Voices Fellows are not eligible to reapply.
Current Humanitas staff and interns are not eligible for the fellowship.
Assessment to determine finalists weighs the quality of the applicant’s script, the script’s relevance to Humanitas mission, and the quality of the applicant’s supplementary materials. All finalists are interviewed on Zoom. These meetings cover the submitted project, career aspirations, and play an essential role in determining who is selected for the annual New Voices Fellowship cohort.
Should a writing team be selected for the fellowship, the stipend will be split evenly amongst the writers.
While the New Voices Fellowship accepts materials from all writers, writers with diverse backgrounds and social identities historically underrepresented in media are highly encouraged to apply.
humanitasprize.org/new-voices-fellowship-2023
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DIVERSE VOICES SCREENWRITING LAB
WeScreenplay
DEADLINE: April 15, 2023
INFO: Diverse Voices is a dynamic virtual screenwriting lab with a proven track record of helping elevate stories that are told from perspectives that are often underrepresented in film and TV today. This includes writers of color, women writers, writers with disabilities, writers over 40, writers in the LGBTQ+ community, and any other voices that have historically been ignored by Hollywood.
A minimum of 4 winners will be selected to participate in this career-changing lab!
All readers for this lab come from diverse backgrounds, and all entrants will receive a page of FREE written feedback on their script from their first round’s judge.
Over a dozen past winners have been signed, staffed, and optioned as a direct result of their Diverse Voices Lab meetings. Past finalists and winners have signed with companies including Heroes & Villains Entertainment, 3Arts, Zero Gravity, APA, ColorCreative, and more. See some of our past WeScreenplay success stories.
wescreenplay.com/diverse-voices/
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REST RESIDENCY FOR SINGLE MOTHERS
The Old Knitting Factory
DEADLINE: April 30, 2023
INFO: The Old Knitting Factory exists to support single mothers and other twice-marginalized single parents. Here’s how you can apply for a retreat and support our work.
Applications are now open for a free one-week stay in the Old Knitting Factory’s residency space, including a cash stipend to apply to childcare costs. The residency is open to single mothers and other twice-marginalized single parents from anywhere in the world. Come enjoy the beauty and peace of Connemara, and take some time to rest and honor yourself and your children.
Inspired by the work of The Nap Ministry, adrienne maree brown’s Pleasure Activism, and The Mae House, I am offering it as a rest residency, meaning that you don’t have to be an artist to apply; you just have to be a single mom (or other twice-marginalized single parent) who could use some rest. And couldn’t we all?
RESIDENCY / STIPEND: You’ll have use of our residency space for any week of your choosing, and you are welcome to bring your children or not, as best suits your needs. The space features a double bed, fold-out single bed, futon, and pack-and-play crib. The resident will receive a €250 cash stipend toward childcare costs, to use at your discretion.
Please note: Travel costs are not included.
GUIDELINES: To apply, email us with a brief statement (up to 500 words, shorter is fine!) on why this residency would be useful to you and your children (whether they will come with you or stay with someone else while you rest).
oldknittingfactory.com/single-mother-retreats
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Paramount
DEADLINE: May 1, 2023 by 11:59 pm PST
INFO: As part of its ongoing commitment to create additional access, exposure and opportunity for talented and motivated writers of diverse backgrounds, Paramount's Writers Mentoring Program is an eight-month program with a three-fold focus: It opens doors by providing opportunities for mentees to build and foster relationships with showrunners and network and studio executives. It supports emerging writers in their efforts to improve their craft by working with executive mentors. And it helps writers hone the essential interpersonal skills necessary to break in and succeed.
Each participant will be teamed with executive mentors from Paramount Global. Under the supervision of their mentors, participants will write a new writing sample. Once a week, for 16 weeks, participants will be invited to attend a small workshop-style meeting with various showrunners and other industry professionals. Speakers include agents, managers, development and current executives and showrunners. There is also a half-day mock writers room for mentees to experience the process in a safe environment.
Each participant will have help in creating a rigorous career action plan and there will be on-going support in evaluating and achieving those goals. Another important benefit of the program is the development of a close-knit peer support group that will sustain participants through the program and beyond.
It has been found that in order to derive the greatest benefit from the program, participants should be available to 1) attend a once a week (evening) workshop 2) attend a half day mock writers room and 3) have ongoing interaction with their mentors via zoom, phone or email.
Program elements such as mentoring, weekly workshops the mock writers room can be scheduled around participants’ existing work commitments.
The Paramount Writers Mentoring Program is not employment and there is no monetary compensation. It is, instead, a structured program of career development, support, and personal access to executives and the decision-making processes, with the goal of preparing aspiring writers for later employment opportunities in television.
Aspiring diverse writers with a strong desire to write for Paramount television series are encouraged to apply. You must be 21 or older and able to work in the United States to be eligible. All completed application materials must be received between April 1, 2023 and May 1, 2023 Any submissions received before April 1st or after May 1st, 2023 will not be considered.
No hand delivered submissions will be accepted. Finalists will be notified in late September 2023 (or such later date as may be determined by Paramount). The program is scheduled to begin in October 2023 and continues through April 2024. Paramount reserves the right to make adjustments to program schedule as necessary.
GUIDELINES: Two writing samples are required. The original work can be an original pilot, a one act stage play or a short fiction story. Short film scripts will not be accepted. We request that your original sample be similar in tone to the spec sample. The short fiction piece should be approximately 3,000 words. Spec scripts should be a half hour or hour episode based on a primetime drama or comedy series which aired or was released, during the 2021 – 2022 season and was broadcast on a network, cable, streamer.