About the Don & Gee Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting
Qualifications
Screenwriters who have not earned more than $5,000 writing fictional work for film or television.
Entry scripts must be the original work of one writer, or the collaborative work of two writers, and must be written originally in English. Adaptations and translated scripts are not eligible.
Entry Deadline
The online application must be completed and script uploaded by 11:59 p.m. on May 1.
Prizes
Up to five $30,000 fellowships are awarded each year to promising new screenwriters. From the program’s inception in 1986 through 2009, over $2.8 million have been awarded to 121 writers.
Entry Requirements
- 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)
Register and Apply
You may create an online account at any time. When the competition opens each year, you may use that account to apply online. Follow the links to the Log In page. The online system allows entrants to submit an application form electronically, pay the entry fee with a credit card and submit a PDF version of their script. It also allows entrants to confirm receipt of their entry and to update their contact information at any time during the competition.
PDF or Word versions of the application are no longer available as entrants may only enter via the online application.
Script Submissions
Entrants may submit their script online via digital upload only. Online entrants can complete their application, make their credit card payment and upload a PDF version of their script during a single online session. Printed scripts are no longer accepted. Scripts submitted online must be uploaded no later than 11:59 p.m. PT on May 1, 2010.
Payment
The US$30 entry fee must be paid online via credit card or debit card.
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.
Contact Information
For more information, contact
Nicholl Fellowships
1313 Vine Street
Hollywood, California 90028-8107
nicholl@oscars.org
(310) 247-3010
The Nicholl Experience
The following quotes were taken from letters sent to the Nicholl Committee over the years by writers who entered the competition.
“It is clear to me that the Academy Foundation and Nicholl Fellowship competition have but one goal... to encourage and foster high quality, creative screenwriting. The Nicholl competition offers aspiring screenwriters like myself great motivation of write our very best and to keep on writing.”
“No other contest has the prestige and recognition as the Nicholl. No other contest can claim that being a semifinalist in it is enough to garner industry attention... If you want a career, look no further than the Nicholl Fellowships.”
“As a young writer with no contacts in the film industry, the competition got my script read – something I couldn't have accomplished on my own... Thanks to your competition, I now have a script optioned and several people waiting for my next screenplay... I hope your readers and judges realize what a wonderful service they’re doing for tomorrow’s writers.”
“I am pleased to report that last week I signed my first deal... I write not to boast but to thank you. I consider entering the Nicholl Fellowships competition to be one of the most important things that I ever did. At the time I first entered I had only been writing for a short while and had few signposts by which to gauge my potential. I truly believe that without it I would not be a writer today.”
