Deadlines on the horizon 🌅
Mark these in your calendars, Messies!
Isn’t it just so typical that once the new year starts and you finally get around to manifestation, visualisation, goal/intention setting, spend HOURS on Pinterest bringing to life the perfect dream board, you suddenly look around and realise it’s almost the end of January and all these deadlines just sneaked up on you?
We’ve put together a list of what we consider the most prestigious and relevant labs, schemes, competitions and funds for screenwriters in the UK.
Many of these are established names like BBC, Channel 4, BAFTA & BFI; others are newcomers with really exciting opportunities like Studio21 and Look Aside Films; the rest are some international residencies & labs that we think are really worth it like ZFF Academy, Sundance and Berlinale.
So take out your brand new Moleskine notebooks (or your messy iCal) and mark these deadlines so you don’t pull and all-nighter submitting your application the day of (but also we’ve all been there so dw).
Look Aside Short Film Fund
A production company hosting a short film fund in 2 categories
The Primary £10K fund is for writers/directors/producers with an already relatively established creative record.
The Debut Filmmaker £3K film fund is only for writers/directors/producers who have not previously had the opportunity to create narrative visual media projects.
The only submission material is a pitch deck which should not exceed 15 pages; for both competitions the submissions must have a writer, director, and producer attached.
The submission fee is £10 for The Primary fund and £5 for The Debut Filmmaker fund
Deadline is on Monday, January 27th, 2025 at 23:59 GMT
BFI Flare x BAFTA Mentoring
Supporting the next generation of LGBTQIA+ creatives progress in their career; the programme enables six creatives to strengthen their networks and explore the reality of creating long-form LGBTQIA+ work in the UK.
You can apply if your film has screened at a BAFTA qualifying festival within the last three years or screened at a number of international LGBTQIA+ film festivals.
Deadline is on Wednesday 29 January 2025, 17.00 GMT
The BBC Comedy Collective
This is a supercharged bursary scheme offering 10 places to emerging writers, producers, directors and editors from across the UK who’d like to develop their careers in scripted comedy.
The scheme is open to anyone who has had at least one previous credit in writing, producing, directing or editing in any genre, across any platform - such as radio, theatre, podcasts, stand up or commercials.
Deadline is on Friday 31 January 2025 at midnight
Royal Birmingham Conservatoire
Accepting script submissions for short films to be shot in 2025.
They are looking for 4 x 4 handed and 2 x 3 handed scripts with a runtime of 5-7 mins with relatively equal screen time between the characters and suitable for actors ages 18-25.
Scripts have to be set in the real world and ‘doable’ within a small budget, i.e. no car explosions, or set in outer space but otherwise, any ideas are welcome.
All female scripts are particularly welcome.
These short films will be shot with a professional team to broadcast quality and entered into film festivals. All contributors get access to the final product.
Deadline is on Monday 10th February 2025
Sundance – Episodic
The Sundance Institute Episodic Lab is a six-day program that offers writers the opportunity to workshop a pilot script, while developing their writing.
Working with accomplished showrunners, Fellows will participate in one-on-one story meetings, craft workshops, and simulated writers’ rooms.
The submission fee is $40
The submission window opens on February 9, 2024 at 12:00 a.m. PT and ends on March 9, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. PT
Oxford/42 New Writing Prize
This is a multi-disciplinary storytelling competition in conjunction with The Faculty of English at the University of Oxford.
Open to anyone aged 18 or over living, working or studying in the UK at the closing date for submissions. The winner will receive £1500 along with professional representation by 42.
To enter the competition, you need to submit a synopsis (up to 300 words) and an elevator pitch of no more than two sentences for a work of fiction, along with one of the following (in Word format):
Novel – the first 10,000 to 15,000 words
Stage or radio play – a complete script of between 30 and 90 pages
Screenplays – a script of between 30 and 60 pages for episode one of a TV show or a complete feature-length film script of 90 pages.
Submissions close on Wednesday 30 April 2025
WFTV KAY MELLOR SCREEN-WRITERS’ LAB
Spotlights and supports emerging female writing talent in film and TV, Women in Film & TV UK hosts an annual WFTV Kay Mellor Screenwriters’ Lab sponsored by Miss Scarlet Ltd.
The programme consists of craft writing masterclasses and workshops led by two course tutors from the film and TV industry, independent writing time to focus and hone your script and a 1-2-1 session with a tutor to offer project guidance.
Submissions close around Saturday 24th May
Pustnik screenwriting residency
A retreat for filmmakers that are writing their first feature film. Made by screenwriters for screenwriters, Pustnik takes place at a remote location in Romania as an environment dedicated to peace of mind and clarity of thought.
You must have a previous screenwriting credit on a short fiction film that has screened at a festival in this list.
Submissions open in spring 2025 and close around the 7th June 2025
Sir Peter Ustinov Television Scriptwriting Award
The competition is designed to motivate non-American novice writers under the age of 30, and offer them the recognition and encouragement that might lead to a successful career in television scriptwriting.
Entrants are asked to submit a completed half-hour to one-hour English-language television drama script.
The award winner receives $2,500
Submissions open mid-April 2025 and close around the 26th June 2025
Aluna Labs Talent Development Program 2024
A talent development program, dedicated to nurturing female-identifying and non-binary writers, directors, and producers from across the UK.
Our aim is to assist you in advancing your debut feature project in a meaningful way, with guidance from and introductions to an array of industry professionals.
Open to female-identifying and non-binary creatives who have produced, directed or written a body of short-form work and are looking to make the step to first feature, or those who have a creative track record of multiple screen works in another creative field.
Submissions open in spring 2025 and close around the 28th June 2025
Read an insight into Aluna Lab by our very own Anastasia Ador here
ZFF Academy
Each year, aspiring producers, directors and/or screenwriters from around the world are chosen from hundreds of applicants to take part in this 5-day talent promotion programme.
You have either worked on at least one feature or documentary film, or have directed, produced or written several short films or series that have been shown at international film festivals.
The submission window opens in spring 2025 and closes on Thursday 31st July 2025
Berlinale Talents
A talent development programme of the Berlin International Film Festival, with project development labs taking place digitally in late January and an onsite summit with panels, discussions and networking opportunities during the Berlinale each February.
Aimed at filmmakers, series and XR content creators with an existing track record of work.
The submission fee is €20
Submissions open in July 2025 and close around the end of August 2025
BAFTA Rocliffe New Writing Competition
Showcasing new writing to the industry and helping aspiring screenwriters take their career to the next level.
Accepting feature films and short films. These can be live action or animation. Only ten pages are required, not full scripts.
Submissions will be blind reviewed, and three lucky finalists will have their script extracts performed by a professional cast to an audience of BAFTA members and industry professionals.
Entry costs is £58 per submission
Submissions open in summer 2025 and close around the 9th September 2025
Studio21 Drama Series Script Competition
The competition connects emerging writers with the global content business, offering the winner a £10,000 development option and unique opportunity to connect with the global drama business through C21Media’s Content London in December.
Submissions open around mid-July 2025 and close around the 18th September 2025
Channel 4 Screenwriting Course
The purpose of the course is to offer 12 writers new to television drama an insight into how the industry works and to provide a “dry-run” of what it can be like to write under a television drama commission, specifically for one hour series and serial drama, and to work with them as they write an original drama script.
Scripts entered must be 20 – 130 pages in length. They can be screenplays, TV scripts, stage plays or audio plays
Only writers who do not have a broadcast credit as a television writer or theatrical release as a feature film writer may apply (although produced short films – 20 minutes or less – are exempt)
Submissions will open on in early September 2025 and close around the 4th October
Read an insight into the 4Screenswriting course by our very own Jon Champion here
Less is More New Call Writers + Directors
LIM is welcoming writers & directors applying with a fiction project at an early stage of development
16 filmmakers will be selected to develop their 1st, 2nd or 3rd feature film
The participation fee is €900 for writers/directors
Submissions open in September 2025 and close on around the 11th October 2025
Midpoint Institute
The program targets creative teams with feature films/TV series in development, aspiring script consultants & junior development executives coming primarily from Central and Eastern Europe
Teams of writers, directors and producers (2-3 members in one team)
The program accepts projects with strong co-production intentions
The fee is €1,800 per participant
Submissions open in summer 2025 and close around the 16th October 2025
BBC Open Call
Our Open Call is not a competition but a means by which the BBC seeks out the best writing talent. We look for writers with the strongest potential to be developed and produced for BBC broadcast.
Drama or Comedy/Drama scripts written for Film, TV, Radio, Stage, Online or Children’s TV/Radio scripts which are a minimum of 30 pages long (excluding title/character pages)
Submissions will open in early November 2025 and close around the 3rd December 2025
There are dozens of other labs, opportunities, development schemes, competitions, grants, funds, fellowships and contests out there, but this is our UK-focused list which should get you started with the new year!
Another great resource is to check out this list by the British Arts Council of eligible training and development Labs, and grants that are awarded towards the cost of course fees, travel and accommodation.
Good luck and love you all!
The Messy Women x