Michael Collyer Memorial Fellowship in Screenwriting (US)

The Michael Collyer Memorial Fellowship in Screenwriting is a one-year fellowship that is awarded to an outstanding emerging screenwriter. This program, now in its 17th year, is a partnership between the Writers Guild Initiative and the King Family Foundation.

The purpose of the fellowship is to provide an opportunity for an emerging screenwriter to develop an original screenplay and to provide them with training and educational resources about screenwriting. The Writers Guild Initiative (WGI) is looking for diverse and unique voices, and for projects that are character-driven and personal in nature. They are exclusively seeking feature films: no shorts, plays, fiction manuscripts, or TV pilots will be accepted at this time. For the avoidance of doubt, the screenwriter will retain all rights in their original screenplay.

Funding Information

• The fellowship recipient will receive a $10,000 stipend to support their development of an original screenplay (not the script used to opt in to the fellowship) and they will be mentored during the course of the fellowship year by a prominent screenwriter.

Eligibility Criteria

• Entrant must host a full-length feature screenplay for at least one week during the submission period.
• Entrant must be the sole and exclusive author of the screenplay submitted for consideration.
• Entrant must be over the age of 18 and no older than the age of 25.
• Entrant must not be represented by an agent or manager in the film or television industry at the time Entrant opts into this program.
• Entrant must be a US citizen or a legal permanent resident.

Application Requirements

• The Michael Collyer Memorial Fellowship in Screenwriting, hosted by the Black List, LLC is subject to the following requirements:
  • The candidate must post a feature length script and opt in to the Submission Call.
  • Such script must be original to the candidate.
  • The script must have one singular writer (no writing teams).
  • The candidate must be competent to contract and over the age of 18.
  • The candidate must be no older than 25 years of age.
  • The candidate must agree to these Submission Requirements as well as the Submission Agreement, which governs the submission of the candidate’s script to WGI. While the candidate retains ownership of the script, this Submission Agreement includes important terms and conditions (including arbitration of disputes) you should read before accepting.
• If selected by WGI for the Fellowship the candidate must:
  • Maintain contact with your fellowship mentor and the WGI.
  • Verify age eligibility upon request.
  • One year following the start of the fellowship, provide the WGI with a report on how the Fellowship has impacted his/her career. The goal is to complete the Fellowship within one year.
• If requested, the candidate must submit the following, which are also governed by the Submission Agreement:
  • A one-page biography/personal statement;
  • Contact and other personal information;
  • A logline and 250-word synopsis of the submitted screenplay;
  • A two-page pitch of the new original film you’d like to write during the fellowship year; and signed originals of the Submission Agreement.

For more information, visit The Black List.