The Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting is an international screenwriting competition established to identify and encourage talented new screenwriters, awarding up to five $35,000 fellowships to amateur screenwriters.
Entrants submit a feature-length screenplay and entry fee via the online application when the competition is open for submissions. Fellowship winners are invited to participate in awards week ceremonies and seminars, receive individualized Academy member mentorship and are expected to complete at least one original feature film screenplay during their Fellowship year.
Partner script submissions to the Academy will open in late July, and the deadline will be in late August. Nicholl fellows will be awarded in spring 2026.
Fellowships are awarded with the understanding that recipients will complete feature-length screenplays during their fellowship year. The Academy acquires no rights to the works of Nicholl fellows and does not involve itself commercially in any way with their completed scripts.
The Nicholl Fellowships were established in 1985 through the support of Gee Nicholl in memory of her husband, Don Nicholl. One hundred eighty-six fellowships have been awarded since 1986.
For more information and updates on the Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting and its partners, visit oscars.org/nicholl.