The Michael Collyer Memorial Fellowship in Screenwriting
The Michael Collyer Memorial Fellowship in Screenwriting is a one-year fellowship awarded to an outstanding emerging screenwriter. The recipient will receive a $10,000 stipend to support the development of an original screenplay (not the script used to opt into the fellowship) as well as mentorship by a prominent screenwriter over the course of the fellowship year.
This program, now in its 17th year, is a partnership between the Writers Guild Initiative and the King Family Foundation. This is the fellowship's ninth year hosted on blcklst.com.
Please note this fellowship is for screenwriters between the ages of 18-25 who will be no older than 25 years of age as of December 31, 2024.
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. The screenwriter will retain all rights to their original screenplay.
Timeline
After submissions close on January 10, 2025, the Black List will choose ten screenplays to send to the Writers Guild Initiative selection committee for consideration. A shortlist will be determined in late January, and the Fellowship recipient will be selected by WGI no later than March 2025. The winner of this year’s Fellowship will be announced in Spring 2025 and will be invited to attend the 2025 WGI Gala.
Things to consider
Upon opting in, the Black List will verify your age. It does not benefit you to opt in if you are not within the age bracket of 18-25. Writers who do not meet the age requirements for this partnership will not be considered.
The Michael Collyer Memorial Fellowship provides the opportunity to write an entirely new script with a mentor. The submitted script will be used to show your writing skills, voice, etc., and the potential for wanting to hear more of the stories that you’d want to write. You may also be asked to submit a resume and personal statement that speaks to where this opportunity would fit into your overall journey as a writer as part of the consideration process.