Academy Alters Nicholl Fellowships Selection Process

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting, an international program that identifies and nurtures talented new screenwriters, will now exclusively partner with global university programs, screenwriting labs and filmmaker programs to select Nicholl fellows. Each partner will vet and submit scripts for consideration for an Academy Nicholl Fellowship, and The Black List will serve as a portal for public submissions. All scripts submitted by partners will be read and reviewed by Academy members.

"As part of the globalization of the Academy and to deepen our relationship with educational partners around the U.S. and the world, we are excited to evolve the Nicholl Fellowships program to include a stronger connection to universities, screenwriting labs and filmmaker programs and their incredible pool of emerging talent,” said Howard Berger, Academy governor and president of the Academy Foundation Board. “Our commitment to discovering and supporting new voices remains stronger than ever, and I’m thankful to my fellow Academy members for dedicating their time and expertise to support this mission."

Nicholl fellows receive support from the Academy and mentorship from an Academy member throughout their fellowship year. They also participate in a week of virtual seminars, a virtual meet and greet with the Nicholl Fellowships committee, and in-person networking events. Fellows additionally receive ongoing career advancement support through the Gold Alumni Program, which provides continued access, opportunity, professional development and education for alumni of the Academy’s talent development programs.

Nicholl program partners for 2025 include:

• American Film Institute
• Australian Film Television and Radio School
• Bangkok University
• Berlin International Film Festival
• The Black List
• California Institute of the Arts
• California State University, Los Angeles
• CAPE
• Chapman University
• Columbia University
• Edinburgh Napier University
• Gold House
• Howard University
• IFFR Pro
• Latino Film Institute
• London Film School
• Loyola Marymount University
• New York University
• Northwestern University
• RMIT University
• Savannah College of Art and Design
• Sundance Institute
• Toronto International Film Festival
• Toronto Metropolitan University
• Universidad del Cine
• University of Arts London
• University of California, Los Angeles
• University of Cape Town
• University of North Carolina School of the Arts
• University of Oxford
• University of Texas at Austin
• Urbanworld Festival
• Victoria University of Wellington

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.

Updated: 03/31/2025

Additional Contest Info: Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting