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
ScriptLinks
Post Your Script Here!Dark Latitude
When a young woman discovers a hidden photograph in the family album of a murdered WWII survivor, she becomes the target of a decades-old conspiracy linking Nazi fugitives, a secret escape flight from Germany, and a deadly cover-up that kills to protect its secrets.
Knock on Wood
To survive a week against a vengeful universe, a legendary hitman must trade his "Celestial Mathematics" for genuine morality after a botched job fractures his luck and begins to liquefy reality.
Ilium Ridge
To brothers Zeus, Poseidon and Hades, the First World War is but a game to stave off the boredom of immortality.
Christmas Island
Sissy and Kenneth return to their home in the northern woods for their mother's funeral, to find that their parents plan to snatch their bodies.
Tam Lin
In a modern romantic fantasy based on an ancient Scottish fairy tale, a strong young woman risks everything to save her mysterious lover from the evil Fairy Queen, and bring him back to a world he's never known.
HOW TO SURVIVE A NARCISSIST
While dealing with the aftermath of a vindictive breakup, a tenacious woman provides the audience an instructional guide to narcissists in order to make sense of exactly what happened to keep her bonded to one for seven years.
PINE MOUNTAIN DEVIL
When her small town's peaceful mountain preserve is threatened by a luxury resort, an eco-conscious park ranger must unravel the truth behind a series of brutal deaths that may be linked to an ancient, vengeful force tasked with protecting the land.
THE ALMOST BRIDE
In an attempt to preserve her parents' marriage, a former skating prodigy enlists a risk-adverse publishing executive to pose as her fiancé, but when their elaborate charade spirals out of control, can she fix her own relationship missteps to land a happy ending for everyone?
STAR NAMES PREFERRED
When a wannabe actress obsessed with an A-list celebrity discovers the star's true character, she concocts a devious plan of revenge to steal the star's career and life, embarking on a crime spree all in the name of fame.
Xanadu Shores - First 14 pages
Four friends become enmeshed in a gold heist turned kidnapping chased by a capricious Federal agent and his comely accomplice by land, air and sea, culminating explosively on Xanadu Shores.
