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In its second year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has added new global program partners to its Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting, an international talent development program that supports nonprofessional screenwriters.
University of Southern California, Carnegie Mellon University, Morehouse College, The Writers Lab, Austin Film Festival, Storyhouse Dublin Screenwriting Festival, and more join a list of 55 partners that span global universities, screenwriting labs, film festivals, and filmmaker programs for the 2026-2027 Nicholl program. The Writers Guild Foundation has also been added as a public submissions partner, in addition to The Black List.
“After the incredible success of the Nicholl Fellowships last year, the Academy is thrilled to continue expanding this global program through our partners around the world as we deepen our commitment to discovering and championing emerging screenwriters,” said Kim Taylor-Coleman, Academy governor and president of the Academy Foundation Board, via statement. “By broadening the program’s international and domestic reach, we aim to open pathways for talented new writers to develop their crafts and bring fresh perspectives to the screen.”
The benefits of being a Nicholl fellow include direct fellowship support, ongoing mentoring from Academy members, and networking opportunities from the Academy. Nicholl fellows participate in pitch workshops, media training sessions, meet-and-greets, and more. Fellows also receive ongoing career advancement support through the Gold Alumni Network Program, which provides continued access, opportunity, professional development, and education for alumni of the Academy’s global talent development programs. All Nicholl fellowship recipient scripts are archived in the Academy Collection and are accessible through the Academy’s Margaret Herrick Library.
There are two public submission windows for the 2026-2027 Nicholl Fellowships. Public submissions through The Black List open today, Monday, June 8, 2026, and close on Monday, July 6, 2026, or when 2,500 entries have been received, whichever occurs first. P
ublic submissions through the Writers Guild Foundation will open on Monday, June 22, 2026, and close on Monday, July 20, 2026, or when 2,000 entries have been received, whichever occurs first.
Writers may submit via only one of the public portals. Each public portal has its own judging process, and writers are encouraged to visit The Black List and The Writers Guild Foundation websites for details.
All scripts submitted by partners will be read and evaluated by Academy members to determine the 10 finalists. A group of Academy members who serve on the 2026-2027 Nicholl Committee will select up to five fellowship recipients from the 10 finalists.
The Black List and the Writers Guild Foundation will recommend 25 and 20 scripts, respectively, for entry into the Nicholl Fellowships. All other partners will recommend up to two scripts each. Partner script submissions to the Academy will open in late July, with a deadline in late August. Nicholl fellows will be awarded in spring 2027.
During the 2025-2026 cycle of the Nicholl Fellowships program, 40 partners submitted 101 scripts. More than 500 Academy members from all 19 branches opted in to read and evaluate the scripts to determine the finalists. Of the 10 finalists, five scripts were selected from public submissions via The Black List, and five were from partners including Columbia University School of the Arts, MFA in Scriptwriting & Story Design at Toronto Metropolitan University, NYU Tisch School of the Arts, Sundance Institute Screenwriters Lab and Urbanworld Festival. The 2025-2026 Nicholl Fellowships were awarded to three individuals and two writing teams.
See the full list of Nicholl program partners for 2026-2027 below.
The Black List (public submissions partner)
Writers Guild Foundation (public submissions partner)
Austin Film Festival
Australian Film Television and Radio School
Berlin International Film Festival
Brooklyn College
California Institute of the Arts
California State University, Los Angeles
California State University, Northridge
CAPE
Carnegie Mellon University
Columbia College Chicago
Columbia University
DePaul University
Dillard University
Edinburgh Napier University
Emerson College
Gold House
Harvardwood
Hollywood Arab Film Festival
Howard University
IFFR Pro
International Sámi Film Institute
Latino Film Institute
London Film School
Loyola Marymount University
Morehouse College
Mount Saint Mary’s University
National Film and Television School
New York Film Academy
New York University
Northwestern University
Savannah College of Art and Design
Script Anatomy
Spelman College
Stony Brook University
Storyhouse Dublin Screenwriting Festival
Sundance Institute
Toronto International Film Festival
Toronto Metropolitan University
Universidad del Cine
University of the Arts London
University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Riverside
University of Cape Town
University of Manchester
University of North Carolina School of the Arts
University of Oxford
University of Southern California
University of Texas at Austin
University of Utah
Urbanworld Festival
Victoria University of Wellington
Wesleyan University
The Writers Lab
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