1. 1497 FEATURE LAB
Deadline: June 1
Website: https://1497.org/features-lab
The 1497 Features Lab consists of a Retreat, Pitch Day, and additional professional development opportunities all intentionally designed to elevate develop screenplays by writers who will further 1497's mission to change South Asian representation in the American entertainment market, while providing career support. We want to empower writers in our community to write whatever stories they feel compelled to tell, unbounded by genre, cultural content, geographic location, or any other stereotypical expectation. Then we want to challenge the gatekeepers in the American film and television industry to bring those stories to light.
We believe in a holistic approach to foster writers' creative and career journeys. As a result, three selected Mentees move through a multi-tiered process during the 1497 Features Lab. Mentees' scripts undergo a rigorous development cycle before and during the Lab Retreat, consisting of feedback from multiple perspectives and guidance from a Script Consultant who focuses on the emotional and psychological journey of the screenplay. Mentees are each assigned a Mentor pod (comprised of an established filmmaker, producer, industry rep, and 1497 Features Lab Alum) with whom they meet 1:1 during the Lab Retreat to continue interrogating their scripts and receive advice/insight to launch or further their careers. Mentees' scripts undergo a rigorous development cycle before and during the Lab Retreat, consisting of feedback from multiple perspectives and guidance from a Script Consultant who focuses on the emotional and psychological journey of the screenplay.
Must be 18 or older at the time of application.
Must be eligible to be in the United States for the duration of the Lab.
Must have a completed draft of a narrative feature screenplay that furthers 1497’s mission to change South Asian representation in the American entertainment market with an anticipated budget less than $5 million.
2. BLACKLIST ANNUAL LAB
Deadline: June 1
Website: blcklst.com/programs/2025-annual-labs
The Black List is looking for the strongest screenplays for the Labs–material with strong characters and a strong concept–as well as writers who are looking to build long-term careers in the entertainment industry. The goal of the Labs is for all twelve writers to emerge with the strongest possible script and with greater knowledge of how to move forward in their careers.
The Labs are in-person, weeklong intensive writers workshops. Writers in both cohorts will workshop their feature screenplay through one-on-one sessions with professional screenwriting mentors and through peer workshops. The Labs will also include several story- and industry-related training sessions with executives, producers, lit agents, and managers.
When submitting your script, you must select only one Lab cohort for which you would like to be considered. If selected, you will be workshopping the script you submitted and no other. You may submit multiple scripts, but you must choose which cohort you would like to be considered for, per script.
The Writers Lab
Those in the Writers Lab will further develop feature scripts that they intend to sell and/or use as voice samples. Writers in this cohort will have strong interest in working within the studio system. The Writers Lab cohort will meet the week of October 13th (TBC) in Ojai, CA.
The Projects Lab
Those in the Project Lab will further develop feature projects which they intend to direct. Directing samples are required for this cohort and you must include a working link to such samples at the time of your submission. The Projects Lab will meet the week of November 10th (TBC) in Ojai, CA.
THE SELECTION PROCESS
The selection process will work like this:
The Writers Lab
Up to 40 writers will be invited, based on the strength of their scripts, as determined by the Black List, to submit a one-page personal statement and a professional resume. From those submissions, up to 20 writers will be shortlisted and asked to submit additional materials. From the short list, select writers will be chosen to interview, via Zoom, and six writers will be selected by the Black List to participate in the Writers Lab.
The Projects Lab
Up to 40 writers will be invited, based on the strength of their scripts, as determined by the Black List, to submit a one-page personal statement, a professional resume, and a link to a previous directing sample. From those submissions, up to 20 writers will be shortlisted and asked to submit additional materials. From the short list, select writers will be chosen to interview, via Zoom, and six writers will be selected by the Black List to participate in the Projects Lab.
TRAVEL AND ACCOMMODATIONS
The Labs are residential programs. If you are accepted into the Labs, you will be required to board in the provided accommodations for the duration of the program and, if air travel is required, you must be available to be flown to Los Angeles from a major airport within the continental United States.
Air Travel (coach class round-trip flights within the continental United States (if available and if used)), ground transport to and from the airport in Los Angeles and all Lab events, and accommodations (room and tax only)* will be provided by the Black List. Meals will also be provided.
Participants must be able to provide proof of vaccination (including boosters per current CDC guidelines) and must be willing to test for COVID-19 infection prior to arriving at the in-person portion of the program.
SLOAN FOUNDATION FELLOWSHIP
Writers in both cohorts are also available for consideration for the 2025 Sloan Foundation Fellowship.
The Black List’s Sloan Foundation Fellow at the Annual Black List Feature Lab will be a science- and technology-focused writer with a science-rooted feature screenplay. Mentoring opportunities for the Sloan Fellow will continue throughout the year following the Lab. Writers will have the opportunity to be considered for this fellowship by selecting the “Sloan Foundation Fellow” option during the opt-in process.
The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation is a New York based, philanthropic, not-for-profit institution that makes grants in three areas: research in science, technology, and economics; quality and diversity of scientific institutions; and public engagement with science. Sloan's program in Public Understanding of Science and Technology supports books, radio, film, television, theater, and new media to reach a wide, non-specialized audience and to bridge the two cultures of science and the humanities.
Sloan’s Film Program encourages filmmakers to create more realistic and compelling stories about science and technology and to challenge existing stereotypes about scientists and engineers in the popular imagination. Over the past two decades, Sloan has partnered with top film schools in the country, supported screenplay development programs, and has helped develop over 30 feature films including Michael Almereyda’s TESLA, Lydia Dean Pilcher and Ginny Mohler’s RADIUM GIRLS, Thor Klein’s ADVENTURES OF A MATHEMATICIAN, Jessica Oreck’s ONE MAN DIES A MILLION TIMES, Logan Kibens and Sharon Greene’s OPERATOR, Morten Tyldum’s THE IMITATION GAME, and Matthew Brown‘s THE MAN WHO KNEW INFINITY. The Foundation’s book program includes support for Margot Lee Shetterly’s Hidden Figures, which became the highest grossing Oscar-nominated film of 2017 and a social and cultural milestone.
For more information about the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, please visit www.sloan.org or follow the Foundation at @SloanPublic on Twitter and Facebook.
Requirements
You are the sole and exclusive author of the feature screenplay submitted for consideration.
You have not received more than $100K in aggregate to date as compensation for film or television writing work.
If selected as one of the writers invited to submit a professional resume and personal statement for additional consideration, you will deliver those materials by the stated deadline.
If selected as one of the writers invited to submit further materials for the Projects Lab, you will deliver a director's sample by the stated deadline.
If selected for participation in the Labs, you are available to participate in the Lab cohort for which you are selected: for the Writers Lab, that is in person in Ojai, CA from October 13-17, 2025; for the Projects Lab, that is in person in Ojai, CA from November 10-14, 2025.
3. DISNEY WRITING PROGRAM
Deadline: June 2
Website: https://sites.disney.com/ctdi/wpapplication2026/
The primary goal of the 2026 Disney Entertainment Television Writing Program (the “Program”) is to staff Program Writers on Disney Entertainment Television (“DET”) series as staff writers during the Program year. Staffing is not guaranteed. The twelve (12)-month Program is tentatively set to begin in January 2026 and end in mid-February of the following year. Please note, time frames are subject to change. For the first few months of the Program, Program Writers participate in a professional development curriculum designed to better prepare them for staffing consideration, including developing, writing, and polishing at least one (1) original pre-existing pilot script to be used as a staffing sample. The Program also aims to provide engagement with executives, producers and/or showrunners, which is designed to facilitate relationships that can prove invaluable in developing a television writing career. Additional past activities have included: workshops led by veteran television writers, producers and Program alumni and networking mixers with executives.
4. WBD Access Unlock Unscripted Program
Deadline: June 6
Website: https://wbdaccess.submittable.com/submit
The WBD Access Unlock Unscripted program aims to identify high-performing, mid-level unscripted producers from across the globe who aspire to get to the next level or gain exposure in different genres of reality. Producers will be given tools and training to expand their skill set and gain exposure to WBD executives and production companies to cultivate relationships for future opportunities. Through this program, WBD is supporting emerging producers, opening doors for them within the WBD ecosystem globally. Ultimately, these producers would start the pipeline to create the next generation of showrunners in the years to follow.
The application is open to unscripted producers who have already been staffed as mid-level producers (ex. field producer, segment producer, challenge producer or story producer). These candidates are nearly ready to go to the next level in their producing careers. This application is open to everyone who qualifies. This year, a select number of unscripted producers will be selected to participate in a 1-week intensive, to be held in Los Angeles in the summer of 2025. They will learn all aspects of producing Unscripted lifestyle content from US-based production companies, producers, and network executives, among others, and will consist of workshops, panels, networking opportunities, and more. The content will focus on building their producer capability, equipping them with leadership skills and exposing them to the nuances of other unscripted genres of interest. After the 1-week intensive, selected producers may be considered for future staffing opportunities across Warner Bros. Discovery Studios and Networks. Shortlisted applicants will interview in June. All applicants will receive a status update by July 2025. Stipend, travel and accommodation for the 1-week intensive will be provided.
5. NEW YORK CLASSICAL THEATRE NEW VISIONS
Deadline: June 6
Website: https://nyclassical.org/new-visions
New York Classical Theatre is proud to continue New Visions, our first-ever new play development program, with the launch of Cycle 2 on May 12.
As an AEA Off-Broadway company known for producing free, site-specific productions of classic plays across New York City, NY Classical is committed to making theatre accessible to all. At the heart of New Visions is a bold goal: to confront the exclusion of People of Color, Women, Non-Binary, Trans, and Disabled People from the traditional theatrical canon—and from our own company’s history.
Through New Visions, we are expanding our artistic scope by supporting living playwrights whose work redefines what a “classic” can be and reimagines the canon on their own terms.
NY Classical’s vision affirms that everyone—regardless of social, economic, or educational background—deserves the opportunity to experience live, professional theatre as a shared community. At the same time, we recognize that the so-called “classics” have long upheld systems of oppression and erasure. This program is our response and our invitation: to build a more inclusive and representative theatrical future.
New Visions champions new works that:
• Engage with or reinterpret the classical tradition,
• Expand our collective idea of what a “classic” can be, and
• Challenge the power structures that have historically shaped the canon.
Cycle 2 Program Details & Application Info
Help shape the future of classical theatre. Find out how New Visions works—and how your play could be part of it.
Applications for Cycle 2 are being accepted
May 12th–June 6th, 2025
These New Visions can include, but are not limited to:
1. Adaptation/Translation.
2. Response/Subversion. Examples include: Branden Jacobs Jenkins’s An Octoroon and Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead
3. Prequel/Sequel. Examples include: Lucas Hnath’s A Doll’s House, Part 2 and Taylor Mac’s Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus
4. Plays that engage with history and bring forgotten events to life. Examples include: John Guare’s A Free Man of Color and August Wilson’s Gem of the Ocean
5. Plays that engage with written stories beyond the stage, including novels, poems and poetry collections, and journals that exists in the public domain. Examples include: Kate Hamill’s Pride and Prejudice
6. Plays that derive from oral histories, rituals, and other forms of creating, knowing, remembering, and documenting the world beyond the written word. Examples include: Ondinnok’s Rabinal Achi
*We are especially interested in plays that engage histories and traditions from outside the Western European and American canons and historical traditions.*
*We are especially interested in works that challenge and contest the classical canon.*
Each play selected for “New Visions” will receive:
A two-day, public staged reading, including:
A professional director and cast
12 hours of rehearsal
One hour of guided discussion and feedback with the cast and director
One hour of guided discussion and feedback with the audience
Up to ten hours of further engagement and development with NY Classical’s Literary Director.
A $300 stipend and up to $500 travel reimbursement
Each selected play will also be considered for further development and production with NY Classical.
We invite and encourage playwrights of all backgrounds, experience, and training to apply.
Eligibility Requirements:
1. USA Based Playwrights Only.
2. Play must be primarily in English. Bilingual plays, including ASL, are encouraged.
3. Only plays that have not had a professional, AEA production are eligible. Scripts that have had readings, workshops, non-AEA or university productions are welcome.
4. Plays must have an estimated run time between 70 and 150 minutes.
5. Plays must include a minimum of 50% characters from historically excluded groups.
6. We are not looking to commission a new play. We are looking to develop existing original works.
Please submit the following as one PDF to literary@nyclassical.org including:
1. Your name
2. A 100-200 word synopsis of the play
3. A character breakdown. This must include which roles are written to be performed by actors from historically excluded groups. A minimum of 50% of roles must fulfill this requirement.
4. A brief statement (as short as one sentence) of how this play is in conversation with an idea of “classics.”
5. The first ten pages of dialogue from the play you would like considered.
Playwrights selected from the initial review of applications will be invited to submit a full script for consideration. NY Classical may also request to have a conversation with the playwright regarding the work.
Please do not send complete scripts unless requested.
6. The SOUL Producing Residency Program
Deadline: June 6
Website: nationalblacktheatre.org/producing-residency/
The SOUL Producing Residency Program is a 10-month program designed to provide hands-on experience in the administrative requirements of producing a theatrical season in New York City. The resident is given the opportunity to take the lead in producing a project within that season to widen their professional training, skill sets, and confidence.
THE SOUL SERIES LAB (Liberating Artistic Bravery) is a contemporary laboratory for accelerating and creating innovative new work by cutting-edge artists rooted in NBT’s pedagogy.
Residency Begins – Sept 8, 2025
7. JUNE FEST AT BROOKLYN BATHHOUSE
Deadline: June 9, 2025 at 11:59 PM
Website: https://www.brooklynbathhouse.nyc/theatre
A performing arts festival set in Brooklyn's most unique performing space: The Whole Picture Theatre at Brooklyn Bathhouse. This intimate, 38 to 50 seat cabaret theater is on the second floor of Brooklyn Bathhouse. Attendees have the option of purchasing "show-only" tickets, or a "combo ticket" that grants attendees access to the bathhouse facilities before or after the show.
The festival features a fresh line-up of Music, Theatre, Dance Comedy, and mixed-media performance. To apply, please read the details below and submit the application no later than JUNE 9th, 2025 at 11:59PM
Performance Dates:
Wednesday June 25th
Thursday June 26th
Friday June 27th
Saturday June 28th
Sunday June 29th
Performance times: 7pm-9:30pm Wednesday + Thursday, + Sunday | 8pm- 10:30pm Friday + Saturday*
*Please note that tech and dress rehearsals will occur in the morning/afternoon of each performance date. Performers must be available for the entire day of their performance date.
Event Address:
The Whole Picture Theatre at Brooklyn Bathhouse, 731 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11226
Contact us at (718) 874 - 6550 or hello@broooklynbathhouse.nyc
Please Read online details below before applying!
8. Don McCann Playwriting Contest 2025
Deadline: June 15
Website: oswegoplayers.org/productions/don-mccann-playwriting-contest
The Oswego Players were established in 1938 as a non-profit community theater organization dedicated to live theater productions and theater education for Oswego area residents. Consistent with those goals, a playwriting contest was established to promote the creation of original, one-act plays by contemporary authors.
The contest is FREE and open to any playwright who is 18 years or older and resides (or attends college) in the state of New York.
Provided there are enough entries, the following cash prizes will be awarded:
– 1st Prize: $250.00 – 2nd Prize: $150.00 – 3rd Prize: $75.00
Submissions must be received by June 15th of the contest year and sent either electronically to osweplay@yahoo.com or through the mail, Donald J. McCann Memorial Playwriting Contest, P.O. Box 183, Oswego, NY 13126.
The writers of any of the prize winners automatically gives permission to the Oswego Players, Inc. to make copies of the script for rehearsal purposes.
Submission of an entry will constitute agreement by the writer/author to the terms described herein.
* Consistent with the organizational goals of the Oswego Players, Inc., it is their desire to produce a live stage production of the winning entry within a year of its selection. However, the organization reserves the right to opt out of this provision due to unforeseen, extenuating circumstances.
9. FIRST EVER INT’L HUMAN RIGHTS ARTS FESTIVAL: QUEENS EDITION
Deadline: June 15
Website: https://humanrightsartmovement.org/ihraf-festival-queens-call
September 26-28, 2025
Court Square Theater44-02 23rd Street, Long Island City, NY 11101
Results announced by mid-July, 2025
The submission window is now open for performance work in any form - every discipline!
Work may not have been produced within the last year in NYC, or be scheduled in the next six months of September 28th, 2025.
Please note:
the performances must be fully produced by you; IHRAF is a presenting platform.
Considering performances 10-20 minutes long.
We accept just one proposal for each application.
Submit all work to costanza@humanrightsartmovement.org
We are jurying work with the following interests:
Ten Minute Play Festival
Climate Change Action
Immigration
LGBTQIA
Celebration of Women/Women in Power
Celebration of Black Men/Undiscovered Women
Shalom/Salaam
With Love from Africa
Queens historyAmerica's Slide Into Authoritarianism
Any other social justice concerns you might have
All accepted performers will receive:
Performance stipends of $150
PR and marketing support
30-minute tech rehearsal
Festival TD and SM
Free photographic documentation of their performance
…and bragging rights as participants in this vital and growing NYC creative-activist institution!
10. ISA FAST TRACK FELLOWSHIP
Deadline: June 19
Website: https://www.networkisa.org/competitions/view/fasttrackfellowship
The Fast Track Fellowship is open to any writer applying with a completed draft of a feature or tv pilot script. The Fellowship offers 2 writers per season a week of meetings with 8 industry professionals and acceptance onto the ISA Development Slate to receive consultation and access to industry partners. The ISA Fast Track Fellowship has been instrumental in discovering and elevating writers on the rise. Fellows have signed with major agencies like CAA, Paradigm and ICM. Many have been introduced to and then signed with management companies during their Fast Track week and had their scripts optioned, leading to development deals. Writers must own the script, and it must not already be sold, produced for a profit, or currently under option.
SUBMISSION DETAILS: Applicants must submit an original feature script or TV pilot script and answer a couple of brief questions on the application.
11. CRY HAVOC PLAYLIST
Deadline: June 26
Website: https://www.cryhavoccompany.org/playlist-application
We are pleased to announce the third annual cycle of PlayList, a short play development series. Each participating playwright will complete the project with a submission-ready 10-minute play and the project will culminate in a public presentation of the play collection. PlayList is for writers of any background, identity, education or experience level who are interested in honing their work on a short script with a room full of artists experienced in new play development. Applicants need to be local to the NYC area to participate, and CRY HAVOC is especially seeking artists from underrepresented communities for this project. No fee to apply or participate, and writers are paid a stipend for the use of their work in the public presentation.
The CRY HAVOC Company believes that writing a script doesn’t have to be a solitary experience. Feedback at key points in the writing process can bring you closer to your goals. Our approach to script development places your writing goals at the center of the workshop discussion, ensuring that collaborators are offering feedback in service of the play you are trying to write.
If you are interested in seeing how our structured feedback process can support your work, apply to be one of our PlayList writers!
PlayList participants will write new 10-minute scripts inspired by creative prompts linked by a theme. The 2025 theme is Cover to Cover; each writer will draw inspiration for a two-character play from a cover song and an album cover.
What’s the Process?
SELECT: Playwrights apply to the project, sharing a writing sample and a cover song and album cover to serve as inspiration for a ten-minute play.
SHUFFLE: The songs and album covers are reassigned randomly among the five selected playwrights.
CREATE: Each PlayList writer drafts a ten-minute, two-character play inspired by another playwright’s prompts.
COLLAB: Writers develop their drafts over several feedback sessions in the CRY HAVOC Workshop.
PLAY: Actors and directors join the process to present the PlayList collection as a public Equity 29-Hour Reading of the plays.
How does the collaboration work?
Each writer works with a facilitator—a CRY HAVOC artist to confer with before/after each feedback session. Facilitators moderate each session in support of the playwright and their goals. The feedback sessions will include our roster of artists with years of new play dramaturgy experience, the other PlayList writers, and their invited guests and colleagues.
PlayList applicants are asked to commit to participation in a preliminary welcome meeting via Zoom, six in-person workshop sessions in NYC, two final-draft Zoom workshop sessions, and the public reading in NYC. See schedule below (all sessions will be in the evening):
Wed. 8/20: Welcome Zoom meeting
Tue. 9/2 and Thu. 9/4: In-person workshops, 1st drafts
Mon. 9/8 and Wed. 9/10: In-person workshops, 2nd drafts
Mon. 9/15 and Wed. 9/17: In-person workshops, 3rd drafts
Wed. 9/24 and Thu. 9/25: Zoom workshops, rehearsal drafts
Wed. 10/8: Public presentation
Who is PlayList for?
This program is for writers of ANY background, especially if you are:
- looking for tools to support the development of new work
- searching for a community to serve as a “home base” for creative feedback and support
- not sure what you are going to write next
- an artist at any stage of your career, from emerging to established, who is looking for new collaborators
What are we looking for?
CRY HAVOC is looking for artists who are interested in:
- discussing their work and their goals
- supporting the work of others
- exploring a system for structured feedback
How can I apply?
If you are interested in participating in PlayList, please submit:
- a 10-page writing sample and brief description why/how is this sample representative of your work?
- a cover song that has particular significance to you and brief explanation - why this song?
- an album cover and brief explanation - why this album cover?
12. PLAYWRITING CONTEST FOR TEACHERS
Deadline: June 30
Website: www.pioneerdrama.com/Playwrights/Teachers_Contest.asp
Sixty years as one of the leading play publishers for the educational market has taught us that some of our best-selling shows are written not by professional playwrights, but by teachers who create a play based on the specific needs of their drama program. Once published, these plays are quickly embraced by other teachers who share the same opportunities, challenges and limitations that seem universal in schools.
We want to encourage the development and publication of quality plays written specifically by teachers and other educators. Our A+ Playwriting Contest for Teachers is open to all teachers employed at an accredited K-12 public or private school in the US or Canada. All plays submitted for publication through this contest must have been produced within the past two years at the school where the playwright teaches.
Submissions will be accepted on an on-going basis with a June 30 cutoff each year. All qualifying manuscripts accepted for publication will be considered contest finalists. Pioneer Drama Service reserves the right to forego naming a winner from the finalists, at its discretion.
The contest winner, selected from contest finalists and announced no later than October 31 each year, will receive a $500 royalty advance and a one-time $500 donation to the school theatre program where the play was first produced.
Contest Rules
Only entries submitted in accordance with all rules will be eligible for consideration.
Playwright must be a current or retired faculty member at an accredited K-12 public or private school in the US or Canada.
Only entries submitted with an Official Contest Entry FormEditSign will be considered.
Only entries that have been fully staged at the teacher’s school no more than two years prior to the submission date will be considered. We encourage you to take advantage of this production to revise your script as needed before submitting your manuscript.
All entries must be accompanied by proof of production in the form of a copy of the program, a newsletter or newspaper article, a review, a photo or a letter from the school principal.
Contest entries must meet all Pioneer Drama general guidelines and requirements for play submission, which can be found at pioneerdrama.com/playwrights/submit.asp.
Individuals currently published by Pioneer Drama Service are not eligible for this contest. Pioneer Drama Service employees and their families are also excluded.
All manuscripts submitted for this contest will automatically be simultaneously considered for our annual Shubert Fendrich Memorial Playwriting Contest, which is open to all individuals not previously published by Pioneer Drama Service. See pioneerdrama.com for more details. Questions? Contact us by email or by calling 800-333-7262.
13. FINAL DRAFT BIG BREAK
Deadline: June 30
Website: https://www.finaldraft.com/big-break-screenwriting-contest/
The Big Break Screenwriting Contest offers film and TV writers in 11 genres the chance to win up to $100,000 in cash and prizes. Grand prize winners also get flown to Los Angeles to meet with managers, producers and executives. Any writer over the age of 18 whose screenplay or teleplay is not currently optioned is eligible.
14. FRED EBB AWARD
Deadline: June 30
Website: https://fredebbfoundation.org/fred-ebb-award/
Each applicant must be a composer/lyricist or composer/lyricist team wishing to create work for the musical theatre, and must not yet have achieved significant commercial success.
Application Materials:
Electronic files of up to four songs from one or more musical theatre pieces, with typewritten lyrics and a description of the dramatic context for each song (combined into one PDF for all songs); and
A completed application form.
Application Guidelines:
All applications will be coded as they arrive. Because all submissions will be reviewed anonymously, please do not place name(s) of writer(s) on electronic file names, lyric sheets, or description of dramatic context. Names should only appear on the Application Form.
MP3, ZIP, and M4A files are preferred, but Dropbox links will be acceptable as well. Dropbox files should not have time limits.
Only musical theatre work will be considered.
Please do not submit recordings with significant audience sound.
The applicant(s) must have written all the songs included in the submission. For example, a composer cannot submit one song with her own lyrics, and a second song with lyrics by another writer.
No individual may appear on more than one application. You cannot apply as an individual and again as part of a team, or as part of more than one songwriting team.
Please submit applications to: fredebbfound@gmail.com
The winner will be selected in November and will receive $60,000.
Please note that due to the volume of applications, only finalists will be contacted.
Download the Ebb Award Application Instructions 2025.
15. NEW WORKS, NEW VOICES
Deadline: July 1
Website: https://www.kathleenwrinn.com/new-works-new-voices
Now in its fifth year, New Works/New Voices (NWNV) is an initiative at the Syracuse University Department of Drama created to support the development of musicals by writers and composers whose perspectives have been historically underrepresented in the musical theater canon.
Each year, one musical is selected to receive a 3-week developmental reading in the Spring semester, directed and music directed by SU Drama faculty and performed by SU Drama BFA students.
The writing team will be in residence during weeks 2 and 3 of the rehearsal process (travel and lodging provided) and will participate virtually in the evenings during week 1. NWNV 2026 will take place in April 2026, with the team in residence in Syracuse from 4/12/26 - 4/26/26.
For submission guidelines and information, please see below.
Questions? Please email Kathleen Wrinn, Artistic Director of NWNV and Assistant Professor of Musical Theater at SU Drama (kawrinn@syr.edu).
16. UCROSS FELLOWSHIP FOR NATIVE AMERICANS
Deadline: July 15
Website: https://www.ucrossfoundation.org/native-american-fellowships.html
Our dedicated fellowship supports the work of contemporary Native American visual artists, writers, and performers. Selected fellows are offered a four-week residency, which includes uninterrupted time, private studio space living accommodations, meals prepared by our professional chef, a stipend, and the experience of the majestic High Plains. The Fellowship for Native American Artists also includes an award of $2,000 and the opportunity to present work publicly, such as a featured exhibition in the Ucross Art Gallery, a reading, or a performance.
17. LOGHAVEN ARTIST RESIDENCY
Deadline: July 15
Website: https://loghaven.org/residencies/apply/
Loghaven Artist Residency’s mission is to serve artists by providing them with a transformative residency experience and continued post-residency support. The residency is located on ninety acres of woodland in Knoxville, Tennessee. Artists live in five historic log cabins that have been both rehabilitated and modernized to create an ideal setting for reflection and work, and they have access to new, purpose-built studio space. All Loghaven Fellows are awarded stipends to support the creation of new work during the residency.
Practicing artists of all backgrounds and at any stage of their career are eligible to apply for a Loghaven residency. Artists currently enrolled in a degree-seeking program are not eligible. Due to the living stipend and other support Loghaven provides, artists applying for a residency must already have the ability to work in the United States and receive income from Loghaven Artist Residency and the Aslan Foundation, per US tax law. International artists are not eligible unless they have a previously established way to work and receive income. Artists must be at least twenty-one years old and live more than 120 miles away from Knoxville. This distance requirement is designed to ensure that artists are able to be fully immersed in their residency experience and can take advantage of the retreat-style environment. Please note that all eligibility requirements must be met at the time of application.
We invite applicants in the creation stage of their specified project or work cycle to apply in the following disciplines:
Writing (poetry, fiction, nonfiction, screenwriting, and journalism)
Visual Arts
Dance
Theater
Music Composition
Architecture
Interdisciplinary Work
Residency Sessions
Monday, February 9 – Friday, March 6, 2026 (4 weeks)
Monday, April 6 – Friday, May 1, 2026 (4 weeks)
Monday, May 25 – Friday, June 19, 2026 (4 weeks)
Monday, July 20 – Monday, August 3, 2026 (2 weeks for teaching and faculty artists at the university level)
Monday, September 28 – Friday, November 6, 2026 (6 weeks)
Monday, January 11 – Monday, January 25, 2027 (2 weeks, preference given to alumni/ae)
A national selection committee composed of artist peers and other arts professionals selects artists. Applicants are judged by the same criteria across disciplines. Panelists are looking for artistic excellence, defined by a depth of conceptual content, sustained impact, and boldness of vision. The panel seeks those with sophisticated technical knowledge, whether the applicant displays a high level of traditional skill or, conversely, subverts that knowledge in new or challenging ways. The panel values potential in emerging artists and evidence of commitment and evolution in more established or mid-career applicants.
18. Florida Studio Theatre
Deadline: on-going
Website: https://www.floridastudiotheatre.org/work-with-us/submit-a-play
Florida Studio Theatre is currently looking for submissions of full-length plays, musicals, and musical revues to be considered for possible inclusion in future Mainstage, Cabaret, and Stage III Series. Plays may also be considered for FST’s Burdick Play Reading Series. FST is especially interested in plays that present diverse perspectives on current social and political themes.
How to Submit Your Work for Consideration:
Please submit your plays through a literary agent or accompanied by a letter of recommendation by a theatre professional (i.e. – an Artistic Director or Literary Manager at a professional theatre). Submit a full script along with a character breakdown. If you are submitting a musical, please include shareable mp3 files.
Florida-based writers without representation, please introduce your work to FST by submitting a query letter, a brief synopsis (including cast requirements), and a 10-page dialogue sample.
All materials may be submitted either electronically (Word or PDF format) or via regular mail. Electronic submissions are strongly preferred.
Submit Your Play:
Plays may be submitted electronically to FST’s Literary Team by emailing Catherine Randazzo, Associate Artist and Literary Manager at newplays@floridastudiotheatre.org
To send your submission by mail, please send your materials to the address below. If submitting by mail, please also include a self-addressed, stamped envelope if you would like your materials returned. Regarding any playwrights outside the state of Florida, FST is unable to accept unrepresented samples at this time.
Attn: New Play Development
Catherine Randazzo
Florida Studio Theatre
1241 North Palm Avenue
Sarasota, FL 34236
JOB
OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
Deadline: June 1st
Website: https://osu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/OSUCareers/job/Columbus-Campus/Post-MFA-Scholar-in-Playwriting-and-New-Work-Creation_R126960-1
The Department of Theatre, Film, and Media Arts, within the College of Arts and Sciences at The Ohio State University, seeks a full-time, Post-MFA Artist and Scholar specializing in playwriting and the creation of new work for a two-year appointment beginning August 2025.
We invite applications from emerging playwrights and theatre-makers who have earned an MFA in playwriting or a related discipline within the last three years.
Performance Objectives
The successful candidate will:
Teach graduate and undergraduate courses in playwriting and new work creation.
Mentor undergraduate and graduate students, fostering their creative and academic growth.
Maintain an active practice of new work creation, including public presentations or performances.
Participate actively in the university and department community.
Develop curriculum and course content that reflects innovative and contemporary approaches to playwriting.
Present work to the department community
Participate as an active member of the department community
Education and Experience Requirements
Required:
MFA in Playwriting or a related discipline.
Demonstrated commitment to new work creation and student mentorship.
Desired:
Experience in screenwriting.
Experience teaching in a higher education setting
Experience in curriculum development.
Candidates should demonstrate a commitment to Ohio State’s Shared Values
To be considered, please submit your application electronically via Workday.
Application materials must include a cover letter, curriculum vitae, separate artist statement, and teaching statements, and samples of your creative work.
