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#StageOpps
#StageOppSJuly25
Submission Opportunities for Women in Theatre
(previously known as Theatre Funding Newsletter)
For full #StageOpps Listings please scroll
or click links below for specific listings
Project Submissions
Script Submissions
Onstage
BackSTAGE
Funding
Residencies
Other Resources
If you are a longtime recipient of #StageOpps and #ScreenOpps,
you know that they started as the Funding Newsletters,
brought to you by WomenArts, who still support the ongoing production of these opportunities as well as our Funding Resources pages.
WomenArts' founder and president, Martha Richards,
received the 2020 Elsa Rael VintAge Award
(for Advocacy for Women in the Arts & Media as They Age) from us
on Zoom Saturday, November 14, 2020.
Check out our VintAge page for more info.
Project Submissions
Seventh Annual International Human Rights Festival
The International Human Rights Art Festival, New York City’s pre-eminent arts and human rights performance event, is looking for performers in all media to present work during the week of events and workshops in one of the most welcoming venues for emerging artists in New York City: The Tank! The International Human Rights Art Festival has been featured in the New York Times, Fox Five Morning Show, NBC Live!, NY Observer, Crain’s NY Business, Metro-NY, AM-NY, Gay City News, Brooklyn Rail, and many others; we have been banned by the Catholic Church, lionized by politicians and government workers and have presented more than 1000 artists from 103 countries in our half-decade of existence!
o Deadline: August 15
o Application Fee: Free
o Eligibility: Please email our Festival Assistant Producer Costanza Bugiani at costanza@humanrightsartmovement.org with the following, and any questions:
A brief description of your piece, including approximate running time - we’re accepting 10-20 mins works.
A cover letter, including details regarding the piece’s discipline, issue of concern treated and a brief summary of your artistic goals
Your bios or resumes and the names of any collaborators already on board
A sample of work (scripts, pics, videos, songs, any other links or file that could help us to know more about your project)
As email subject, please type IHRAF Festival 2025, then add Association-Company-your name (i.e. IHRAF Festival 2025, Joan Doe)
o Categories: Short Plays, Plays
o Contact: costanza@humanrightsartmovement.org
Yale Drama Series
The Yale Drama Series is seeking submissions for its 2026 playwriting competition. The winning play will be selected by the series’ current judge, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins. The winner of this annual competition will be awarded the David Charles Horn Prize of $10,000, publication of their manuscript by Yale University Press, and a staged reading at the Schwarzman Center at Yale University. The prize and publication are contingent on the playwright’s agreeing to the terms of the publishing agreement.
o Deadline: August 15
o Application Fee: Free
o Eligibility: There is no entry fee. Please follow these guidelines in preparing your manuscript:
This contest is restricted to plays written in the English language. Worldwide submissions are accepted.
Submissions must be original, unpublished full-length plays, with a minimum of 65 pages. Plays with less than 65 pages will not be considered.
Translations, adaptations, musicals, and children’s plays are not accepted.
The Yale Drama Series is intended to support emerging playwrights. Playwrights may win the competition only once.
Playwrights may submit only one manuscript per year. Only manuscripts authored by one playwright are eligible.
Plays that have been professionally produced or published are not eligible. Plays that have had a workshop, reading, or non-professional production or that have been published as an actor’s edition will be considered.
Plays may not be under option, commissioned, or scheduled for professional production or publication at the time of submission.
Plays must be typed/word-processed and page numbered. Plays with images are not accepted.
The Yale Drama Series reserves the right to reject any manuscript for any reason.
The Yale Drama Series reserves the right of the judge to not choose a winner for any given year of the competition and reserves the right to determine the ineligibility of a winner, in keeping with the spirit of the competition, and based upon the accomplishments of the author.
o Categories: Short Plays, Plays
o Contact: yaledramaseries@yale.edu
Blackboard Plays - Reading Series Submission
Founded in 2008, Blackboard Plays has been devoted to Black Playwrights throughout the African Diaspora.
o Deadline: None Given
o Application Fee: Free
o Eligibility: Black Playwrights Submit up to 10 pages in consideration for a Feature reading. A Feature and a Community Night are the two main ways to have your work supported by Blackboard. Those not selected for a feature, are encouraged to attend a community night, which is structured like an Open Mic Night for Playwrights, where up to 10 pages is cold-read by Actors in person or on Zoom (During COVID-19 Social Distancing Practices).
o Categories: Short Plays, Plays
Jewish Plays Project
We are currently seeking unproduced full-length (65+ minutes) plays and musicals that focus on aspects of 21st Century Jewish identity, culture, and ideas, and the complex and intersectional nature of contemporary Jewish life. While we value history, we will always lean toward plays that tackle vibrant strands of today’s world: social, racial and economic justice; strong women in Jewish life; diverse stories of Jews of Color; LGBTQIA inclusion; new perspectives on Israel, environmentalism, and interfaith relations in addition to deep conversations about our complex and multifaceted identities. There is no submission fee. Writers may submit more than one script. Submissions from previous years are accepted, particularly if there is a new draft of the script.
o Deadline: July 1
o Application Fee: Free
o Eligibility: The following must be true of a submitted play or musical:
contains significant Jewish themes, characters, content, or points of view.
It is in English, or primarily in English – we love plays that play with languages.
It is It is full length, meaning over around 75 minutes in length. (For a guide, that usually means 60 pages or more. We DO NOT review 10 or 20 minute plays.)
It has not had a full production in the NY Metro region, or a major regional theater (LORT C or above).
The play has never been published in any form.
o Categories: Short Plays, Plays
New Work, New Voices
The Syracuse University Department of Drama is seeking submissions for its Spring 2026 New Works/New Voices (NWNV) initiative. NWNV was created to support the development of musicals by writers and composers whose perspectives have been historically underrepresented in the musical theater canon. NWNV is seeking completed musicals or musicals-in-progress from teams who are interested in developing their work with undergraduate BFA students. One musical will be selected, to receive a 3-week developmental workshop in the Spring 2026 semester, directed and music directed by SU Drama faculty and performed by SU Drama students. NWNV 2026 will take place from 4/3/26 - 4/26/26. The writing team will participate virtually in the evenings during week 1, and will be in residence in Syracuse during weeks 2 and 3 of the rehearsal process (4/12/25-4/26/26), travel and lodging provided.
o When/Where: Syracuse, NY
o Deadline: July 1
o Application Fee: None
o Eligibility: ALL SUBMISSIONS ARE DUE BY JULY 1, 2025 (11:59pm EST). Semi-finalists will be contacted for additional materials in late summer/early fall 2024.
o Categories: Musicals
Masque & Spectacle
Masque & Spectacle reads submissions for its bi-annual issues November 1 – January 31 and May 1 – July 31. Submissions received outside of this time period will be automatically deleted. Responses can be expected within a month. Acceptance rate is around 10%. We do not accept previously published work, and we ask for First Electronic Rights and Non-Exclusive Archival Rights upon acceptance. Unfortunately, we are unable to pay contributors at this time. Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but please let us know if your work has been accepted elsewhere.
o Deadline: July 31
o Application Fee: Free
o Eligibility: We welcome 10-minute plays (up to approximately 10 pages in length). No full-length plays will be considered at this time.
While traditional plays are welcome, we are particularly interested in innovative and/or interdisciplinary texts that break new ground, either in relation to their subject matter, or in how the text itself is performed/written/represented on stage.
Playwrights may submit one previously unpublished 10-minute play for consideration. The script should be accompanied by a cover letter, which includes your name, address, phone number, and email address. Proper playwriting format should be used. If you are uncertain about this format, several examples can be found online.
Send drama submissions to masqueandspectacle@gmail.com. Attach written submissions in a single Word doc or docx file, and include the word “DRAMA” in the email subject line.
o Categories: Short Plays, Plays
o Contact: masqueandspectacle@gmail.com.
Peach Theatre and Film Festival
The PEACH Theatre and Film Intl. Festival is a unique and rare experience that merge two beautiful genres of arts and entertainment. Both theatre and film, showcasing a series of short films and selected plays, in one of the world's most famous cities, internationally known for being the home of entertainment. Los Angeles, California. Our mission is to select films and plays based on content, quality, and merit. It is also our volition to honor the creatives selected, with integrity and respect for their hard work, discipline and sacrifice to get their productions completed and ready for display. As playwrights, filmmakers and entertainment professionals ourselves, we understand what it takes, and for that reaso
o When/Where: November 12
o Deadline: April 5 (Early Bird Deadline), June 10 (Regular Deadline), September 30 (Late Deadline)
o Application Fee: $35-$55
o Eligibility: All entries must be uploaded in PDF format. (www.freepdfconvert.com)
All entries must be submitted in English, formatted in 12-point courier font.
You may submit your entry via FilmFreeway. No preference will be given to either method of submission.
Entries must be received by the applicable Entry Deadline.
NEW YORK SCREENWRITING AWARDS will not share your screenplay with anyone except the official judges of the competition.
By entering the NEW YORK SCREENWRITING AWARDS you represent that your entry is your original work, and does not infringe on the copyright or other rights of other people.
Entry fees are non-refundable.
We do not accept hardcopy submissions by mail.
The decisions of the judges are final.
NEW YORK SCREENWRITING AWARDS reserves the right to make any necessary changes, postponements, or cancellations to event scheduling at our discretion.
o Categories: Feature, Short, Animated, Documentary
Veterans Repertory Theater
Savage Wonder prides itself on opportunities for veteran writers. Savage Wonder offers on-going playwrighting competitions as well as the Savage Wonder literary blog. You may select which opportunity interests you below.n, we salute you! Continue history with us!
o Deadline: July 3
o Application Fee: No Fee
o Eligibility: Until July 3, 2025, Savage Wonder is accepting submissions for both full-length AND 10-minute playwriting competitions. Playwrights must meet one of the following criteria:
Current or former: US military, law enforcement, fire service, EMS, foreign service, intelligence service, DoD employee, DoD Contractor; or
Immediate family of the service member.
For full-length plays:
The competition winner will receive a $5,000 grant.
The second-place finalist will receive a $3,500 grant.
The third-place finalist will receive a $2,500 grant.
For 10-minute plays:
The competition winner will receive a $1,000 grant.
The second-place finalist will receive a $750 grant.
The third-place finalist will receive a $500 grant.
o Categories: 10 minute plays, Full-Length Plays
o Contact: info@vetrep.org
NYLonFusion
We are accepting new works for our 2025/ 2026 This Round’s On Us festivals, each of which will focus on certain broad eras.(see below). But the plays do not necessarily have to be set in these time periods, but they should at least be informed by the social, cultural and/or political happenings of the time. Whether you find inspiration in the movies, music or theater of a particular era, the major events that formed the historical narrative or which have been ignored by history, or the everyday lives of people in the bygone days of the not-so-long-ago, you can send your 10-minute play to NyLonFusion@gmail.com
o Deadline: The Gilded Age/Cage Deadline: February 15th, 2025. (Festival June 27-28), The New Deal Deadline: June, 1, 2025, The Great Society Deadline November 12, 2025
o Application Fee: No Fee
o Eligibility: Each submission should be no longer than ten pages or approximately 10 minutes in length. Not have been previously produced. To be considered This Round's On Us please submit/email the following: A cover letter, brief synopsis, resume and full script to nylonsubmissions@gmail.com Please be specific as to which project you are submitting to. Write on the SUBJECT LINE For example: This Round’s On Us: The Gilded Age/ Cage.
o Categories: Short Plays
o Contact: NyLonFusion@gmail.com
Blackboard Plays - Reading Series Submission
Founded in 2008, Blackboard Plays has been devoted to Black Playwrights throughout the African Diaspora.
o Deadline: None Given
o Application Fee: Free
o Eligibility: Black Playwrights Submit up to 10 pages in consideration for a Feature reading. A Feature and a Community Night are the two main ways to have your work supported by Blackboard. Those not selected for a feature, are encouraged to attend a community night, which is structured like an Open Mic Night for Playwrights, where up to 10 pages is cold-read by Actors in person or on Zoom (During COVID-19 Social Distancing Practices).
o Categories: Short Plays, Plays
Neurodivergent New Play Series
Neurodivergent playwrights in NYC since 2023 - is accepting recurring submissions as we prepare for our 2024-25 Season.All submissions should be for full-length plays between 45 to 180 minutes long and may have received a previous reading or production outside of NYC, as long as they are unpublished. All neurodivergent/disabled writers (autistic, ADHD, dyslexic, OCD, Tourette's, etc.) at all stages of their careers are encouraged to apply - especially BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and female-identifying writers. There is no submission fee or any other fee for being involved in this process.
o Deadline: Rolling Basis
o Application Fee: None
o Eligibility: Plays can be of any genre, although we are especially seeking works that challenge traditional methods of storytelling & have something important to say about the world that isn't being heard enough. We ask that you submit only one play every 30 days during our recurring submissions process.
Contact: neurodivergentplays@gmail.com
o Categories: Full-length Plays
Freshwater Theatre
Freshwater Theatre prides itself on constantly working with new artists, expanding our family. We’re always on the lookout for new scripts and new technical artists to work with.
o Deadline: Ongoing
o Application Fee: Free
o Eligibility: While we certainly are interested in world premieres of new plays, we also are very interested in second and third productions of new works, as we believe this to be the key to finding the works that will propel theater into the future.
We will only respond to playwright submissions for plays that come into serious consideration for future production. We cannot give any specific time frame on if/when a response will be given.
o Categories: New Plays
o Contact: info@freshwatertheatre.com
SCRIPT Submissions
Theatre Three 26th Annual Festival of One-Act Plays
Since its inception in 1998, The Festival has received over 10,000 submissions from across the world and produced 132 world premieres by 102 different playwrights. The Festival presents between five and seven plays each season. Playwrights will receive a $150 stipend. Playwrights will receive a standard Dramatists Guild-approved contract and will receive four complimentary tickets to be used at any performances. Playwrights are welcome to attend any rehearsals or performances. Playwrights will receive copies of playbills, postcards, articles, and reviews, as well as a link to all publicity and production photos. THEATRE THREE is responsible for all elements of production; playwrights incur no expenses. THEATRE THREE retains no future production rights.
o Deadline: September 1
o Application Fee: Free
o Eligibility: Playwrights may only submit one play per Festival.
Only unproduced works will be accepted.
Plays that have had staged readings or on-line productions are eligible.
No adaptations, children’s plays, or musicals.
Cast size maximum: 12
Length maximum: 30 minutes (no minimum)
Settings: Simple or suggested.
All submissions should be emailed as PDFs with the title in caps followed by the playwright’s name. Example: THE BASKET WEAVERS Jamie Martin
Play’s cover sheet should include author’s information (name, address, telephone, email). It may also contain a short synopsis.
Any stage play format is acceptable.
Due to last year’s high volume of submissions, we are allowing plays to be resubmitted for consideration.
o Categories: Short Plays, Plays
o Contact: Jeffrey@theatrethree.com
Planet Female Global Storyfest
Planet Female Media embraces the female weavers of story from page to performance, screenplay to cinematic vision. This first year of the Planet Female Global StoryFest, Planet Female Media invites you, our dear sisters, to join our movement in a celebration of our Yin creativity, the divine tales and truths within us, and of our kindreds, all of which we access through living life, time and experience. She has something to say. We hear her. We have created a space for visual storytelling crafted by Women for Women and by those who identify as such. We are ethically mining the inexhaustible vault of feminine fable and fact to be shared, inspired by, and learned from. In this inaugural year, we will carefully review submissions and award the best in several categories. Having partnered with Manhattanville University in Westchester NY, a half hour drive/train from NYC and a 12 minute drive from White Plains Airport, submissions that stand out will be selected. Saturday, November 9, 2024, these selected films and scripts will be showcased with screenings and staged readings in the 150-seat Pius X Theater on Manhattanville University's Campus. And there will be trophies!
o When/Where: November 21-22
o Deadline: July 30 (Extended Deadline), August 30 (Just under the wire deadline)
o Application Fee: $13-60
o Eligibility: To be considered by PFGSF for any of the Best Film Awards, at least one female or female identifying individual must be involved in creative leadership as screenwriter or director. If a female or female identifying individual is not in a creative leadership role, (screenwriter or director) the film's plot, subject, or main theme must be female centered. To be considered in a specific category other than best film or performance awards, there must be a female or female-identifying individual in the role. For Best Director, a female or female-identifying individual must be the film's Director. By submitting a project, e.g., a film, music video, poster, stage play or screenplay to the PFGSF, you as owner of submitted project/media, grant Planet Female Media the following:
Our screening committee and Jury to view and judge your project.
Planet Female Media to promote the project, movie trailer, artwork, and all other materials pertaining to your project and allow Planet Female Media its use in all forms of written, spoken, and visual communications as pertaining to the PFSF without restriction.
PFGSF winners names and home city listed on our website.
PFGSF to screen/feature the the project during a scheduled PFGCA event and/or a curated exhibit for a limited time, without restriction.
o Categories: Stage Play
The A Chronicles: A wide-angle lens to reproductive rights.
The A Chronicles invites submissions of ten-minute plays that take a wide-angle lens to reproductive rights: Show us how you can ignite the stage! We’re looking for work that ignites the stage—whether triumphant, tragic, or comedic—and illuminates the diversity of experiences surrounding reproductive rights.
o Deadline: July 15
o Application Fee: None
o Eligibility: Plays should feature 2 to 5 characters; Must be performable in 10 minutes or less; All are welcome to submit; Previously published or produced work is accepted, as long as the playwright retains submission rights.
Include a 50-word synopsis with your submission
We’re interested in: Originality of plot; Strong character development; Engaging, authentic dialogue
Selected plays will receive: A $50 honorarium per production; Billing credit in all programs, advertising, and publicity; A professional staged reading at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Connecticut (Fall 2025); Playwright bio and contact info featured in the program
o Categories: Short Plays
Hepburn Hooks - BROWN SKINNED GIRLS 2 : An evening of shorts
For our very first evening of shorts, we are seeking out four female, BlPOC playwrights whose works we will fully produce and present at a London venue to be determined. HHTC is looking to hear stories from Black and Brown women (in the broad sense of the term). The plays may be set in any era, they may tackle whatever subject you desire, the stories may even not centre Black/Brown women at all! We are quite simply looking to pick the brains of young, BIPOC female playwrights from all over the world and get a sense of how they feel about the world at large, or about very specific things in it. Let your imagination run wild, do not be afraid to be goofy, cringey, subversive and unapologetically militant, we want to see and hear it all! The Merriam-Webster defines BIPOC as ‘Black, Indigenous, (and) People of Colour’. This must be understood as a term that includes people of the following descent : Black, Native American, Aboriginal Australians, Asian, Latinx, Middle Eastern, South-Asian, Pacific Islander, and many more…
o Deadline: September 25
o Application Fee: None
o Eligibility: There is no entry fee for this opportunity. One play, picked by the audience over the two evenings will be presented with the Public's Award and receive a modest stipend. The remaining three playwrights will be offered a free year-long subscription to www.playsubmissionshelper.com, the most comprehensive and up-to-date online directory of play submission opportunities available anywhere.
Playwrights must be aged (at least) 18 at the time of submission.
Your play should have a running time of 10 to 15 minutes.
Your play should require no more than 4 actors and minimal props.
Your play should be in English (mainly).
The play should be original, unpublished and it should not have been performed in the UK as of the day of submission.
o Categories: One-Act Plays
Woodward/Newman Award 2026-2027
The Woodward/Newman Award is an exclusive honor offered by Constellation Stage & Screen, started through the support of Joanne Woodward, Newman’s Own Foundation, and the Newman family, celebrating Paul Newman & Joanne Woodward’s tremendous history of work on stage and screen. It presents the best unpublished play of the year with a cash prize of $3,000 and a full production as part of Constellation’s Mainstage season. Please note that there are significant changes to our submission and selection process from previous years. In order to make the Woodward/Newman Award accessible to all, we have eliminated submission fees as well as the contest format. The Woodward/Newman Award will continue to be awarded to an unpublished new play once per year and come with a $3,000 cash prize and a full production. Submissions will be accepted and reviewed by our literary team on an ongoing basis, and will be considered for the award as well as for all 7 production slots in our season. So a play that is not selected for the Woodward/Newman slot in our season, may still be considered and selected for production. This will allow us to now accept open submissions for all types of plays (including TYA shows). Plays submitted by midnight, August 31st, 2025 will be considered for the 2026-27 season, while plays submitted beyond that date will be considered for the 2027-28 Season. All submissions will be kept on file for 2 years after submission.
o Deadline: August 31
o Application Fee: No Fee
o Eligibility: Full-length” plays should have a complete running time of between 1 hour 15 minutes (75 minutes) to 2 hours 15 minutes (135 minutes). TYA shows should have a complete running time of over 40 minutes.
Plays submitted must be unpublished at the time of submission (independently published is acceptable).
Each play should be individually submitted at the following link: CONSTELLATION STAGE & SCREEN PLAY SUBMISSION.
You will be asked to submit your play as an attachment and all other information (bio, history, synopsis, character breakdown) will be entered into a form. Musical submissions may upload demos as an attachment or include a link to a shared folder.
Limit of 2 play submissions per year.
$3,000 cash prize is in lieu of royalties for the full production. Housing & transportation will also be provided.
Any unpublished play submitted to Constellation regardless of method (e.g. online form, agent submission, direct contact) may be considered for the Woodward/Newman Award.
Please note that we are moving away from a “finalists” model in lieu of keeping all plays under consideration for extended periods (2yrs). We will only announce a winner.
If you have any questions, please email literary@seeconstellation.org.
o Categories: Plays
Southern Soul Theatre Ensemble Presents the Inaugural 10x10 Play Festival
The Southern Soul Theatre Ensemble proudly announces the Inaugural 10x10 Play Festival, celebrating creativity, culture, and community! In honor of Juneteenth, this festival amplifies Black and Latinx voices through a dynamic showcase of 10-minute plays.
o Deadline: None Given
o Application Fee: None
o Eligibility: Eligibility: Open to Black and Latinx playwrights (one submission per playwright).
Play Length: 10-minute plays (8-10 pages).
Cast Size: 2-6 characters.
Themes: Works should reflect the diversity of Black and Latinx cultures; all genres welcome.
Original Work: Must be unproduced or have had limited exposure (readings/workshops accepted).
Format: PDF submissions only, including a title page with name, contact info, and a brief synopsis.
Deadline: Selected playwrights will be notified by April 15th.Southern Soul Theatre
o Categories: Plays
Community Players Theatre
Community Players Theater seeks full-length plays. Enhanced Staged Reading: There will be sets, costumes, and props. It is a short rehearsal process which is why we are not requiring memorization. Restriction: Story must take place in no more than 2 locations. Cast no larger than 6. Must be in English.
o Deadline: August 31
o Application Fee: No Fee
o Eligibility: Playwrights are more than welcome to submit as many scripts as they would like. There is no restriction on if a show has been performed before. We just ask that you let us know so it can be properly advertised. Submit to Playreading@communityplayers.org
o Categories: Plays
Talking It Out: A Virtual Festival in Support of Mental Health Awareness
The Talking It Out Virtual Arts Festival in support of mental health empowerment, is thrilled to be returning this Fall after a year-long hiatus! We are now accepting play submissions to be featured in our new ongoing series of live play readings in NYC and audio drama podcast to be featured worldwide. This year, we will be accepting submissions for short plays, (less than 20 minutes) one-act plays, (20-40 minutes) & full-length plays (60-120 minutes) of all genres, including comedy, drama, sci-fi, horror, experimental, etc. Plays will be accepted on an ongoing basis, with playwrights to be notified at least 3 months in advance of their proposed performance date.
o Deadline: none listed - playwrights are welcome to submit one play every 30 days
o Application Fee: Free
o Eligibility: The one requirement - in terms of subject matter - is that all plays should deal with the topic of mental illness. (i.e. anxiety, depression, PTSD, mental health in the context of neurodivergency, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, dementia/Alzheimer’s, etc.) There is no submission fee, and playwrights are welcome to submit one play every 30 days. Plays that have received a previous reading or production outside of NYC are eligible, as long as they are unpublished.
o Categories: One-Act Plays
o Contact: talkingitoutfest@gmail.com
The Autry: 2025 OPEN Submission for Production Consideration
We accept scripts all year long. Do you have a full-length script that has been developed and produced that you would like us to consider for a future Native Voices production in Los Angeles? Please follow the Checklist for All Submissions below and in the Native Voices Script Submission form, check the box for 2025 General Production Consideration.
o When/Where: Open all year
o Deadline: None Given
o Application Fee: None
o Eligibility:Full-length plays (60+ pages) receive will be read and evaluated.
o Categories: Full-length Plays
NY Theatre Festival Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter
This is a unique opportunity to invite people from the industry to see your production! People are more likely to go see a show than to read an unsolicited script - some industry people receive on average thousands of submissions per month. They understand that the journey for a show to be successful often goes through several productions and this is your chance to show that you can start that process! Our dedicated team is here to help you get your work out. We are with you from the moment you begin tech rehearsals, all the way through to your closing performance. You will never be left alone during the process. We will help you choose from the 85 set/furniture pieces we offer to dress your stage for your run, and we will give you a complete crash course on how to use the audio/light/video system in just 3 minutes, which are intentionally designed to be very user friendly. After we show you how to use the tools we provide and how to best utilize the space, The Festival’s team will provide prime responses to every inquiry, as well as a telephone # you can call anytime during relevant hours throughout the run of your show. In 12 years and 22 seasons we have successfully hosted 1,400 plays and 300 musicals, as well as rewarding over 300 participating artists cash prizes.
o Deadline: TBD
o Application Fee: None
o Eligibility: Submissions Accepted from a 30-mile radius outside of Manhattan and only run if the entire cast and crew are from New York City. Plays are considered on a first-come, first-serve basis. The earlier you submit, the better your chances are of having your script invited to the festival. Each applicant is fully responsible for all elements of their production, including directing, casting, stage-managing. We know exactly what you need to make your show a success and we welcome you into our community of playwrights and theater innovators!
o Categories: Plays, Musicals
Torch Literary Arts
Torch Literary Arts welcomes submissions of original creative work by Black women writers. We are interested in work that challenges and disrupts preconceived notions of what contemporary writing by Black women should be. Your stories and poems are valuable and necessary. Write freely and submit what you are excited to share with the world. Submissions are accepted for Friday Features only. We accept submissions on a rolling basis. Simultaneous submissions to other journals are welcome as long as they are identified as such and we are notified immediately upon acceptance elsewhere.
o Deadline: Rolling Basis
o Application Fee: No Fee
o Eligibility: Include a one (1) page cover letter noting the title(s) of the work(s) submitted.
Upload your text submission as a Word (DOC, DOCX) or portable document format/PDF (PDF).
Typed, double-spaced (poetry may be single-spaced) pages.
Numbered pages.
Margins should be set at no less than 1” and no greater than 1.5”.
Poetry: submit up to five (5) poems totaling no more than eight (8) pages.
Fiction, Hybrid genre: 12-point font. No more than ten (10) pages or 2500 words (whichever is achieved first). Excerpts of longer works are welcome if self-contained.
Drama/Screenwriting: submit one act or a collection of short scenes no longer than ten (10) pages. Excerpts of longer works are welcome if self-contained. Indicate if a performance video or dramatic audio reading will be available with the text submission if selected.
Restrictions: We do not reprint previously published work for TORCH Friday Features.
o Categories: Scripts
The Tank Presents
Each season, our The Tank Presents program serves hundreds of emerging artists as they create over 1000 performances of new works in music, theater, film, dance, comedy, and storytelling. As part of our mission to remove the economic barriers from the creation of new work, we never charge our artists to use our space for their performances! In addition, we also provide free rehearsal space, as well as free marketing and promotion of their event. Our The Tank Presents presenting model removes the daunting cost of space rental from the equation of art making, and provides an affordable home for emerging artists to create art that pushes the boundaries of their mediums. Through this program, artists can present readings, works-in-development, short runs of full theatre productions, screenings, concerts, storytelling festivals, comedy shows, and more.
o Deadline: None Given
o Application Fee: None
o Eligibility: To submit work for consideration as part of Tank programming, please email submissions@thetanknyc.org with the following information:
Show title
Discipline (theater, music, comedy, etc.)
Approximate running time
Summary of piece
Brief summary of artistic goals
Brief explanation of how the piece exists in the world (i.e. - art exhibit, soundscape, outdoor experience, digital hybrid)
Sample of work that will give us a sense of what it is you’re trying to make and that you know how to make it
Bio of lead artist(s)
The name of the Tank show you viewed
Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis.
o Categories: Plays
o Contact: submissions@thetanknyc.org
Diversionary: Seeking new, full-length LGBTQIA+ works
Diversionary is always seeking new, full-length LGBTQIA+ works for consideration. Please follow the guidelines below if you would like to submit your work. Because of the volume of submissions, those that do not follow the guidelines will not be considered.
o Deadline: None
o Application Fee: None
o Eligibility: Please send all of the above items as a single document in pdf format to frankie@diversionary.org. For music, please send the items in mp3 format or include a link to be accessed. No physical submissions sent to the theatre will be considered.
a one-page synopsis, character breakdown, and playwright bio
a development/production history of the submitted work (including date written and any readings, workshops, and full stagings)
a ten-page sample of the work
three audio recordings of music, twelve minutes total, if it’s a musical
o Categories: Full Length Plays, Musicals
o Contact: frankie@diversionary.org
Murmuration Theatre
Murmuration Theatre Company is seeking plays that have a cast size between 2-11 for our 2023 & 2024 seasons Accepting work for consideration in the following categories: New Voices Showcase: Curated selection of 4-10 new plays (scripts 2 - 40 pages); fully staged and directed by our creative team. Mainstage Show: a one act or full length play (scripts 35 - 120 pages); fully staged and directed by our creative team. In development: Actor's Lab Performance Series: a monthly selection of scenes or short plays (any length), performed at workshop or staged reading level.Playwrights selected for our mainstage production will receive $30 per performance of their one-act or full length play; playwrights selected for our New Voices Showcase will receive $10 per performance of their short or one-act.
o When/Where: Brooklyn, New York
o Deadline: None
o Application Fee: None
o Eligibility: Please submit PDF copies of scripts via the google form below, and feel free to reach out to murmurationtheatreco@gmail.com with any questions or concerns. Multiple submissions are allowed. Preference will be given to playwrights who are able to attend at least one performance of their work in the NYC area.
We will be accepting submissions on a rolling basis, and hope to be in touch with responses within 30 days of submission. Please feel free to reach out after that point if you have not received word from our team.
Solo Shows, Theatre for Young Audiences and Musicals will not be considered.
New writers as well as writers with voices that have historically been underrepresented in the theater industry (gender identity, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, religion, ability status, etc.) are encouraged to apply.
o Categories: Full-Length Plays, One-Acts
o Contact: murmurationtheatreco@gmail.com
Manhattan Repertory Theatre Play Production Program
Self-Produce a production of your best play in New York City as live theatre comes back to life in this New Renaissance of Theatre. We will do all the work, from hiring a production team and staff, to casting, directing, building costumes, set design, lighting design, payroll and more. From 3 performances to 20 performances for one simple Production Fee. Pre-Pandemic, 2017 - 2019, we produced 60 plays in Midtown Manhattan for playwrights all over the world. Production time frames available: Late Autumn 2021, Winter/Spring 2022.Currently, as we move back into production in New York City, we are only accepting Full-Length plays and Musicals - 60 to 150 minutes. Production fees range from $12,000 to $50,000 depending on the "size" of your production, scenic elements, and the number of performances.
o Deadline: TBD
o Application Fee: None
o Eligibility: If you are serious about self-producing your play in New York City, please forward us: An email cover letter with information about you and your work. your play attached as a .pdf, an attached Synopsis of your play, with the approximate running time, and your set, lighting and costume requirements.
o Categories: Full Length Plays, New Plays
o Contact: manhattanrep@yahoo.com
Shubert Fendrich Memorial Playwriting Contest
To encourage the development of quality theatrical materials for the educational, community and children’s theatre markets, Pioneer Drama Service is proud to sponsor the annual Shubert Fendrich Memorial Playwriting Contest.
This is an ongoing contest, with a winner selected by June 1 each year from all eligible submissions received the previous year. All eligible plays accepted for publication will be considered contest finalists, from which the winner will be selected. The contest winner will receive a $1,000 royalty advance in addition to publication.
o Deadline: Ongoing
o Application Fee: None
o Eligibility: You can start the submission process by contacting us here.
We will only consider manuscripts with a running time between 20 and 90 minutes.
Submissions must be family friendly in both subject and language. NO cursing. NO explicitly adult content.
We prefer casts that are either balanced or favoring females. The more gender neutral roles, the better.
We favor plays and musicals with ensemble casts, where more than just a few have a chance to shine.
Plays with elaborate set, costume or technical requirements are not appealing because of the limited resources of many of our customers. Pictures, sketches or descriptions of your vision are always helpful.
We recommend your submissions have had at least one production or reading, hopefully staged. We feel this fundamental field test is necessary before a play can be considered for publication since plays are created for the purpose of performance.
Manuscripts must be computer-printed in dark ink. We do not require specific formatting. However, your efforts to ensure your script is free of misspellings and typos will help the submissions editor.
We hope that Pioneer Drama is your first choice as a publisher, and we encourage you to submit to us exclusively. However, we do accept simultaneous submissions with the understanding that you will accept the first contract you’re offered and not use the situation to seek multiple offers from which to choose. If you receive another offer, please notify us immediately so we may rescind your submission.
The following information must accompany your submission or query:
100-200 word synopsis.
Cast list that indicates the number of female roles, the number of male roles and the number of roles that can be performed by either gender. We do not accept one-person shows.
Running time.
CD and/or score for musicals. We appreciate the opportunity to hear the music, if possible.
Set design(s). Please feel free to provide diagrams and/or pictures.
Proof of production or staged reading (i.e., review, program, etc.) A DVD of your performance is ideal, though not required.
Age of intended audience.
A self-addressed envelope of sufficient size with appropriate postage for the return of your materials. We will NOT return manuscripts or accompanying material if this is not included.
Cover letter and/or resume.
o Categories: family friendly
o Address: Pioneer Drama Service, Inc. Attn: Submissions Editor PO Box 4267
Englewood, CO 80155-4267
o Contact: https://www.pioneerdrama.com/ContactUs.asp?ID=6
Urban Stages Emerging Playwright Award
Our $500 Emerging Playwright Award (coupled with press coverage) is given to playwrights who show excellence and dedication throughout this process – from development to the stage. Out of hundreds of submissions a year, we select 15-20 plays for readings. From these, we select 1-3 plays annually to go on to our workshopping phase. Our workshops are meant to prepare a play for our Off-Broadway stage. From our workshops, we select 1-2 plays for full productions, complete with a playwright’s contract and compensation (separate from the award).
o Deadline: Ongoing
o Application Fee: None
o Eligibility: Plays may have been developed or produced elsewhere, but never produced in New York City. Plays from overseas and throughout the US are accepted and considered, but special attention will be given to playwrights who live in or near New York
o Categories: Full Length Plays, New Plays
o Contact: 212.421.1380
Onstage
(UN)Conditional - NYC EPA (07.10.25)
Fantasies are harmless, right? But what happens when your spouse wants to take a dark fantasy from the realm of imagination firmly into your bedroom? For two couples, the boundaries of compromise, communication, and unconditional love are tested to their breaking point, and seven year-old Mia is getting caught in the crossfire
o Deadline: July 10
o Details: Please prepare a brief (under 2 minutes) contemporary comedic monologue. Please bring a headshot and resume stapled together.
o Audition Information:
In Person: Ripley-Grier Studios (305),305 W 38th St New York, NY 10018-2902 Holding Studio 206
Thursday, July 10, 2025 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM (E) Lunch 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM
o Salary: Off Broadway $835 weekly minimum (Cat. A)
For more Onstage opportunities, visit Backstage.com; ActorsAccess.com; and Playbill.com.
Backstage
Director of Development, Lincoln Center Theater
Lincoln Center Theater has produced over 200 plays and musicals at the Vivian Beaumont, Mitzi E. Newhouse, and Claire Tow Theaters at Lincoln Center and other theaters on and off-Broadway, as well as touring productions nationally and around the world. LCT is committed to developing and producing new works and classics with an emphasis on the work of new and emerging playwrights, directors, and designers. LCT’s education program, Open Stages, reaches thousands of public-school students annually with curriculum-related projects, teaching artist support, and tickets to LCT productions. Reporting directly to the Executive Director of Development and Planning, the Director of Development is responsible for overseeing critical elements of Lincoln Center Theater’s Annual Fund as well as carrying a full major and principal gifts portfolio. This role interfaces regularly with the LCT Board of Directors, acting as liaison to several board committees, and serves as a senior member of the development team of 15. This role is both strategic and tactical, with a sharp focus on generating revenue and establishing fundraising best practices. This new position is part of a plan to meaningfully increase the annual fund and launch ancillary fundraising initiatives over the next three years in a fast-paced and growing Development Department now raising $14.5 million annually. This position is expected to be in office 4 days a week.
o Essential Duties
Carry a portfolio of approximately 100 donors and prospects, creating and implementing a plan for annual giving and special campaign giving across the portfolio. Track all donor engagement in Tessitura and assign prospects to other members of the team when appropriate.
Help strengthen and diversify the fundraising program by expanding LCT’s donor base across all sectors, with a focus on individual giving. Develop and execute data-driven, research-based strategies for acquisition, retention, and upgrading of key prospects.
Identify and cultivate new prospects as program supporters (production funding, education programs, community programs, new play development, etc.); manage cultivation, solicitation and stewardship activities related to new program underwriting.
Meet and exceed fundraising goals, as determined annually during organizational budgeting process.
Monitor industry fundraising trends and help adapt and redirect LCT’s fundraising plans accordingly.
Build strong relationships with members of the artistic and education teams at LCT, and leverage staff in these teams as well as the Managing Director for fundraising purposes.
Board Engagement
Build strong relationships with board members to ensure maximum engagement
Act as solicitor for a selection of board members.
Prospect for new board members, taking all steps towards nomination, from cultivation through to nomination and on-boarding
Act as chief staff liaison and worker to the Board Development Committee, convening meetings, creating an agenda, and working with the Executive Director and the committee leadership on materials and presentations.
Leadership and Outreach
Directly supervise activities of the Patron Program and Angels Program, managing a two-person Individual Giving team, and support all components that make up these two membership programs. Bring a strategic eye to these programs to ensure that they are performing at peak, with both programs showing annual growth in the foreseeable future (baseline is $1.6M).
With Director of Individual Giving, and in partnership with the Chief Marketing Officer, launch a Friends Program that will grow over five years to provide a meaningful new source of annual income to LCT. Leverage new Tessitura database system and new marketing strategy in this cause.
Directly supervise the Development Operations group of three, ensuring a robust support system across the development team. Oversee deeper department systems in gift acknowledgement, budget tracking, integration with the marketing team, materials development, communications calendaring and data review.
Represent the organization externally at a range of events that offer prospecting opportunities. Be on the lookout for cultivation opportunities,
As Deputy to Executive Director of Development and Planning, lead team as requested and take on a range of projects as assigned.
o Compensation: $175,000 - $200,000
Director of Production, Arena Stage
The Director of Production is responsible for the overall management of the Production Department, balancing artistic vision and integrity with practical needs including deadlines and budgets. The Director of Production will be responsible for budget management, staff development and creative problem solving.
o Essential Duties
Coordinate effective communication among the directors, designers and all members of production staff
Budget and schedule the needs of the Production Department to ensure the fulfillment of planned productions, presentations, rentals and other events
Create and monitor schedules for building, production and presentation activitiesOversee annual production budget, monitor expenses and provide timely updates of actual expenses and projections
Facilitate design and production meetings, ensure deadlines are met and oversee the tech/production process
Administer the production payrollContract production staff (scenic, props, costume, lighting, sound, other production support)
Hire additional production staff (overhire) as required
As a member of Senior Staff, work with the Senior Staff to schedule and plan each season and develop strategic plans for the future.
o Skills: Five years of production management
Degree in theater preferred but not required
Ability to work some evenings and weekends required
Knowledge of MS Office, particularly Excel and Outlook
Knowledge of all production elements including scenic, properties, lighting, costuming, sound, video, stage management, and directing
Previous experience working within SDC, AEA, USA and AFofM policies preferred.
o Compensation: $110,000-$165,000
Obsidian Theater Festival
There exists an enduring legacy of storytelling within the Black community. Actors, writers, musicians, and dancers, capture the richness of Black stories, moving beyond stereotypes and tropes. The Obsidian Theatre Festival exists to uplift both stories as well as storytellers, and firmly believes in the power of art to change lives. Obsidian will provide the community with the powerful platform it deserves by way of a fresh new stage upon which these stories will be meaningfully celebrhere exists an enduring legacy of storytelling within the Black community. Actors, writers, musicians, and dancers, capture the richness of Black stories, moving beyond stereotypes and tropes. The Obsidian Theatre Festival exists to uplift both stories as well as storytellers, and firmly believes in the power of art to change lives. Obsidian will provide the community with the powerful platform it deserves by way of a fresh new stage upon which these stories will be meaningfully celebrate
o Seeking: Various Roles
o Location: Detroit, MI
o Website: https://www.obsidianfest.org/available-positions
Milwaukee Repertory Theatre
o Seeking: Various Roles
o Location: Milwaukee, WI
o Website: https://www.milwaukeerep.com
For more information: https://www.milwaukeerep.com/about/work-us/jobs/?fbclid=IwAR2lXyj99fIOhY8MmQ5n4XRveG1wEqPl2mL_9w7A1-WVpLoZhqwUDc-2Crc
Milwaukee Repertory Theater is an Equal Opportunity Employer and values and encourages a diverse workforce. We invite you to review jobs that are currently available.
Full-time employee benefits include health, dental and voluntary vision and disability insurance; flexible spending accounts; retirement plan; parking programs and complimentary tickets.
Application Instructions
Send your letter, resume and salary history (PDF or Word attachments only) to the email address listed in the job listing.
Oregon Shakespeare Festival
o Seeking: Various Roles
o Location: Ashland, Oregon
o Website: https://www.osfashland.org
For more information: https://www.osfashland.org/work-with-us?fbclid=IwAR2cqx7fSs1YYwa2I86SMVxJjZ8ns4ba2RqsEr51mMKIVWdiIL7ByQ4Lv8U
Located in the beautiful Rogue Valley of southern Oregon, the Tony Award-Winning Oregon Shakespeare Festival presents a season of eleven plays in rotating repertory across three theaters between the months of February and October. Additionally, OSF offers extensive educational opportunities to students, teachers, and theatergoers of all ages during our performance season.
We offer employment and career opportunities in a wide range of positions (acting, other performing opportunities, scenery, costumes, lighting, marketing, finance, etc.). We encourage you to check our website regularly for openings.
Two River Theater
Two River Theater annually produces a theatrical season that includes American and world classics, new plays and musicals, programs for young people, and festivals of new work. Each year, we also offer 40+ events that reflect our diverse community of Red Bank, New Jersey. Two River celebrates and honors our core values of Artistic Excellence; Education and Community Engagement; Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion; and Operational Excellence. Anyone who joins our team quickly becomes part of putting all of our initiatives into action day in and day out. Two River Theater is led by Artistic Director John Dias and Managing Director Michael Hurst.Two River Theater is dedicated to the goal of building an equitable and culturally diverse work environment and strongly encourages applications from members of underrepresented groups.
o Seeking: Various Roles
o Location: Red Bank, NJ
o Website: https://tworivertheater.org/jobs/
The Kate Spade New York Foundation
o To honor Kate Spade’s legacy of empowering and inspiring women and girls, the National Council for Behavioral Health is excited to provide complimentary Mental Health First Aid training to communities throughout the five boroughs of New York City and New Jersey and in partnership with organizations that specifically support these populations.
What is Mental Health First Aid?
Just as CPR helps you assist an individual having a heart attack, Mental Health First Aid helps you assist someone experiencing a mental health or substance use-related crisis. In the Mental Health First Aid course, you learn risk factors and warning signs for mental health and addiction concerns, strategies for how to help someone in both crisis and non-crisis situations, and where to turn for help.
The National Council for Behavioral Health shares Kate Spade New York Foundation’s belief in “the power of women to transform their communities” through empowerment. In support of this mission, we are offering through a competitive application process, select Mental Health First Aid and Youth Mental Health First Aid training, fully funded!
o Location: New York, NY
o Website
For more Offstage opportunities, visit OffStageJobs.com and Playbill.com.
Funding Opportunities
The Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers
The Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers is an international fellowship program open to people whose work will benefit directly from access to the collections at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building—including academics, independent scholars, and creative writers (novelists, playwrights, poets). Visual artists at work on a book project are also welcome to apply. The Center appoints 15 Fellows a year for a nine-month term at the Library, from September through May. In addition to working on their own projects, the Fellows engage in an ongoing exchange of ideas within the Center and in public forums throughout the Library. A Cullman Center Fellow receives the use of an office with a computer, full access to the Library’s physical and electronic resources, and a stipend of $90,000.
o Deadline: September 25
o Application Fee: Free
o Eligibility: The Cullman Center’s Selection Committee awards fifteen Fellowships a year to outstanding scholars and writers—academics, independent scholars, journalists, creative writers (novelists, playwrights, poets), translators, and visual artists. Foreign nationals conversant in English are welcome to apply. Candidates for the Fellowship will need to work primarily at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building rather than at other divisions of the Library. People seeking funding for research leading directly to a degree are not eligible. The Cullman Center looks for top-quality writing. It aims to promote dynamic communication about literature and scholarship at the very highest level—within the Center, in public forums throughout the Library, and in the Fellows’ published work. A Cullman Center Fellow receives a stipend of $90,000, the use of an office with a computer, and full access to the Library’s physical and electronic resources. The Library expects Fellows to work at the Cullman Center five days a week, Monday through Friday, for the duration of the Fellowship term, which runs from September through May. Each Fellow gives a talk over lunch on his or her current work-in-progress to the other Fellows and to a wide range of invited guests, and may be asked to take part in other programs at The New York Public Library.
Radcliffe Fellowship
Radcliffe fellows are exceptional scientists, writers, scholars, public intellectuals, practitioners, and artists whose work is making a difference in their professional fields and in the larger world. Based in Radcliffe Yard—a sanctuary in the heart of Harvard University—fellows join a uniquely interdisciplinary and creative community. A fellowship at Radcliffe is an opportunity to step away from usual routines and dive deeply into a project. With access to Harvard’s unparalleled resources, Radcliffe fellows develop new tools and methods, challenge artistic and scholarly conventions, and illuminate our past and our present. Throughout the year, fellows convene regularly to share their work in progress. Coming from diverse disciplines and perspectives, they challenge each other’s ideas and support each other’s ambitions. Many say that it is the best year of their professional lives.
o Deadline: September 12
o Application Fee: Free
o Eligibility: We welcome applications from a broad range of fields and perspectives. The strength of our fellowship program is its diversity. Radcliffe supports engaged scholarship. We welcome applications from scholars, artists, and practitioners proposing innovative work that confronts pressing social and policy issues and seeking to engage audiences beyond academia.
UCROSS FELLOWSHIP FOR NATIVE AMERICAN WRITERS - 2026
Current work is requested. An applicant's work sample and project description are the most significant feature of their application. Unless work is interdisciplinary, i.e. the various genres interconnect, each applicant is encouraged to apply in a primary discipline and submit a work sample and project description that emphasizes this single discipline. Competition for residencies varies annually and with the number of applications. While only one Fellowship winner will be selected, all applicants will have the option of being considered for a general Ucross residency.
o Deadline: July 15th
o Application Fee: Free
o Eligibility: Residencies are open to Native American writers who meet the criteria below. They must: Be a practicing contemporary writer who is currently producing works in one or more of the following genres, including but not limited to FICTION, NONFICTION, POETRY, DRAMA, SCREENWRITING, PLAYWRITING, and HYBRID FORMS; Be an enrolled member of a state-recognized or federally-recognized Tribe, Pueblo, Nation, Native Community, Political Entity, or Alaskan Native Village.
Audible Emerging Playwrights Fund
In 2017, Audible launched a theater initiative, intended to radically increase access to exceptional plays and performances. A core pillar of the initiative is the Emerging Playwrights Fund, a program that invests in and nurtures self-identifying emerging playwrights, some of our most inventive, delightful, and provocative storytellers. Through the Fund, Audible aims to connect extraordinary performers with remarkable original work, amplifying new voices and harnessing the power and potential of audio to reach millions of listeners. The Fund specifically supports the creation of original dramatic work, written with audio in mind, but theatrical in spirit. Audible is dedicated to commissioning, developing, and producing work that reflects the diversity of our members and our world. To accomplish this, Audible is committed to granting at least 50% of emerging playwright commissions to artists of color and women.
o Deadline: None
o Application Fee: Free
o Eligibility: please submit all of the following to AudibleTheater@audible.com:
One full-length script for an original or adapted play (in English language only) that represents your voice ("Script"). The Script can be in any genre and may include one-acts and solo pieces;
A short biography; and
A brief statement about why audio plays appeal to you.
If you have an idea for an original audio play, you are welcome to include a pitch or summary along with your statement (this is encouraged, but not required)
o Contact: AudibleTheater@audible.com
Steven Schwartzberg Grants for Mental Health & Wellness
Writers are the beating heart of theater, whom we rely upon to take us on journeys and inspire us to think. During these unprecedented times, DGF has created the Steven Schwartzberg Grants to provide financial support for mental health and wellness services for writers. To help connect writers to therapists, DGF has partnered with Advekit, an online therapist matching service, to expand access to mental health support that might be out of your reach.
Please complete the form to receive $1,000 toward therapy through Advekit, courtesy of DGF.
If you already have a therapist or are seeking mental wellness support other than Western talk therapy, DGF is working on ways to support you in your wellness.
NYC Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA)
The NYC DCLA is dedicated to supporting and strengthening New York City's vibrant cultural life. Among our primary missions is to ensure adequate public funding for non-profit cultural organizations, both large and small, throughout the five boroughs.
They have many grants tailored to the needs of artists living and working in the city throughout the year.
o Deadline: Ongoing
o Application Fee: Freeexceptional plays and performances. A core pillar of the initiative is the Emerging Playwrights Fund, a program that invests in and nurtures self-identifying emerging playwrights, some of our most inventive, delightful, and provocative storytellers. Through the Fund, Audible aims to connect extraordinary performers with remarkable original work, amplifying new voices and harnessing the power and potential of audio to reach millions of listeners. The Fund specifically supports the creation of original dramatic work, written with audio in mind, but theatrical in spirit. Audible is dedicated to commissioning, developing, and producing work that reflects the diversity of our members and our world. To accomplish this, Audible is committed to granting at least 50% of emerging playwright commissions to artists of color and women.
o Deadline: None
o Application Fee: Free
o Eligibility: please submit all of the following to AudibleTheater@audible.com:
One full-length script for an original or adapted play (in English language only) that represents your voice ("Script"). The Script can be in any genre and may include one-acts and solo pieces;
A short biography; and
A brief statement about why audio plays appeal to you.
If you have an idea for an original audio play, you are welcome to include a pitch or summary along with your statement (this is encouraged, but not required)
o Contact: Audible
o Eligibility: Independent Artists and Groups
o Address: New York City Department of Cultural Affairs 31 Chambers Street New York, New York 10007
o Contact: 212.513.9300
SubletSeries@HERE Program
This creative curated rental program has allowed many upstart companies and emerging artists to realize their full artistic vision on a small budget. The program provides subsidized performance and rehearsal space, technical assistance, and administrative support, including a fully staffed box office. SubletSeries@HERE artists can also access equipment that is not typically available in venues our size such as video projectors, wireless microphones, color scrollers—all for free or at subsidized rates. We accept applications from artists all over the world for the opportunity to show work.
o Deadline: Ongoing
o Application Fee: Free
o Eligibility: Independent Artists and Groups
o Address: HERE Program 145 Sixth Ave New York, NY 10013
o Contact: 212.647.0202
Annenberg Foundation
The Annenberg Foundation does most of their funding in the arts, culture, and humanities to organizations in the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ventura. The Annenberg Foundation's arts and humanities grants are available to agencies that serve the greater Los Angeles region, typically with budgets over $5 million.
o Deadline: Ongoing
o Application Fee: Free
o Eligibility: Arts, culture, and humanities in greater Los Angeles region
Residencies
Artcroft Center for Arts and Humanities
Residencies of an average of 2-8 weeks for visual artists, writers, actors, and performance artists. Residency provides housing, studio, and meals; artist responsible residency fee ($40/day), deposit (10% of residency fee), travel, materials, and local transportation.
o Deadline: Ongoing
o Application Fee: $25
o When: 2-8 weeks
o Eligibility: Residencies are available to established and emerging visual and literary artists 18 years of age and older without regard for race, gender, sexual orientation, or religion.
o Address: Artcroft Center for Arts and Humanities 2075 Johnson Rd. Carlisle, KY 40311
o Contact: artcroft@msn.com
Other Resources
NOTE: For more resources, visit our pages of Resources - Funding, Submissions, and more.
NYFA SOURCE - The New York Foundation for the Arts maintains the most comprehensive national directory of awards, services and publications for artists in the NYFA Source section of their website.
Updates to our resources and opportunities have been made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
#Screenopps
#ScreenOpps
#ScreenOppsJuly25
Submission Opportunities for Women in Film & Video
(previously known as Film/Video Funding Newsletter)
For full #ScreenOpps Listings please scroll
or click links below for specific listings
Film Festivals
Onscreen
Offscreen
Funding
Residencies
Other Resources
If you are a longtime recipient of #StageOpps and #ScreenOpps,
you know that they started as the Funding Newsletters,
brought to you by WomenArts, who still support the ongoing production of these opportunities as well as our Funding Resources pages.
WomenArts' founder and president, Martha Richards,
received the 2020 Elsa Rael VintAge Award
(for Advocacy for Women in the Arts & Media as They Age) from us
on Zoom Saturday, November 14, 2020.
Check out our VintAge page for more info.
Film Festivals
The Other Lens
The Other Lens, a short film program designed to champion emerging filmmakers who are creating innovative cinematic work that challenges convention. With our theme of “The Other Lens”, we wanted to explore distinctions from ingrained normativity, whether it be ethnic, racial, sexual, or expression, to foster empathy and create positive social change. By embracing everyone’s otherness, we hope both filmmakers and viewers recognize that through collaboration and vulnerability, we can blur the lines of separation and reimagine the boundaries. The Other Lens is a celebration of independent filmmaking, radical storytelling, and communal vision-building. We invite work that centers personal truth, challenges mainstream narratives, and reflects a deep commitment to creative freedom. This inaugural event is produced by Project Feel, a multimedia production company rooted in art and creative accessibility, and seeks to bring together a new generation of storytellers who use a thought-provoking, visionary lens to make an impact on the world. We aim to shift the needle of the industry and are excited to spotlight films from artists of color, queer creatives, diasporic storytellers, and experimental voices who blur genre, form, and expectation
o When/Where: November 6
o Deadline: July 14 (Early Bird Deadline), August 4 (Regular Deadline), September 1 (Late Deadline)
o Application Fee: $10-20
o Eligibility: Short films (any genre) 20 mins and under
Focused on themes of identity, imagination, resistance, or re-connection
Works in any language other than English must have English subtitles at the time of submission
o Categories: Short
Divine Feminine Film Fest
The Divine Feminine Film Fest is a yearly event that features creative work by women and non-binary artists. The focus of this festival is to highlight and celebrate women in all of their magic, mystery, and creativity.
o When/Where: October 16-17
o Deadline: September 30 (Regular Deadline)
o Application Fee: $22-30
o Eligibility: To submit, you must owns the rights to your submission.
All projects submitted to us may be screened/displayed at our official event.
Posters and/or trailers of your film may be used on our social media platforms to promote the festival and your film.
All films/music videos must be submitted in English or with English subtitles.
Posters are required for your film in order to promote this screening.
o Categories: Feature, Short, Documentary
Lavender Riot Film Festival: An Unapologetic LGTBQ+ Film Fest
First Ever LGBTQ+ Film Festival in Clarksville, Tennessee on October 2. The festival will showcase local LGBTQ+ filmmakers, directors, producers, and actors. The event will be help on APSU campus and off campus at various locations through downtown. The event kicks off at 10am and carriers on until 9pm.
o When/Where: October 17-18
o Deadline: July 28 (Early Bird Deadline), August 25 (Regular Deadline)
o Application Fee: $5
o Eligibility: We are looking for LOCAL LGBTQ+ individuals to showcase their work. We ask the submissions follow time length rules and that artists be flexible with times of presenting on the day of the Festival. We ask that filmmakers be present when their film is being shown. Time slots will be chosen by the board of the Lavender Riot Film Festival.
o Categories: Feature, Short, Documentary
Miami Jewish Film Festival
The Miami Jewish Film Festival (MJFF) is recognized as the world's largest Jewish film festival dedicated to celebrating new film and media exploring universal themes of identity, history, and culture. Presenting its 29th edition from January 15-29, 2026, the Festival showcases the work of the world's best emerging and established filmmakers and offers awards in juried competition categories. Among the 134 films that premiered at the 2025 Festival which featured the largest Jewish film program in the world, more than 50 were selected from FilmFreeway submissions. Miami Jewish Film Festival has also made the prestigious "One of the 50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee" list by MovieMaker Magazine in 2020, 2021, and 2022. In 2025, the Miami Jewish Film Festival drew more than 58,000 filmgoers and attracted more than 100 filmmakers, producers, talent, and industry professionals to its two-week event of inspiring films, events, panels, and parties that are hosted at 8 major venues throughout Miami. In all, the Festival presents more than 134 feature narratives, documentaries, and short films of all genres, from more than 25 different countries. MJFF presents dramatic and documentary features, experimental, and animated features and shorts about Jewish history, culture, and identity as well as films that reflect life through a Jewish lens. The programming staff takes a broad view of what makes a film Jewish and have been known to curate films that are Jew(ish) as well as films about issues that are relevant to Jewish communities and resonate with other cultural communities across the globe. Works in all forms and genres are considered. The Festival receives significant industry recognition; each year several films premiering at the Festival are acquired for US distribution. Recent distributors who have acquired films directly from the Festival include Kino Lorber, Greenwich Entertainment, Samuel Goldwyn Films, Netflix, Menemsha Films, Film Movement, Briarcliff Entertainment, Breaking Glass Pictures, and Go2Films, among many others.
o When/Where: January 15-29
o Deadline: July 7 (Midway Deadline), August 1 (Regular Deadline), September 5 (Fall Deadline), October 3 (Extended Deadline), November 7 (Final Deadline)
o Application Fee: $18-$40
o Eligibility: MJFF requires at least a Florida Premiere for any feature or short film. Works-in-progress are accepted.
o Categories: Feature, Documentary, Short
Everybody is Somebody
The Albuquerque Film Festival, with the mantra 'Everybody is Somebody,' stands as a beacon of digital celebration for the world's storytellers. Nestled in the heart of New Mexico's vibrant capital, Albuquerque, our festival opens its doors wide, welcoming a kaleidoscope of cinematic talent from every corner of the globe. Dive into the fray with your masterpieces, as we call for submissions across all film genres; there's a spotlight here for every creator, regardless of nationality. It's your time to shine, to vie for prestigious awards across a multitude of categories. Let's unite. Let's craft. Let's rejoice. Boasting a spectrum as broad as the imagination itself, our festival invites you to join an esteemed circle, where selected films don't just screen—they compete for a host of distinctions, bestowed both by our expert panel and the audience's voice. Rest assured, every entry is given the attentive gaze it deserves. As seasoned filmmakers, we resonate with the dedication poured into your craft. That's why we elevate Officially Selected films with a spotlight dialogue—up to 10 minutes of in-depth conversation about your creative journey, shared on our official website, YouTube channel, and across social media landscapes. Our committee is as varied as the films we celebrate, featuring a global tapestry of professionals—Architects to Entrepreneurs, Artists to Filmmakers, and VFX Producers—each bringing a unique perspective to the screen. Every submission is watched thoroughly, ensuring your vision is seen and appreciated in its entirety. Our Goals:To broadcast fresh, trailblazing narratives and cinematic discourse from across the world.To offer an exclusive glimpse into the pioneering realm of New Cinema.To foster the exchange of ideas and experiences among our event's vibrant participants. Our Creed: We are the champions of the cinematic dreamer, the believers in the power of story. The 'Everybody is Somebody' Albuquerque Film Festival is dedicated to showcasing the most diverse array of narratives. Our mission? To empower every filmmaker with a burning passion, to connect creators with audiences, and to help solidify their mark in the ever-expanding universe of film.
o When/Where: March 27-29
o Deadline: July 7 (Deadline 4), August 4 (Deadline 6), September 1 (Deadline 7), October 6 (Deadline 8), November 3 (Deadline 9), December 1 (Deadline 10), February 9 (Final Deadline)
o Application Fee: $15-25
o Eligibility: We accept all fiction and non-fiction film genres. All age groups are accepted. Projects submitted must be the original work of the participant. All submission will be received through Film Freeway only. No Exceptions.
o Categories: Feature, Short, Animated, Documentary, Music Video
Women, Life, Freedom Film Festival
Following the governmental murder of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini and inspired by its progressive ideals of Iranian people’s uprising, the Association of Film and Theater Artists Abroad has begun its activities to extend these ideals within the international film and theater community. The inaugural “Woman, Life, Freedom” Festival aims to showcase creative works that highlight women’s struggles and achievements, promote freedom of expression, support gender equality, and emphasize liberation. Inspired by the recent Iranian women’s movement against oppression, the Association of Iranian Filmmakers and Theater Artists Abroad (IFTAA) is hosting this festival to amplify the voice of this struggle beyond the border of Iran. Who We Are: We are a global community of film and theater artists who originally hailed from Iran. Due to restrictions on creative expression in our homeland, we now live and work around the world. Our experiences have strengthened our resolve to support artists and individuals whose freedoms and rights have been compromised. United by the powerful principles of "Woman, Life, Freedom," we are dedicated to advocating for those who face challenges in expressing their artistry and pursuing equality Our Goals 1. We aim to build greater support among global film artists for the movement of ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ (Persian: Zan, Zendegi, Azadi; Kurdish: Jin, Jiyan, Azadi). 2. Our goal is to amplify the voices of the marginalized until our shared values of freedom and equality are realized.
o When/Where: September 16-21
o Deadline: July 15 (Regular Deadline)
o Application Fee: Free
o Eligibility: Films must be submitted via FilmFreeway and include a working screener accessible via FilmFreeway to be considered
We accept films in the following genres: narrative, documentary, animation, and docu-dramas, with a runtime of less than 60 minutes.
Films must have been completed after September 16, 2022.
Submissions should revolve around themes of women's struggles, empowerment, liberation, appreciation of life, and freedom around the globe.
Films in languages other than English must include English subtitles.
Filmmakers may submit multiple projects, but an individual entry must be submitted for each project
There are no festival premiere eligibility requirements.
Stills and trailers of selected films may be shown on the festival website and in publicity/promo material, including press releases, festival brochures, and other materials.
If you change your screener link or the password connected to it, make sure to update this in your FilmFreeway entry and notify us by sending an email.
Submitted films are considered the final finished versions of those films by the Festival (no “in progress” projects).
No entry fee is required. All selected films will be screened during the festival at SAE University College Brisbane in Australia from September 16 to 21, 2024.
o Categories: Animations, Documentaries, Narratives, Docu-Dramas
Mix NYC Queer Experimental Film Festival
MIX NYC (est. 1987) is a nonprofit organization that promotes, produces, and preserves experimental media that speaks to the lives, politics, and experiences of LGBTQIA2S+ individuals. Born from the need for a home for queer experimental films, we are committed to providing opportunities for filmmakers to showcase their work to a community that deeply values it. Our work challenges mainstream notions of gender and sexuality while redefining traditional categories of form and content.
o When/Where: November 20-22
o Deadline: June 1 (Early Bird Deadline), July 1 (Regular Deadline), August 1 (Final Deadline)
o Application Fee: $15-$45
o Eligibility: We’re always searching for bold, original, and powerful stories that reflect the diverse perspectives of the LGBTQIA2S+ community. Our festival offers a platform for filmmakers, artists, and creators to showcase their work, connect with audiences, and participate in meaningful cultural dialogue. In light of our mandate, we only consider submissions that:
Are created by queer filmmakers and/or involve queer concepts, subjects, or themes.
Challenge conventional filmmaking practices.
o Categories: Experimental Film
Los Angeles Women in Film Festival
The LA Women in Film Festival champions female identifying filmmakers and female driven storytelling. We will be accepting submissions from FEMALE IDENTIFYING DIRECTORS, WRITERS, MAJORITY FEMALE CREW (at least 50%) and/or FEMALE DRIVEN STORIES of ANY GENRE. We are an affiliate festival of the LA FILM FESTIVALS organization that has the dual emphasis of discovering great talent with the purpose of promoting their work to both the LA public and the entertainment industry, as well as showcasing the work of seasoned professionals and well known stars. LA Film Festivals began with the biannual LA Comedy Festival in 2001, adding the biannual LA Indie Film Fest in 2007. The LA Film Festival family has since expanded to 12 independent film festivals, including LA Horror Film Fest, LA Action Film Fest, LA Sci-Fi Film Fest, LA Animation Film Fest, LA Black Film Fest, LA Asian Film Fest, LA Latinx Film Fest, LA Queer Film Fest, LA Women in Film Fest and LA Student Film Fest. Over the years, LA Film Festivals have attracted thousands of filmmakers from around the world. Each festival features live screenings in our own Let Live Theater in the heart of Los Angeles. Our 80-seat theater, in the heart of Hollywood, is outfitted with a Christie DLP projector and seven JBL speakers throughout the venue, delivering top notch quality in an intimate screening environment. Filmmakers whose work is accepted into our festival will receive free passes to screenings, invitations to networking events and are eligible for awards consideration.
o When/Where: November 13-16
o Deadline: June 13 (Regular Deadline), July 4 (Late Deadline), July 25 (Fashionably Late Deadline), August 15 (Final Deadline), September 5 (11th Hour Deadline), September 26 (Last Chance Deadline)
o Application Fee: $25-$90
o Eligibility: All Films must feature work produced by female identifying filmmakers and female driven storytelling. We will be accepting submissions from FEMALE IDENTIFYING DIRECTORS, WRITERS, MAJORITY FEMALE CREW (at least 50%) and/or FEMALE DRIVEN STORIES of ANY GENRE.
o Categories: Feature, Short, Document, Web-series, TV Pilot, Animation, Music Video
o Contact: https://www.lafilmfestivals.com/la-women-in-film-fest
Big Apple Film Festival
Big Apple Film Festival is currently accepting film and screenplay submissions for our fall festival. Big Apple Film Festival (Fall Edition) takes place November 18-21 in the heart of NYC. In addition to film screenings, the festival includes a Screenplay Competition, Agents and Managers Conference, Agents and Managers Networking Lab, Film Distribution Summit, Industry Networking Panels, Awards Presentation and Reception.
o When/Where: November 10-13
o Deadline: June 10 (Film Freeway Discount Deadline), June 30 (BAFF Discount Deadline), July 22 (Final Discount Deadline), August 12 (Film Freeway Early Deadline), September 3 (BAFF Early Deadline), September 23 (Official Entry Deadline, October 10 (Final Entry Deadline)
o Application Fee: $60-$90
o Eligibility: Big Apple Film Festival accepts submissions for feature films, short films, feature documentaries, short documentaries, animation, web series, music videos, student films, feature length screenplays, short screenplays, scripts for television/web series pilots and virtual reality.
o Categories: (Narrative Feature, Documentary Feature, Environmental Outdoor Feature, Indigenous Feature, Narrative Short, Documentary Short, Outdoor Short, Animated Short)
Twisted Arts Film Festival
Founded in Tulsa, OK, Twisted Arts was created to highlight local, national, and international LGBTQ+ artists through year-round programs which include an annual fall film festival, monthly film screenings & performances, a LGBTQ+ youth filmmaking Summer camp, members-only sneak peeks, access to year-round short films, special events, and private screenings with directors, actors, and other queer media icons. Tulsa's newest LGBTQ+ film festival, Twisted Arts Film Festival, was created to screen first-run LGBTQ-themed full-length films and 20 to 30 short films of all genres. It is our mission to highlight works made by Oklahoma filmmakers and the best queer cinema from around the world. We strongly encourage submissions from women, people of color, transgender people, intersex people, asexual people, non-binary people, disabled people, and other underrepresented people and communities
o When/Where: September 24-27
o Deadline: July 14 (Regular Deadline)
o Application Fee: $11.25-$20
o Eligibility: Twisted Arts Film Festival accepts short films of length less than 20 min from any genre about LGBTQ+ people and their communities.
o Categories: Shorts
New York Film Week
We are an international film festival taking place in October each year. The 6th edition runs from October 23 — 27 2024 in NY, a city that breathes film in every possible way. Our goal is to raise awareness and promote the various aspects of international cinema in all its forms. Previous Premieres include movies from Laura Poitras, Armando Iannucci, Noah Baumbach, Wash Westmoreland, Martin Scorsese, Takashi Miike, Céline Sciamma, Yolande Zauberman, Lee Chang-dong, Kelly Reichardt, Andrea Arnold, Christophe Honoré and many more. First-time and established filmmakers are being selected and every film genre is considered. The festival only shows bold and iconic content, something to remember. We look forward to reviewing your entry.
o When/Where: October 29 - November 2
o Deadline: June 23 (Regular Deadline), September 8 (Late Deadline), September 29 (Extended Deadline)
o Application Fee: $35-$70
o Eligibility: New York Film Week is being held from October 23rd to October 27th, 2024. The Festival takes place annually in the second half of October. The aim of the Festival is to raise awareness and promote the various aspects of international cinema in all its forms: as art, entertainment, and as an industry, in a spirit of freedom and dialogue. In addition to the sections mentioned in the following paragraphs, the Festival also organizes special events such as film workshops and industry days.
o Categories: Feature, Short, Animated, Documentary
NewFest: The New York LGBTQ+ Film Festival
Founded in 1988, The New York LGBTQ+ Film Festival is one of the world's largest and most respected annual celebrations of the year’s best queer films from the U.S. and abroad--featuring over 150 films from more than 30 countries, as well as special events that bring together filmmakers, celebrities, movie lovers, industry professionals, and the LGBTQ+ community. NewFest will celebrate its 36th annual edition of The New York LGBTQ+ Film Festival in October 2024--throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn, and virtually nationwide--with nearly two weeks of premieres, panels, and parties. NewFest's collection of narratives, documentaries, shorts programs, and special events showcases the best in LGBTQ+ film and media. NewFest is distinctive among LGBTQ+ film festivals for its high-quality programming, outstanding press coverage, community engagement, savvy audiences, and sensational parties. The festival’s impact in terms of propelling the work and careers of emerging filmmakers is historic and global, and uniquely channels the collaborative creative energy of New York City to celebrate queer films. The New York LGBTQ+ Film Festival is produced annually by NewFest, New York’s leading LGBTQ+ film and media organization. NewFest gives voice and visibility to the full spectrum of LGBTQ+ experiences by championing films, supporting storytellers, and engaging audiences in order to inspire dialogue, shift cultural bias and empower our community.
. o When/Where: October 10-22
o Deadline: June 12 (Late Deadline), July 28 (Extended Deadline)
o Application Fee: $40-$100
o Eligibility: BFilms should be of interest to, and inclusive of, the LGBTQ+ community. We are seeking narrative, documentary, experimental, and animated films (both features and shorts) in 35mm, 16mm, or DCP (upon acceptance, NewFest will provide projection options for the specific venue in which the film will screen—IF THE FILMMAKER CANNOT PROVIDE THE CORRECT PROJECTION FORMAT, THE FILM WILL NOT BE SCREENED). Rough cuts and works-in-progress are eligible for submission if the completed film will be ready for QC by September 1st, 2022. Please label the screener “Rough Cut” and specify what is missing (i.e. temp sound, needs color correction, etc). By submitting your work to NewFest, you grant to NewFest a non-exclusive license to use an excerpt of your submission of up to two minutes in length, for promotional purposes only. Still photos from your work are requested with your submission and are required for all films selected for the festival. Good stills make a difference in film placement and press coverage, particularly for short films. Even the shortest short can get press coverage or festival prominence with a captivating still. Stills must be in TIFF or JPEG format and 300dpi (dots per inch). You are also encouraged to enclose a synopsis, production credits, press information, and other collateral regarding your film.
o Categories: Feature Film, Documentary, Short Film, Documentary Shorts
Lady Filmmakers Festival
Lady Filmmakers Festival is a trend-setting and forward-thinking film festival known by veteran Hollywood insiders and rising indie filmmakers alike for screening outstanding films from around the world and having top notch speakers and networking events. Lady Filmmakers is dedicated to creating a fun and fulfilling festival experience. All festival events take place in the world-famous Beverly Hills, California. In 2021, we hosted in-person screenings in Beverly Hills as well as virtual screenings available worldwide. We also launched the Lady Filmmakers Channel in Spring 2021 accessible online and through devices such as Apple TV, Roku, and more will be added to maximize availability to showcase alumni films from prior festivals. 2020 included virtual screenings and events as well as a Myrtle Beach, South Carolina drive-in. Lady Filmmakers celebrates women in leadership roles and the men that hire, work with, and work for these talented female storytellers. The week long festival includes film screenings, script readings, musical performances, art exhibitions, industry panels, networking events and of course hosted parties with live entertainment! Online festival will take place over a minimum of 1 week with virtual events leading up to the festival and during. Lady Filmmakers looks for great storytelling in any genre and length! At least one woman must fill the role of Writer, Director, Producer, Cinematographer, Production Designer and/or Editor to qualify to screen at our festival. Our main programming themes are: *Ladies Illuminate- documentaries, social awareness, or family issue films *Ladies Kick Butt- action, comedies, or experimental films *Dance- music videos and dance films *Family Friendly- films appropriate for families with children *Halloween Teasers- horror, thrillers, scary, creepy, and/or freaky films Short Screenplay finalists will get a staged reading in front of a live audience at the festival. One or more shorts may be optioned to participate in the Script 2 Screen Program. Feature Screenplay finalists will be offered a taped table read of their script. The festival will provide the space and refreshments for the table read along with assisting the writer with finding a director for the reading and helping with casting. Musician finalists are invited to perform at one of the parties during the festival. Art finalists are invited to exhibit art during one of the festival events.Long after the festival is complete we continue to promote our "Alumni" filmmakers, cast, and crew throughout the year!
.o When/Where: September 25-30
o Deadline: July 23 (Final Deadline), August 14 (Oops I forgot Deadline)
o Application Fee: $67.50-$140
o Eligibility: FILM SUBMISSIONS- At least one woman must be credited in one of the following positions in each selected film: Writer, Director, Producer, Cinematographer, Production Designer, and/or Editor.
o Categories: Feature Film, Documentary, Short Film, Documentary Shorts
GRRL HAUS CINEMA
GRRL HAUS CINEMA is a 𝗻𝗼𝗻𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗺 𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹, 𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 dedicated to showcasing the short film works by 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻, 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀, 𝗻𝗼𝗻-𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗲𝗿 filmmakers in experimental, low-budget-, and underground cinema. By promoting creativity and diverse expression through film, we provide a platform for emerging filmmakers and those without easy access to funding, creating a space for underrepresented voices in cinema. GRRL HAUS is dedicated to inclusivity and celebrates 𝗗𝗜𝗬 𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲, because we think it’s important to share works by diverse filmmakers across various audiences, from international museums to underground clubs.
o When/Where: February 18-20
o Deadline: May 31 (May), June 30 (June), July 31 (August), August 31 (August), September 30 (September), October 31 (October)
o Application Fee: $15-$50
o Categories: Short
Lady Filmmakers Film Festival
NOW ACCEPTING SUBMISSIONS to the 17th Annual Festival Celebration! A 5 star rated film festival and consistently ranked in the Top 100 on FilmFreeway. Lady Filmmakers Festival elevates the festival experience and is a trend-setting and forward-thinking film festival known by veteran Hollywood insiders and rising indie filmmakers alike for screening outstanding films from around the world. It's screenplay scene workshop, top notch speakers and upscale networking events makes it a must attend event each year. Lady Filmmakers is dedicated to creating a classy, fun and fulfilling festival experience dedicated to enhancing personal, professional and creative growth while promoting women, diversity, equity and inclusion. All festival screenings and parties take place IN PERSON in the world-famous Beverly Hills, California. We screen at the beautiful and historic 400 seat Fine Arts Theater with the highest quality sound and projection. We are a great platform for successful filmmakers and actors as well as a springboard for undiscovered talent like first-time directors with a truly wonderful artistic, cinematic vision and voice. The festival directors are filmmakers too & understand what it's like on both sides of a festival and try to provide as many wonderful experiences and opportunities to our Official Selection Attendees and Cinephiles alike. Lady Filmmakers celebrates diverse women in leadership roles and the men that hire, work with, and work for these talented female storytellers. The week long festival includes film screenings, script readings, musical performances, art exhibitions, industry panels, networking events and of course hosted parties with live entertainment!
o When/Where: September 25-30
o Deadline: July 23 (Final Deadline), August 14 (Oops I forgot Deadline)
o Application Fee: $67.50-$140
o Eligibility: FILM SUBMISSIONS- At least one woman must be credited in one of the following positions in each selected film: Writer, Director, Producer, Cinematographer, Production Designer, and/or Editor.
o Categories: Feature Film, Documentary, Short Film, Documentary Shorts
B!tchFest Film Festival & Screenplay Contest
B!tchFest is more than just a festival — it’s a community! One that extends far beyond the event itself. We are invested in the success of your films and screenplays, offering a space for support, connection, and collaboration for all of our past and present submitters. In an industry where women hold just 26% of key film production roles and only 16% of major studio films feature LGBTQIA+ characters, we’re on a mission to build a supportive network to unite and empower minority creator. B!tchFest is an INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S & LGBTQIA+ FILM FESTIVAL & SCREENPLAY CONTEST with a groundbreaking in-person event for both filmmakers and screenwriters in the heart of Los Angeles. At B!tchFest we’re not just breaking glass ceilings; we’re shattering them into a million pieces by unleashing the POWER of FEMALE and LGBTQIA+ VOICES in film and television! By providing a platform for RECOGNITION, AWARDS, PROMOTION, and DEVELOPING NEW CONNECTIONS we aim to break barriers and pave the way for a more inclusive entertainment industry.
o When/Where: February 28
o Deadline: May 20 (Early Deadline), July 1 (Regular Deadline), August 12 (Late Deadline), September 23 (Last Minute Deadline), November 4 (Extended Deadline), December 16 (Final Deadline)
o Application Fee: $36-$70
o Eligibility: All writers and filmmakers must be at least 18 years old for their project to be eligible. All genres of films and screenplays are accepted.
There is no limit to the number of projects you may submit and multiple entries from the same submitter are accepted. You are allowed to submit the same project to multiple categories.
The entry fee applies to each category. Submitting to Best Feature Film, Best Short Film, Best Documentary Film, Best Female Directed Film, Best Student Film, Best LGBTQIA+ Film, Best TV Pilot, Best Web Series, Best Short Social Content Video, and Best Music Video qualifies your project for festival consideration. Additionally, it makes your Cast & Crew eligible for free consideration for Secondary Award Categories like Best Actress, Best Director, Best Cinematography, etc.
For consideration, film projects must feature at least one woman or a member of the LGBTQIA+ community in a key production role, such as Director, Writer, Producer, Cinematographer, Lead Actress/Actor, etc. Or the film should address women’s or LGBTQIA+ issues and themes to be eligible.
For screenplay submissions, we prefer scripts written by women and/or members of the LGBTQIA+ community. While screenplays written by men and non-LGBTQIA+ individuals are welcome, they must either focus on female or LGBTQIA+ characters or address women’s or LGBTQIA+ issues and themes to be eligible.
Writers and filmmakers who reside in countries other than the United States are welcome to enter the contest; however, all scripts must be submitted in English, and all foreign language films must contain English subtitles or be dubbed in English.
Judges, sponsors, administrators, employees and independent contractors who currently or have previously worked with or for the B!tchFest Film Festival and Screenplay Contest are not eligible to enter the festival, nor are their spouses or immediate family members.
Entry fees are as listed on the FilmFreeway site checkout form. All entry fees are non-refundable. No coupon or discount is applicable on a previously submitted entry. Entries must be received on or before the listed deadline dates by 11:59PM Pacific Time, and submission fee payment must be paid in full at time of the submission.
Our in-person festival will feature screenings for the winners of each applicable category, trophy award presentations, red carpet photos, live-recorded Q&A panels with film and screenwriting winners, and an industry meet-and-greet event.
B!tchFest Film Festival and Screenplay Contest reserves the right to make essential changes, postponements, reschedules, or cancellations to competition dates, deadlines, announcement dates, awards, categories, and/or the festival venue at our discretion without contestant consent. The organizers may modify or opt not to award any listed prizes. B!tchFest reserves the right to amend our rules, terms, release agreements, and conditions at any time.
The decisions of the judges are final and cannot be contested in any manner. There is no score on a scorecard that guarantees advancement to the festival as advancement will be based on the total competition scores as a whole.
By submitting to B!tchFest Film Festival and Screenplay Contest you agree to our terms and conditions and to receive marketing newsletters, film festival discounts, and updates relative to this contest and any affiliated sources in the Whoever submits a project shall hold harmless B!tchFest Film Festival and Screenplay Contest and its judges and associates from and against any and all claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses (including but not limited to attorney's fees, and costs of the court) which may be incurred by reason of any claim involving copyright, credits, publicity, trademark, screening, and loss of or damage to any materials submitted to our festival.
Notification of Winners and Official Selections will be sent by email and posted on our website BitchFestLA.com. It is the entrant(s) responsibility to provide us with current contact information for notification purposes and to keep the submission service updated. B!tchFest Film Festival and Screenplay Contest has no responsibility for correspondence that is misdirected as a result of the entrant(s) failure to provide us with current and correct contact information or that is sent to spam or junk mail folders.
Should an entrant win an award at B!tchFest Film Festival and Screenplay Contest, they will receive the award in-person at the Festival Awards Ceremony in Los Angeles. If not present, it is up to the recipient to arrange for a representative to receive the award on the submitters behalf. If a representative of the project is not at the festival in-person, no award will be presented. The festival is not required to ship awards to recipients who do not have a representative of the project present at the festival. However, shipping can be arranged on a case by case basis at the festival’s discretion.
B!tchFest Film Festival and Screenplay Contest and the employees and judges thereof, claims no ownership nor option on your work. All ownership and rights to screenplays and film projects submitted to this festival remains with the original rights holders.
All entrants understand and agree that there are a diverse amount of story contexts and ideas, and in no way is B!tchFest Film Festival and Screenplay Contest responsible, not now or in the future, for borrowing or stealing from an idea, copy written concept, or storyline from any film or screenplay entry.
Entrants grant B!tchFest Film Festival and Screenplay Contest permission to use their name, likeness, contact information provided, submitted work's title, logline, trailer, poster, and Grand Jury Results for publicity and promotional purposes. Contest participation signifies entrants' consent for B!tchFest Film Festival and Screenplay Contest, its agents, and contest sponsors to use their information for promotional purposes in any media, globally, without payment or consideration. All use of entrants’ information is in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
B!tchFest Film Festival & Screenplay Contest employs a panel of esteemed judges, consisting of industry professionals, to evaluate the submissions. Please understand that due to industry demands and schedules, the composition of our judging panel may evolve throughout the contest and evaluation process. B!tchFest Film Festival and Screenplay Contest reserves the right to add, change, or remove any members of the judging panel at anytime, while still ensuring the contest’s high-quality evaluation standards are consistently upheld.
By entering this contest, you authorize us to use any trusted third-party, online and cloud-based services and databases for hosting, organizing, tracking, managing, reviewing, and/or transmitting your submission file(s). B!tchFest Film Festival and Screenplay Contest cannot be held liable or financially responsible for any breaches in security with third-party, online and cloud-based services and databases used for managing this festival and its submissions, including but in no means limited to BitchfestLA.com and FilmFreeway services. By submitting to our festival, you are authorizing us to handle your film and/or screenplay using secure third party softwares.
Official Selections and Winners are responsible for their own personal travel and accommodation expenses to attend the festival. Award Winners will receive two complimentary tickets to the festival. All other cast and crew members must purchase event tickets in order to attend.
If a film or screenplay category winner does not respond to their status notification with requested materials and/or confirmation of participation by the requested response date, B!tchFest reserves the right to award a category finalist or runner-up in the winners place. We will still screen projects from submitters who are not able to attend the festival in person, but screeners must be delivered by the requested date in order to participate.
o Categories: Feature, Short, Music Video, TV Pilot Screenplay
Planet Female Global StoryFest
Planet Female Media embraces the female weavers of story from page to performance, screenplay to cinematic vision. This second year of the Planet Female Global StoryFest, Planet Female Media invites you, our dear sisters, to join our movement in a celebration of our Yin creativity, the divine tales and truths within us, and of our kindreds, all of which we access through living life, time and experience. She has something to say. We hear her. We have created a space for visual storytelling crafted by Women for Women and by those who identify as such. We are ethically mining the inexhaustible vault of feminine fable and fact to be shared, inspired by, and learned from. We believe strongly in fostering a platform for creativity, free speech and unity. Year One was a kaleidoscopic refection of our vision and we will continue to carefully review submissions and award the best in several categories. Having partnered with Westport MOCA - Museum of Contemporary Art, and Housatonic Community College, PFG StoryFest has expanded to two days, Friday, November 21, 2025 and Saturday November 22, 2025. Story Blocks will be showcased in spaces at each location culminating with an awards ceremony at Westport MoCA Saturday evening. With this expansion we are able to add 3 new categories - Short Feature Films (16-40 Minutes), Live Spoken Word, and Live Narrative Storytelling (Moth-style)
o When/Where: November 21-22
o Deadline: May 30 (Early Bird Deadline), June 30 (Regular Deadline), August 30 (Just Under the Wire Deadline)
o Application Fee: $20-$60
o Eligibility: To be considered by PFGSF for any of the Best of Festival Awards, at least one female or female identifying individual must be involved in creative leadership as screenwriter or director. If a female or female identifying individual is not in a creative leadership role, (screenwriter or director) the film's plot, subject, or main theme must be female centered. To be considered in a specific category other than best film or performance awards, there must be a female or female-identifying individual in the role. For Best Director, a female or female-identifying individual must be the film's Director.
o Categories: Short, Documentary Short, Animated Short
Imagine This Women's International Film Festival (ITWIFF)
Imagine This Women's International Film Festival (ITWIFF) is dedicated to empowering and showcasing the remarkable talent of independent and emerging women and non-binary filmmakers worldwide. Our core mission is to create a dynamic platform that amplifies their voices and celebrates their creative expressions. Prepare to be captivated by the 10th Edition of the Imagine This Women's Film Festival, where you'll be treated to an extraordinary lineup of fierce, daring, and original films crafted by exceptionally talented women and non-binary filmmakers and storytellers. This event promises not only a feast for your cinematic senses but also engaging Q&A sessions, enlightening educational panels, and thrilling special events, making it an exuberant celebration of creativity and empowerment. The primary goal of the Imagine This Women's Film Festival is to champion women by sharing their work with the public, advocating for equal opportunities for BIPOC women and the LGBTQIA+ community, offering avenues for educational and professional development, and serving as an invaluable resource and information network. ITWIFF enthusiastically invites submissions from women and non-binary filmmakers and storytellers who hold pivotal leadership positions. To be eligible for consideration, at least one woman must occupy key roles such as director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, editor, or lead actor, among others. Furthermore, ITWIFF embraces and actively encourages submissions from BIPOC women, LGBTQIA+ individuals, student filmmakers, and storytellers from diverse backgrounds. Our festival is committed to celebrating a wide spectrum of voices and perspectives, with the aim of showcasing the richness of talent from all walks of life. Join us in this exciting cinematic journey of empowerment and diversity at ITWIFF.
o When/Where: September 25-28
o Deadline: May 26 (Late Deadline), June 16 (Extended Deadline), July 7 (Final Deadline)
o Application Fee: $45-$90
o Eligibility: PLEASE ONLY SUBMIT TO ONE CATEGORY, THERE IS NO NEED TO SUBMIT TO MORE THAN ONE**
Please read this agreement carefully before you submit your film. By submitting your film, you expressly acknowledge and agree that you shall be bound by the terms of this agreement.
Screening Fees: Imagine This Women’s Film Festival is a non-profit organization and DOES NOT PAY SCREENING FEES FOR UNSOLICITED FILMS.*
Submission Details: Filmmakers need to provide accurate information about their film, including a brief synopsis, credits, production stills, promotional items, and any additional required materials. Please review to ensure all the information submitted is correct.
Promotional Materials: If available, please provide stills from the film, press materials, headshots, and filmography of the director, as well as black & white and/or color video trailer links from Vimeo and YouTube, and social media handles to help promote your selection. Please submit them with your application.
Copyright and Rights Clearance: Films must be free from any legal disputes, and the filmmaker should have obtained all necessary rights for music and exhibition.
Films that are publicly available online (free to screen) may be considered for exhibition during the Festival. Online private screenings through a festival’s online program do not count as publicly available online.
o Categories: Feature, Documentary, Short, TV Pilot
Reel Pride LGBTQ+ Film Festival
From grassroots beginnings in a Fresno State classroom, Fresno Reel Pride has evolved into the sixth oldest, and one of the largest, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ+) film festivals in the United States. Fresno Reel Pride is a celebration of LGBTQ+ cinema and is a premier cultural event in Central California attracting thousands of attendees, filmmakers and stars to its multi- day festival of international feature films, documentaries, and shorts. Fresno Reel Pride is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizatio
o When/Where: September 19-25
o Deadline: June 29 (Regular Deadline), July 27 (Late Deadline)
o Application Fee: $7-$20
o Categories: Feature, Short Films
Image Out Rochester LGBTQ Film Festival
ImageOut is a premier LGBTQ+ film festival in Rochester, NY. We present LGBTQ+ arts and cultural experiences showcasing films, other creative works and artists to promote awareness, foster dialogue and build community. ImageOut is recognized and respected as a major arts and cultural organization in New York State, celebrating and bringing visibility to LGBTQ+ artists and themed work. This year, we are hosting our 33rd annual Fall Film Festival on October 9-19, 2025. We are also hosting our 5th annual First Cut Film Festival on April 24-29, 2025. ImageOut is an Iris Prize partner and is one of the few select LGBTQ+ film festivals from around the world who can outrightly nominate a film for the Iris Prize Shorts Film Competition in Cardiff, Wales. It is one of the richest shorts film competition in the world.
o When/Where: October 9-19
o Deadline: July 25 (Regular Deadline), August 15 (Extended Deadline) September 5 (Late Deadline)
o Application Fee: $7.50-$30
o Eligibility: All films submitted with LGBTQ+ content will be considered for the film lineup selection. Submission fees are non-refundable. Rochester is home to a large hard-of-hearing and deaf community. We encourage filmmakers to provide closed captioning for their films. If your film includes captions (as opposed to subtitles), please contact us for a fee waiver code. Films selected for the lineup are all eligible for the Jury and Audience awards. Submissions should ideally be film works from the last couple of years. Please contact us if your title is older than two years.
o Categories: Feature, Short
San Diego Asian Film Festival
Since 2000, the San Diego Asian Film Festival has been one of the premier platforms for Asian American cinema and has grown into the largest showcase of Asian and Pacific Islander cinema in the western United States. The festival is borne out of the love for independent film and the desire to showcase the diverse Pan Asian experience through film and other arts. SDAFF supports both Asian and non-Asian artists by giving them a venue to showcase their work, and it gives the community access to quality films that otherwise would never show in San Diego.
o When/Where: November 6-15
o Deadline: April 21 (Regular Deadline), June 2 (Late Deadline), June 23 (Extended Deadline: Shorts), July 14 (Extended Deadline: Features)
o Application Fee: $40-$60
o Eligibility: Films/videos entered into competition must be directed or principally acted by an artist of Asian or Pacific Islander descent, or contain subject matter relating to Asian or Pacific Islander cultures or communities. Clarify questions of eligibility prior to submission of entry.
Entries must have been completed after August 1, 2022. For feature-length films, the date of first public premiere (if any) must be after October 1, 2022.
Feature length entries cannot have been previously exhibited in San Diego at another film festival or commercial venue, or be available for broadcast, home video, or online for American audiences, before Nov. 20, 2023.
Each project entered into competition must pay an entry fee. There is no limit to the number of qualifying entries by any entrant so long as an entry form and fee accompanies each entry.
Non-English dialogue must be subtitled in English.
Films/videos cannot be re-entered into competition if previously rejected by the San Diego Asian Film Festival.
Entrants shall obtain all licenses, royalties, and permits necessary to present their work. Entry will assume all costs arising from the use of patented, trademarked, franchised, or copyrighted music, materials, devices, processes, or dramatic rights used in production of work.
Short films previously exhibited on the Internet are eligible for entry.
o Categories: Feature, Short, Documentary, Documentary Short
Women’s Comedy Film Festival in Atlanta
The Women's Comedy Film Festival in Atlanta is a theatrical screening event in Atlanta for independent films featuring female filmmakers, actors, directors, writers and producers from all over the world. This is an amazing opportunity to showcase the talent of female directors, writers, actors, and everything in between right here in one of the world's fastest growing film communities. The Women's Comedy Film Festival also recognizes exceptional filmmaking and screenwriting with awards and nominations by our judging panel. Submit your film if you meet AT LEAST ONE of the following requirements:
o When/Where: March 15, 2025
o Deadline: April 30 (April Early Deadline), May 31 (Spring Early Deadline), July 31 (Summer Early Deadline), August 31 (Labor Day Deadline), September 30 (Fall Early Deadline), November 30 (Regular Deadline), December 31 (Late Deadline), January 31 (Final Deadline)
o Application Fee: $22.50-$50
o Eligibility: Script writers, in addition to submitting your script to the festival we also provide optional script coverage. Script coverage with our festival includes the price of your submission fee. Your work will be analyzed by a Cinema Life filmmaker who's produced award-winning films, has extensive writing experience, and also understands the indie way of filmmaking.
o Categories: Feature, Animated, Documentary, Comedy Short
Peach Theatre and Film Festival
The PEACH Theatre and Film Intl. Festival is a unique and rare experience that merge two beautiful genres of arts and entertainment. Both theatre and film, showcasing a series of short films and selected plays, in one of the world's most famous cities, internationally known for being the home of entertainment. Los Angeles, California. Our mission is to select films and plays based on content, quality, and merit. It is also our volition to honor the creatives selected, with integrity and respect for their hard work, discipline and sacrifice to get their productions completed and ready for display. As playwrights, filmmakers and entertainment professionals ourselves, we understand what it takes, and for that reason, we salute you! Continue history with us!
o When/Where: November 12
o Deadline: April 5 (Early Bird Deadline), June 10 (Regular Deadline), September 25 (Late Deadline)
o Application Fee: $35-$55
o Eligibility: Trailers must be included in your FilmFreeway submission, to be considered for official selection.
We do not accept student films or "Works in progress."
Films must have been released, no earlier than January '2020
Those who submit films, must own the rights to the film, own the rights or have proper clearance for the original or selected music featured in the film, and footage.
All Non English films submitted, must include English captions.
This festival reserves the right to make amendments/revisions to the event itinerary, or postpone due to possible/forthcoming COVID-19 restrictions.
By submitting: You consent for our festival to use still shots and/or footage from your play or film, for promotional purposes.
We do not pay screening fees to films selected to screen in our festival.
o Categories: Short Film
The Women’s Independent Film Festival
The Women's Independent Film Festival is a chance to share and celebrate greatness in the world of female filmmaking. Our incredible community ranges from directors, to producers, to screenwriters, to actors, to content creators! Whatever the medium: We build this festival to shed light, deliver opportunity and celebrate the achievements of women in the world of filmmaking, storytelling and beyond! We're going into our 3rd year celebrating the Women's Independent Film Festival and we're so excited for this year's work, partnerships, competitions and more. Whether a finalist or not, all officially selected filmmakers will be invited to join us at the Women's Independent Film Festival for screenings, networking, resources, collaboration, learning, partnerships and for our official premieres and awards ceremony blocks. The Women's Independent Film Festival was created to encourage female content creators with unique backgrounds to share their stories/ The festival will promote the work of women filmmakers and recognize them globally for their achievements in film. Women have to be involved in the creation of ALL submitted films! That can be either as directors, producers, writers, performers, etc. Just as long as they were involved in the creation of the submitted work.
o When/Where: October 9-12
o Deadline: March 31 (March Deadline), April 30 (April Deadline), May 31 (May Deadline), June 30 (June Deadline), July 31 (Regular Deadline), September 1 (Final Deadline)
o Application Fee: $10-$60
o Eligibility: All entries should be sent via FilmFreeway with a secure online screener. Each accepted film must be submitted in the .mp4 or .mov format, preferably. By submitting to the festival you confirm that you own the rights of the film, including the rights to the music in the film. By submitting to the festival you give consent to the festival programming staff to screen your work in front of the private audience of the Women's Independent Film Festival community. There is no minimum running time. Films must have been completed on or after Jan 1st, 2019. All genres are welcome Filmmakers may submit multiple entries as long as each film is submitted with its own Entry Form, online screener and paid Entry Fee.
o Categories: Shorts, Feature Film, Documentary, Animated
Chelsea Film Festival
The Chelsea Film Festival (CFF) has been selected in the "TOP 10 BEST FILM FESTIVAL IN NORTH AMERICA" (#6) by USA Today in 2019 among 19 other film festivals in the USA.CFF is an organization dedicated to supporting films and the artists who create them by providing a creative forum for exchange and discovery with the public. The Festival attracts filmmakers, artists and audience members from across North America and around the globe. It premieres independent feature-length, documentaries and short films with a Global Focus. Chelsea Film Festival aims to raise an awareness about foreign independent films and discover upcoming talents. The Chelsea Film Festival is an international film platform for world lovers.
o When/Where: October 15-29
o Deadline: March 31 (Official Deadline), May 31 (Late Deadline), July 6 (Extended Deadline)
o Application Fee: $9-$100
o Eligibility: Entries must be New York City premieres and have been completed in 2021 or 2022. Films shown in other festivals or public screenings in New York are not eligible for consideration. Contact us directly at info@chelseafilm.org if your film is a WORLD PREMIERE.
o Categories: Feature, Short, Documentary, Documentary Short, Animation
Los Angeles Asian Film Festival
Los Angeles Asian Film Awards, originally called Las Vegas Asian Film Awards (LVAFA), was an independent festival that resides beneath the umbrella of AOF MegaFest, which is in its 19th year, is the largest film event of its kind in the world. Held in Las Vegas at the Premiere Theaters and Locations, the show regularly exceeds 20,000 guests and attendees. After a first successful annual event in Las Vegas with the legendary AOF MegaFest in summer 2021, it moved to Los Angeles, the center of the world film industry. Opportunities at Los Angeles Asian Film Awards are literally like no other in the world; Los Angeles Asian Film Awards can put more resources together and offer a wide variety of industry guests, seminar speakers, and panelists. We invite you to join festival director, Award-Winning Filmmaker and Writer Lureen Wu and honorable judge, director Roger Christiansen ("Friends," "Hannah Montana," "Tango Down") as they bring you a selection of pure Asian Cinema for Screenings and Awards. The situation surrounding COVID-19 has caused much pain in the film and entertainment industries, and no group has been affected more than Asian Filmmakers, Writers, and Creators. The Los Angeles Asian Film Awards is a hub and platform for Asian filmmakers to have their works seen and voices heard. Festival Director Lureen Wu was born and raised in Shanghai, China. She worked as a TV director in Shanghai for years, including TV documentaries, TV commercials, celebrity talk shows, and music videos. Early in her career in Shanghai, Lureen worked with the Emmy Award-winning television interviewer, Nancy Merrill, in the English talk show "Nancy Merrill: Minds of Millionaires" on the international channel of Shanghai TV Station(SMG) and CCTV NEWS. After moving to the United States, Lureen continued pursuing her career in film. She worked with filmmakers who are part of some best-known movies and TV shows such as Friends, Les Misérables（2012), The Big Bang Theory, Saw, Sex and The City, Iron Man 2, Grey's Anatomy, The Princess Diaries, Stranger Things, Game of Thrones......Our Festival is open to ALL Asian filmmakers, talents, and writers of all genres and lengths.
o When/Where: December 13
o Deadline: March 31 (Early Bird Deadline), May 31 (Regular Early Deadline), June 30 (Regular Deadline), July 31 (Regular Late Deadline), August 31 (Late Deadline), September 30 (Extended Deadline) November 15 (Final Deadline)
o Application Fee: $40-$55
o Eligibility: We are Accepting submissions for feature Narrative and Documentary, short Narrative and Documentary, Music Videos, TV Commercials, short/feature scripts. All genres are welcome. The festival programming staff will place your film in the appropriate category. To Enter for Competition your film or Project must have a writer, producer, talent or director of Asian descent in order to be eligible for awards.
o Categories: Feature, Short, Documentary, Documentary Short, Animation
Manhattan Short Film Festival
During one week of the year over 100,000 film-lovers gather in over 500 Cinemas across 6 Continents to view and vote on the Finalists Films' in the 25th Annual MANHATTAN SHORT Film Festival - MANHATTAN SHORT is more than just one of the largest short film festivals in the world....it's the World's First Global Film Festival. If making short films is about getting your work out there, nothing compares to MANHATTAN SHORT.
o When/Where: September 25 - October 5
o Deadline: July 31 (Regular Deadline)
o Application Fee: $30-$50
o Eligibility: Films Must Be 20 Minutes and Under in Length.
o Categories: Short Film, Screenplay, Music Video
WRPN Women's International Film Festival
Welcome to the WRPN Women's International Film Festival, where distribution and feedback opportunities abound for films made by women or films that carry subjects relating to concerns about women's issues. WWIFF is a sister festival to the Depth of Field International Film Festival, a FilmFreeway “Top 100 Reviewed” festival alumni. Distribution: over the years, our sister festivals have sent hundreds of films and screenplays to 3 established Distribution companies who have already signed contracts with dozens of our filmmakers. WWIFF now operates with that same advantage! These distributors do not take unsolicited submissions; your top award-winning with WWIFF gets you into our private distributor review group. This is a Free Service provided exclusively to our top winners. Don’t forget Feedback: The one element most festivals ignore.
o When/Where: May 9, 2026
o Deadline: January 31 (Regular Deadline), March 31 (Late Deadline), May 31 (Extended Deadline), August 31 (Last Chance Deadline)
o Application Fee: $36-$80
o Eligibility: While WWIFF is a female-focused film festival, we will also accept films produced and/or directed by men if one or more self-identifying top production members are female (including but not limited to cinematographers, producers, writers, editors, or films featuring a strong female presence on screen). We will not exclude films directed by men if the topic is significant to women and women's issues. WWIFF is granted the right to use an excerpt from any film submitted and accepted for competition at the festival for promotional purposes. A clip of winning entries may also be streamed on the WWIFF.COM website and WRPN.TV.
o Categories: Feature, Short, Documentary, Screenplay
The Women’s Independent Film & Television Festival
The Women's Independent Film & Television Festival is a chance to share and celebrate greatness in the world of female filmmaking. Our incredible community ranges from directors, to producers, to screenwriters, to actors, to content creators! Whatever the medium: We build this festival to shed light, deliver opportunity and celebrate the achievements of women in the world of filmmaking, storytelling and beyond! We're going into our 3rd year celebrating The Women's Independent Film & Television Festival and we're so excited for this year's work, partnerships, competitions and more. Whether a finalist or not, all officially selected filmmakers will be invited to join us at the Women's Independent Film Awards for screenings, networking, resources, collaboration, learning, partnerships and for our official premieres and awards ceremony blocks. The Women's Independent Film & Television Festival was created to encourage female content creators with unique backgrounds to share their stories/ The festival will promote the work of women filmmakers and recognize them globally for their achievements in film. Women have to be involved in the creation of ALL submitted films! That can be either as directors, producers, writers, performers, etc. Just as long as they were involved in the creation of the submitted work.
o When/Where: October 9-12
o Deadline: November 30 (November Deadline), January 31 (January Deadline), March 1 (February Deadline), March 31 (March Deadline), April 30 (April Deadline), May 31 (May Deadline), June 30 (Regular Deadline), July 31 (Regular Deadline), September 1 (Final Deadline)
o Application Fee: $10-52
o Eligibility: All entries should be sent via FilmFreeway with a secure online screener.
Each accepted film must be submitted in the .mp4 or .mov format, preferably.
By submitting to the festival you confirm that you own the rights of the film, including the rights to the music in the film.
By submitting to the festival you give consent to the festival programming staff to screen your work in front of the private audience of the Women's Independent Film Festival community.
There is no minimum running time.
Submission fees are non-refundable
Films must have been completed on or after Jan 1st, 2019.
All genres are welcome
Filmmakers may submit multiple entries as long as each film is submitted with its own Entry Form, online screener and paid Entry Fee.
o Categories: Short Film, Feature Film, Documentary, Experimental
Atlanta Women’s Film Festival
The Atlanta Women's Film Festival is a live screening of short films and table read events that takes place in Atlanta, GA. This event is an amazing opportunity to promote female filmmakers, directors, writers, producers, actors, and female-centered storylines to our incredibly supportive film community. There will be live screening blocks of films with Q&As with the filmmakers, table reads for the screenplays in our competition, live panels with influential women in the film industry, and networking events for anyone that would like to attend. Script writers, in addition to submitting your script to the festival we also provide optional script coverage. Script coverage with our festival includes the price of your submission fee. Your work will be analyzed by a Cinema Life filmmaker who’s produced award-winning films, has extensive writing experience, and also understands the indie way of filmmaking.
o When/Where: October 12
o Deadline: November 30 (Early Bird Deadline), December 31 (Holiday Deadline), January 31 (New Year Deadline), February 28 (Regular Deadline), March 31 (Spring Deadline), April 30 (Late Deadline), May 31 (Extended Late Deadline), July 31 (Final Deadline)
o Application Fee: $15-60
o Eligibility: Please fully fill out your submission profile to avoid hold-ups in the judging process. Points may be taken off of overall scores for incomplete profiles.
o Categories: Short Film, Feature Film, Documentary, Animated, Music Video, Podcast
The Women’s Independent Film Festival
The Women's Independent Film Festival is a chance to share and celebrate greatness in the world of female filmmaking. Our incredible community ranges from directors, to producers, to screenwriters, to actors, to content creators! Whatever the medium: We build this festival to shed light, deliver opportunity and celebrate the achievements of women in the world of filmmaking, storytelling and beyond! We're going into our 3rd year celebrating the Women's Independent Film Festival and we're so excited for this year's work, partnerships, competitions and more. Whether a finalist or not, all officially selected filmmakers will be invited to join us at the Women's Independent Film Festival for screenings, networking, resources, collaboration, learning, partnerships and for our official premieres and awards ceremony blocks. The Women's Independent Film Festival was created to encourage female content creators with unique backgrounds to share their stories/ The festival will promote the work of women filmmakers and recognize them globally for their achievements in film. Women have to be involved in the creation of ALL submitted films! That can be either as directors, producers, writers, performers, etc. Just as long as they were involved in the creation of the submitted work.
o When/Where: October 9-12 2025
o Deadline: October 30 (October Deadline), November 30 (November Deadline), January 31 (January Deadline), March 1 (February Deadline), March 31 (March Deadline), April 30 (April Deadline), May 31 (May Deadline), June 30 (June Deadline), July 31 (Regular Deadline), September 1 (Final Deadline)
o Application Fee: $10-$60
o Eligibility: All entries should be sent via FilmFreeway with a secure online screener. Each accepted film must be submitted in the .mp4 or .mov format, preferably. By submitting to the festival you confirm that you own the rights of the film, including the rights to the music in the film. By submitting to the festival you give consent to the festival programming staff to screen your work in front of the private audience of the Women's Independent Film Festival community. There is no minimum running time. Films must have been completed on or after Jan 1st, 2019. All genres are welcome Filmmakers may submit multiple entries as long as each film is submitted with its own Entry Form, online screener and paid Entry Fee.
o Categories: Shorts, Feature Film, Documentary, Animated
Onscreen
Jezelin
Casting several roles for "Jezelin," a psychological horror prequel set in the 70s.
o Roles: Various
o Rate: Roles paying up to $1,080.00
Offscreen
New York International Screenplay Awards
New York International Screenplay Awards is an international screenplay competition for screenwriters who aspire to connect with the US industry workers and explore the US markets. NYISA winners will be connected to the US film industry by the valued Sponsors; InkTip, Script Mailer, R2W2 talent & project accelerator/ consulting, Script Reader Pro, Screenwriting Software Final Draft!, And much more!
o When/Where: May 7
o Deadline: July 7 (Early Bird Deadline), November 24 (Regular Deadline), February 9 (Late Deadline), April 13 (Extended Deadline)
o Application Fee: $18-$60
o Eligibility: All scripts must be submitted in English, formatted in 12-point courier font.
Entry fees must be paid in U.S. dollars. Entry in the competition is void where prohibited by law.
Screenplays written by up to four people may be entered in the contest. Only one entry fee is required for such entries. All writers' names should be listed on the online entry. All writers must authorize the submission of the entry. If a screenplay is written by multiple authors, prizes will be divided at the writers' discretion.
All entries must be uploaded in PDF format. (www.freepdfconcert.com)
Entrants to the NYISA retain all rights to their screenplays.
Entries must be received by the applicable Entry Deadline.
Once a script has been entered into the competition, we will not accept substitutions or revised drafts. If you wish to submit a revised draft of your script, you must enter it as a new submission.
NYISA will not share your screenplay with anyone except the official judges of the competition.
By entering the NYISA, you represent that your entry is your original work, and does not infringe on the copyright or other rights of other people.
Entry fees are non-refundable.
We do not accept hardcopy submissions by mail.
Submissions must be the original work of the applicant. Entries may be adapted from the applicant's own work.
The decisions of the judges are final.
NYISA reserves the right to make any necessary changes, postponements, or cancellations to event scheduling at our discretion.
Notification of winners and official finalists will be sent by email and posted on our website. It is the responsibility of the winners to redeem any prizes allotted to them by the NYISA or our sponsors. Applicants will be responsible for providing current contact information and mailing addresses for prize redemption purposes.
Feature screenplays must be between 41 and 150 pages in length.
Short screenplays must be between 1 and 40 pages in length. Please email us if you have a longer screenplay that you would like to submit.There is no limit to the number of screenplays you may submit.
Under absolutely no circumstances will substitutions of either corrected pages or new drafts of the entry screenplay(s) be made. Screenplays will not be returned.
Screenplay titles cannot be changed upon resubmission under any circumstances.
o Categories: Feature, Short, TV Pilot
New York Screenwriting Awards
New York Screenwriting Awards, is an international screenplay competition based in New York. Screenwriters who would need recognition to be able to contact agents and producers can submit their screenplays. New York Screenwriting Awards has four editions per year. Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter editions. Winners will be announced on the NewY work Screenwriting Awards website, via emails, and FilmFreeway. Winners of each category will receive a prestigious digital certificate and the official laurel. New York Screenwriting Awards has been run by MAE Media House, one of the most prestigious creative writing consultancies in New York, since 2015.
o When/Where: September 20
o Deadline: July 5 (Early Bird Deadline), August 15 (Regular Deadline), September 15 (Extended Deadline)
o Application Fee: $18-$60
o Eligibility: Trailers must be included in your FilmFreeway submission, to be considered for official selection.
We do not accept student films or "Works in progress."
Films must have been released, no earlier than January '2020
Those who submit films, must own the rights to the film, own the rights or have proper clearance for the original or selected music featured in the film, and footage.
All Non English films submitted, must include English captions.
This festival reserves the right to make amendments/revisions to the event itinerary, or postpone due to possible/forthcoming COVID-19 restrictions.
By submitting: You consent for our festival to use still shots and/or footage from your play or film, for promotional purposes.
We do not pay screening fees to films selected to screen in our festival.
o Categories: Short Film
The Women Talking to Women About Anything Other than a Man Screenplay Contest
Film is frustratingly still focused on men talking or talking about men. The Women Talking to Women About Anything Other than a Man Screenplay Contest is simple: write a short screenplay of 15 pages or less in which the female/gender diverse characters talk about something that’s not a man. Genre, subject matter, themes, and all the creative choices are up to you! Open to writers of all experience levels, this contest gives writers of every gender the opportunity to share their creativity through inclusive storytelling. In a film industry where such perspectives are often overlooked, this contest provides an important platform for diverse storytelling, encouraging fresh narratives and challenging traditional norms in filmmaking.
o When/Where: September 2
o Deadline: June 6 (Regular Deadline), July 27 (Late Deadline)
o Application Fee: $15-$25
o Eligibility: Format: All submissions must be in standard screenplay format, using a 12-point Courier font, with proper industry-standard page layout and margins.
File Type: Submit your screenplay as a PDF document only.
Page Count: Screenplays should be no more than 15 pages, not including the title page.
Standard title pages should be included: listing the script title, name of author(s), telephone number, and email address. Applicants will not be disqualified if it is not included.
Under no circumstances should the writer include name or contact information within the body of the script.
Content Requirements:
Originality: All submitted scripts must be original works, not previously produced or published in any form, and not adapted from another writer’s work (regardless of whether or not they have the underlying rights to said work), and not containing any content generated by AI.
Genre: While all genres are accepted, in order to conform with the rules of this contest, you must have:
Dialogue: At least two characters who are women (who identify as women or gender diverse), talk to each other in at least one scene, about something OTHER than a man, or men.
Scripts that have been sold, produced for a profit, or are currently under option are not eligible.
Adaptations of works in the public domain are permissible.
Writers retain the rights to their screenplay. If the writer so desires to protect their work, it is their sole responsibility to register material to be submitted with the U.S. Copyright Office and/or with the Writer’s Guild of America or the appropriate agency in their country.
There are no refunds for any reason after submission. The writer understands and accepts without reservation that they are an independent contractor, and that Administrators are not responsible for withholding any taxes or payments to any government agency, at any level, be it state, local or federal.
To submit your materials and be considered you must agree to the Rules.
o Categories: Short Narrative Script
New York Script Awards
𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐘𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐭 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 is an 𝐈𝐌𝐃𝐛-𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥 that presents the best screenwriters in the world. As one of the few screenwriting competitions, it organizes the LIVE TABLE READING category, where the best screenplay will be read by professional actors and director Ronika Merl, with the participation of the winning screenwriter.
o When/Where: August 4-6
o Deadline: June 5 (Late Deadline), July 17 (Final Deadline)
o Application Fee: $54-99
o Eligibility: All scripts must be in English.
Multiple entries from the same submitter are accepted.
The decision of the festival selection committee will be final.
Scripts that are submitted must be the entrant’s original work and shall not infringe on any copyrights or any other rights of any third parties.
The organizers reserve the right not to award any or all of the prizes.
Organizers have the right to use film posters or your photos on public social networks to promote your project and our festival.
By submitting your project, you agree to receive marketing emails from our partner festivals.
o Categories: Feature, Short, TV Pilot, Screenplay, Treatment
Script Awards Los Angeles
Since 2016, we awarded 167 authors and selected an additional 563 authors. We reward ideas, talent, and narrative structure. The script is the core of any project. We want to enlighten the unique talent of writing and the original skill of storytelling, regardless of the genre and style. The Script Awards Los Angeles is an International script and authors competition. The contest was previously named the Script Showcase.
o When/Where: July 30
o Deadline: June 4 (Deadline 5), June 25 (Deadline 6), July 22 (Deadline 7)
o Application Fee: $5-80
o Eligibility: Every submission MUST come with: at least a logline or best: a 10 lines synopsis (in "overview"), an author biography, City / State. THESE ELEMENTS ARE MANDATORY Cherry on top: a writer's note or short letter of intent is greatly appreciated by the judges.
o Categories: Feature, Short
Swordfish Productions Pictures
Swordfish Productions Pictures is interviewing for the following Crew positions for an $80,000 Live-Action Short in New York.
o Roles: DP/Lighting, Picture Editor/Color, Sound Recorder/Mixer/Editor, Script Sup/Production Designer, 1stAD, Wardrobe/Hair/Makeup, Crafty, 2 PAs.
o Submission Guidelines: Please email 1-2 page Current Resume with 2 Biz Refs all contact info to SPECIALFILM@gmail.com.
Hollywood Storytellers Script Competition
The Hollywood Storytellers Script Competition (formerly The LA International Script Competition) is an annual event where outstanding Feature, Short, and TV Pilot Scripts are evaluated and placed in our all-inclusive genre contest. One writer from each genre and medium will be awarded the genre winner of their respective category. One feature screenplay writer, one short screenplay writer, and one TV pilot script writer will advance and receive the overall "grand prize winner" title. Call for entries open in January and close in November with announcements and subsequent information to follow. If you have a produced script, we'd be delighted to invite you to submit to our sister competition: The Hollywood Storytellers Film Festival
o When/Where: March 21-22
o Application Fee: $28-80
o Deadline: May 31 (Regular Deadline), July 31 (Extended Deadline), September 30 (Last Call Deadline), November 2 (Final Deadline)
o Categories: Feature Script, Short Script
Torch Literary Arts
Torch Literary Arts welcomes submissions of original creative work by Black women writers. We are interested in work that challenges and disrupts preconceived notions of what contemporary writing by Black women should be. Your stories and poems are valuable and necessary. Write freely and submit what you are excited to share with the world. Submissions are accepted for Friday Features only. We accept submissions on a rolling basis. Simultaneous submissions to other journals are welcome as long as they are identified as such and we are notified immediately upon acceptance elsewhere.
o Deadline: Rolling Basis
o Application Fee: No Fee
o Eligibility: Include a one (1) page cover letter noting the title(s) of the work(s) submitted.
Upload your text submission as a Word (DOC, DOCX) or portable document format/PDF (PDF).
Typed, double-spaced (poetry may be single-spaced) pages.
Numbered pages.
Margins should be set at no less than 1” and no greater than 1.5”.
Poetry: submit up to five (5) poems totaling no more than eight (8) pages.
Fiction, Hybrid genre: 12-point font. No more than ten (10) pages or 2500 words (whichever is achieved first). Excerpts of longer works are welcome if self-contained.
Drama/Screenwriting: submit one act or a collection of short scenes no longer than ten (10) pages. Excerpts of longer works are welcome if self-contained. Indicate if a performance video or dramatic audio reading will be available with the text submission if selected.
Restrictions: We do not reprint previously published work for TORCH Friday Features.
o Categories: Scripts
A24
Based in NY and LA, A24 is the Academy Award-winning film and TV studio behind feature films such as Minari, Midsommar, Moonlight, Ex Machina, Uncut Gems, and this summer’s Zola and The Green Knight. A24 TV productions include the Emmy-winning series Euphoria for HBO starring Zendaya, Hulu series Ramy from Golden Globe-winner Ramy Youssef, the eponymous variety series from viral comedy sensation Ziwe for Showtime, the forthcoming Joseph Gordon-Levitt Apple series Mr. Corman, and the Netflix anthology series Beef starring Oscar nominee Steven Yeun and Ali Wong.
o Seeking: Various Roles
o Location: Los Angeles, CA & New York, NY
o Website: https://a24films.com/jobs
The Kate Spade New York Foundation
o To honor Kate Spade’s legacy of empowering and inspiring women and girls, the National Council for Behavioral Health is excited to provide complimentary Mental Health First Aid training to communities throughout the five boroughs of New York City and New Jersey and in partnership with organizations that specifically support these populations.
What is Mental Health First Aid?
Just as CPR helps you assist an individual having a heart attack, Mental Health First Aid helps you assist someone experiencing a mental health or substance use-related crisis. In the Mental Health First Aid course, you learn risk factors and warning signs for mental health and addiction concerns, strategies for how to help someone in both crisis and non-crisis situations, and where to turn for help.
The National Council for Behavioral Health shares Kate Spade New York Foundation’s belief in “the power of women to transform their communities” through empowerment. In support of this mission, we are offering through a competitive application process, select Mental Health First Aid and Youth Mental Health First Aid training, fully funded!
o Location: New York, NY
o Website
Funding
Roy W. Dean Grants
Now entering its fourth decade, the Roy W. Dean Film Grants fund independent feature films, documentaries, web series, and short films with budgets of $500,000 or less that are unique and make a contribution to society that, without its help, might otherwise never get made.
o Deadline: April 29 (Short Film Grant), June 30th (Roy W Grant - Summer), October 31 (Roy W Grant - Fall), November 30 (Carole Dorothy Joyce Grant)
o Application Fee: None
o Eligibility: We want a one page synopsis (or outline) of the film and the first 10 pages of your script. Please be sure also include the following:
Style, format and approach to the material, including any distinct visual or technical elements.
What are your plans for distribution?
Are you the producer, director, what?
How is this project unique and how does this project benefit society?
What is your relationship to the material?
List name and position of proposed key production personnel (producer, director, cinematographer, editor, etc.) List their relevant experience or credits.
o Contact: artistdevelopment@filmindependent.org
Artslink International Fellowship
The ArtsLink International Fellowship program prioritizes applicants whose social practices seek to actively engage communities on issues related to the current climate emergency and human rights. We will actively encourage artists and arts leaders whose work is making a vital contribution to furthering people’s awareness, understanding, and active participation in environmental and/or social justice issues. Additionally, we will prioritize artists recently displaced from or still working in Afghanistan and Ukraine.
o Deadline: Letter of Inquiry deadline will be announced in January 2025 Fellowships take place in 2026: online research in May and in person residencies in the US in October-November
o Application Fee: None
o Eligibility: CEC ArtsLink welcomes applications from contemporary artists, curators, and arts leaders whose work is shaped by community engagement and social practice strategies, and informed by our most urgent local and global issues. We welcome applications from artists of any generation and invite those with both traditional and non-traditional artistic backgrounds. Applicants must be citizens of one of our network countries. If you are living outside the region, please indicate where you are currently based. Please note that an ability to communicate both verbally and in written English will be essential to success in the program. Undergraduate students and research scholars are not eligible. Arts leaders/curators must be affiliated with an arts organization in the non-commercial sector or work as individual independent arts professionals. Artists seeking placement in commercial firms are ineligible. ArtsLink International Fellows from prior years are not eligible to reapply.
Sloan Distribution Grant
The Sloan Distribution Grant is a $50,000 grant awarded by Film Independent to a film that is entering its distribution phase. Eligible films must depict themes, stories and characters grounded in real science, technology or economics.
o Deadline: Rolling
o Application Fee: $65
o Eligibility: Applicants must be the producer of a narrative fiction feature film.The film should prominently feature science, mathematics and/or technology in the story and/or have a leading character that is a scientist, engineer or mathematician. Films with innovative marketing and distribution plans are encouraged to apply. All submitted films must be at least 70 minutes in length. Applicants must be legal residents of the United States. Film must be entering its distribution phase.
o Contact: artistdevelopment@filmindependent.org
Panavision New Filmmaker Program
Panavision believes in helping students and beginning filmmakers achieve their dreams. More than 25 years ago, Panavision launched the New Filmmaker Program, an ongoing grant program that loans camera packages to film schools, training programs, and independent filmmakers – at little or no charge. Panavision’s commitment to the industry's future provides student and beginning filmmakers the opportunity to work with professional grade equipment early in their careers.
o Deadline: Rolling
o Application Fee: Free
o Eligibility: Submit your proposals at least two months before you plan to shoot. Due to the high demand for Panavision cameras and equipment, it is essential that you plan ahead and contact us early.
Proposal materials will not be returned.
The New Filmmaker Program does not discriminate as to the nature of the project that can receive equipment grants. Any form, from experimental to documentary to musical to traditional narrative, is welcome.
Camera grants are available only for productions in the United States. Customs laws make transportation of cameras out of the US prohibitive. No exceptions.
The New Filmmaker Program will not allow cameras to be used on projects that perpetuate racial or sexual stereotypes and prejudices. Pornography is absolutely unacceptable.
Grant recipients must obtain insurance from an outside insurance agent. Students can generally have the school issue the necessary policies. Plan ahead! This can take several weeks to implement. The process varies from school to school, so check with your film department. Productions that are not attached to a school must obtain the necessary insurance from an independent broker. Panavision must receive proof of insurance two weeks prior to prep dates. EQUIPMENT WILL NOT LEAVE THE BUILDING WITHOUT PROPER INSURANCE. NO EXCEPTIONS!
Approved proposals are subject to a service fee for equipment.
Anamorphic lenses are not available via the New Filmmaker Program
All gear is requests are subject to availability
o Contact: nfp@panavision.com
Catapult Film Fund
Catapult Film Fund provides development funding to documentary filmmakers who have a compelling story to tell, have secured access to their story, and are ready to shoot and edit a piece for production fundraising purposes. Our mission is to enable filmmakers to develop their films to the next level at a moment where funding is hard to find.
o Deadline: Rolling
o Application Fee: Free
o Eligibility: Applicants must be 18 years of age or older. Catapult does not fund student films.
Documentaries must be 28 minutes or longer in length. We do not fund series.
Animation is okay. Documentary/narrative hybrids will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Development funds must specifically be used for the process of completing a fundraising piece, which may include writing, shooting and editing once story and characters are in place.
Applicants must own the copyright of their production, and have artistic, budgetary and editorial control over their project.
Applicants should preferably have previous film or television production experience in a principal role (director, co-director, producer, co-producer) as demonstrated by submitting a previously completed work sample.
Applicants who have not yet produced or directed their own feature length documentary should demonstrate that they will be working with an experienced filmmaker in a principal role.
Catapult only makes grants to 501(c)(3) organizations. In most cases, this will mean getting a 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor for the project. A film production company or individual, including applicants from outside the US, may submit an application without a fiscal sponsor in place. Please see the FAQ section for more details.
o Contact: info@catapultfilmfund.org
Residencies
18th Street Arts Center
18th Street Arts Center values art making as an essential component of a vibrant, just, and healthy society. Its mission is “to provoke public dialogue through contemporary art making.” Founded in 1988, 18th Street Arts Center has fostered and supported the work of many of Los Angeles’ most engaging artists, and has built bridges to artist communities around the globe.
o Deadline: Ongoing
o Application Fee: Yes
o When: Ongoing
o Eligibility: The Visiting Artist Residency Program accepts applications from working, professional artists who demonstrate a deep commitment to their practices. The program is open to artists of all generations, nationalities, and disciplines. Applicants are required to cover studio rental costs themselves. Although we primarily support visual artists, 18th Street Arts Center will consider applications from performing artists, writers, and filmmakers as well.
o Address: 1639 18th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90404
o Contact: 310-453-3711
Other Resources
NOTE: For more resources, visit our pages of Resources - Funding, Submissions, and more.
NYFA SOURCE - The New York Foundation for the Arts maintains the most comprehensive national directory of awards, services and publications for artists in the NYFA Source section of their website.
FILM FREEWAY - Film/Video artists can check Film Freeway at: