The Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting is the best screenwriting competition for writers looking to elevate their careers in the entertainment industry.
Every year, the contest is inundated with scripts from thousands of writers, with one year allegedly having over 8,000 submitted scripts.
Applications for 2024 are now open, but this year also comes with a few changes that may light a fire under the butts of writers-to-be.
Here's what you need to know.
A Maximum Number of Entries
The 2024 Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting will only accept a total number of 5,500 applicants this year.
According to the application portal, "the competition will close to applications once the maximum number of applications are submitted or the final deadline is reached—whichever occurs first."
In addition to this, only ONE script can be submitted by a single entrant or writing team.
As of this article, 38 scripts out of 5,550 have already been submitted. It's too early to say if all the spots will fill up, but if my rough napkin math is correct, the competition won't reach the late deadline of May 1st, 2024.
The number of spots in updated in real-time on the application website.
The Academy Nicholl Fellowship
What This Means For You?
If you were like me when I submitted to Nicholl, you're probably still polishing that draft. But if the past few years of the competition are anything to go by, not everyone will be able to submit.
Once the spots are filled, that's it.
This means writers should get busy finishing up their drafts and submit as soon as possible. Unfortunately, this also may open up the competition to subpar drafts as writers hurry to finish.
If you're draft is ready, apply here!
It remains to be seen how this change will affect the quality of submissions, or if this limit will be included in future competitions. But it's nice to see the Academy focusing on ways to limit the strain on its readers.
