Athena Film Festival Writers Lab
Lab · 2026Prestige 48/100Feedback included
Virtual three-phase lab for woman-centred film and TV scripts, from Barnard's Athena Film Festival.
Deadlines & fees
Closed for this cycle
The 2025-26 cycle has closed and a new window has not been announced; windows usually open in late spring, and the site still shows the previous cycle.
Dates and fees checked against the official site 10 Aug 2026.
Key facts
- Formats
- Feature, TV Pilot
- Genres
- Action, Adventure, Animation, Biography, Comedy, Crime, Documentary, Drama, Family, Fantasy, History, Horror, Music, Mystery, Romance, Sci-Fi, Sport, Thriller, War, Western
- Page limit
- 120 pages
- Eligibility
- Open worldwideEmerging writersNon-professional
- Required materials
- Anonymised feature script (80 to 120 pages) or pilot (60 pages max) · $65 submission fee (waivers available on request)
Scripts must centre a woman or women in leadership roles; current guidance welcomes applicants of all gender identities. Feature writers must not have had a screenplay produced, and episodic writers must not have had a pilot produced. Previous lab attendees must wait five years. Scripts anonymised, in English: features 80 to 120 pages, pilots up to 60.
Prizes
Participation in the three-phase virtual lab: a two-day autumn craft workshop with one-on-one feedback, a mentored rewrite period, and a two-day spring session with pitch training and a mock writers room. No tuition beyond the submission fee. Participants become eligible for the Alfred P. Sloan, Loreen Arbus, AMC Networks and Chinonye Chukwu fellowships and awards.
Judging
Writers apply during a spring submission window ($65 fee in the last cycle, with waivers available on request; the festival states no writer is turned away for lack of funds). Selected participants join Phase One in September; advancement to the spring session follows the rewrite period and is not guaranteed.
The PreList verdict
Athena's lab is a three-phase virtual programme from Barnard College for scripts that put women in leadership at the centre of the story: an autumn craft workshop with one-to-one feedback, a mentored rewrite period, then a spring session with pitch training and a mock writers room. Because it runs virtually there is no relocation cost, and participants become eligible for attached awards including the Alfred P. Sloan, Loreen Arbus, AMC Networks and Chinonye Chukwu fellowships.
The honest part: it costs US$65 to apply, though fee waivers are available on request for anyone in financial hardship. The window is currently shut and the official site still displays the previous cycle, so there is no announced date for the next intake. The eligibility bar is deliberately narrow: feature writers must have no produced screenplay and episodic writers no produced pilot, and previous attendees wait five years before reapplying.
Apply if your script genuinely centres women in leadership and you want structured development plus a route into the attached fellowships. The 2025-26 cycle has closed. Windows have historically opened in late spring, so start checking the site around May, and email for a fee waiver if the US$65 is a barrier rather than skipping it.
Dylian Salvatore, Founder of The PreList · Updated 7 Sept 2026
Frequently asked questions
Is the Athena Writers Lab open?
No. The 2025-26 cycle has closed and no new window has been announced; the official site still shows the previous cycle. Windows have historically opened in late spring.
What does it cost to apply?
US$65. Fee waivers are available for applicants experiencing financial hardship, requested by email. There is no tuition beyond the submission fee.
Who is eligible?
Scripts must centre a woman or women in leadership roles, and applicants of all gender identities are welcome. Feature writers must have no produced screenplay and episodic writers no produced pilot. Features run 80 to 120 pages, pilots up to 60, and scripts must be anonymised.
Is your script right for Athena Film Festival Writers Lab?
Upload your screenplay and The PreList scores how well it fits this lab: genre, format, eligibility and readiness, before you spend anything.
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