Athena Film Festival Writers Lab

Deadlines & fees

Dates and fees checked against the official site 14 Jul 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.

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