CAPE New Writers Fellowship
Fellowship · 2027Prestige 70/100
Four fellows, a high-level mentor and a script CAPE actively markets to industry. Sixty-five dollars, no waivers.
Deadlines & fees
Closed for this cycle
Applications for the 2027 fellowship open in autumn 2026, with no date published. The 2026 round closed on Monday 15 December 2025 at 11:59pm Pacific. This runs genuinely annually, with four consecutive named cohorts, but the deadline has slipped roughly three weeks later each year, from 13 November for the 2024 cycle to 25 November for 2025 and 15 December for 2026, so do not project a date from that trend. The fee is 65 dollars per submission, non-refundable, with no waivers or discounts available, and CAPE notes it is subject to change.
Dates and fees checked against the official site 9 Aug 2026.
Key facts
- Formats
- TV Pilot
- Eligibility
- US residents18+No prior staffing
- Open to
- United States
- Required materials
- A one-page resume as a PDF · A signed General Release Form as a PDF · The script with all identifying information stripped or redacted for blind judging, as a PDF under 100 MB · A PayPal receipt for the 65 dollar fee · Two personal statements of 300 words each, on alignment with CAPE's mission and where you want your career to be in five and ten years · A disclosure summarising any use of generative AI
Open to writers over 18 of any race, colour, sex, religion, national origin, disability or sexual orientation: there is no AAPI heritage requirement and scripts need not feature AAPI characters or themes. All writers must be eligible for employment in the United States, and CAPE states it cannot provide any visa or work permit sponsorship or assistance, with no exceptions. Applicants must not be currently staffed on an episodic programme, though those previously staffed at staff writer level who are not currently staffed may apply. Previous CAPE fellows cannot reapply. Writing teams of up to two may submit if both members meet every requirement and are committed to a career as a team. The 2026 cycle accepted half-hour or one-hour episodic pilots only, in any genre including animation, with anthology and limited series eligible. Scripts must be original with all rights owned free and clear, must not be under option, and the applicant must have sole authority over changes.
Prizes
No stipend, grant, fee or honorarium appears anywhere in CAPE's pages, application or release form, so treat this as unpaid. The net cash position for a fellow is negative: 65 dollars to apply plus uncovered Los Angeles travel and lodging, since the 2026 cycle was hybrid with mandatory in-person sessions and CAPE stated explicitly that transportation and lodging costs would not be covered. RIGHTS, AND THE TWO SOURCES PULL DIFFERENT WAYS. The FAQ is reassuring: writers retain all rights and CAPE makes no ownership claim to any submitted script, whether or not you are selected, and there is genuinely no option, first refusal or assignment anywhere. But every applicant must sign a General Release Form that waives all claims of any kind including plagiarism, copyright infringement and idea theft against CAPE and its designees including judges and mentors; states that material is not submitted in confidence and that no confidential relationship exists; waives California Civil Code section 1542; and includes a similar-material clause under which CAPE and its affiliates owe you nothing if they produce something built on the same general idea, theme, situation or setting. One line in that release, granting CAPE the unqualified right to determine whether material is used and what consideration if any should be made, sits awkwardly against the FAQ's no-ownership promise.
Judging
Judging is blind: all identifying information must be stripped or redacted from the script. Applicants must disclose any use of generative AI, though CAPE states plainly that it views AI as a writing tool and that disclosure will not disqualify you. The 2026 mentors were named: Vicky Luu of St. Denis Medical, Gursimran Sandhu of We Were Liars, Monica Macer of Alien: Earth, and the Tony-winning playwright David Henry Hwang. No coverage or feedback is provided on scripts, and no edits or resubmissions are accepted after submitting. One caution if you go looking: the FAQ timeline on the live page is three years stale, still referring to 2023 dates, and it contradicts itself on whether features are accepted, though the application resolves that against features.
The PreList verdict
Four fellows, each paired with a genuinely high-level mentor, and a programme that ranges beyond television into features, animation, games and narrative audio. What sets CAPE apart from most fellowships is what happens afterwards: it runs an active script-request pipeline inviting industry to ask for fellows' contacts and scripts, and claims graduates staffed on more than 80 shows. Judging is blind, and there is no AAPI heritage requirement, nor any need for your script to feature AAPI characters or themes.
The honest part is cost. Sixty-five dollars per submission with no waivers and no discounts of any kind, stated flatly. The programme is unpaid. And the 2026 cycle was hybrid with mandatory in-person sessions in Los Angeles, with CAPE stating outright that transportation and lodging would not be covered, so a fellow outside LA is funding several trips. The 2027 format has not been published yet.
One thing to read before you sign. The FAQ promises that writers retain all rights and that CAPE makes no ownership claim, and that is true as far as ownership goes: there is no option, first refusal or assignment. But the mandatory release form waives essentially every claim you might otherwise have, including plagiarism, copyright infringement and idea theft, against CAPE and its judges and mentors; states your material is not submitted in confidence; and includes a similar-material clause meaning you are owed nothing if CAPE or an affiliate makes something on the same idea, theme or setting. That is common in studio submissions, but it is worth knowing it is there.
Dylian Salvatore, Founder of The PreList · Updated 9 Aug 2026
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to be Asian American or Pacific Islander?
No. CAPE states the fellowship is open to writers of any race, colour, sex, religion, national origin, disability or sexual orientation, and your script does not need to feature AAPI characters or themes. You do need to be eligible for employment in the United States, and CAPE provides no visa sponsorship of any kind.
What does it cost in total?
Sixty-five dollars per submission, non-refundable, with no waivers or discounts. Beyond that, the last cycle required attendance at in-person sessions in Los Angeles with transportation and lodging explicitly not covered, so budget for travel. The programme itself is unpaid.
Does CAPE take any rights?
No ownership, and there is no option, first refusal or assignment. But the mandatory release waives all claims including plagiarism, copyright infringement and idea theft, states your material is not submitted in confidence, and includes a similar-material clause under which CAPE owes you nothing if it produces something on the same idea or setting.
Can I apply if I have been staffed?
Only if you are not currently staffed. Writers previously staffed at staff writer level who are not currently on a show may apply. Previous CAPE fellows cannot reapply. Writing teams of up to two are accepted if both members qualify.
Is your script right for CAPE New Writers Fellowship?
Upload your screenplay and The PreList scores how well it fits this fellowship: genre, format, eligibility and readiness, before you spend anything.
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