Channel 4 Writing for Television Awards

Deadlines & fees

Dates and fees checked against the official site 9 Aug 2026.

Key facts

Formats

TV Pilot

Eligibility

UK residents18+Emerging writersNorth of England only

Open to

United Kingdom

Required materials

An outline of an original TV storyline of up to 400 words, in no set format, for a single episode or a standalone · A sample script of up to 10 pages, which may be one scene or several, need not be the opening, and need not relate to the outline · The sample may be a different form entirely, such as a stage play, short film or radio drama · Application questions, anonymised with your name left off every part of the submission

Open to writers of any nationality or descent who are permanently resident in the North of England and currently living there full-time, defined as the Arts Council England areas of Yorkshire, the North East and the North West, with a requirement to plan to remain for at least another 12 months. New Writing North states plainly that writers who are writing scripts set in the North but who do not live in the region are not eligible. Applicants must be over 18. There is no credit bar and no representation bar: no writing experience is necessary and entries are welcomed from people new to writing as well as those with more experience. You may reapply, including with the same script. Single author only. Employees and trustees of New Writing North, Arts Council England, Northumbria University, Channel 4, FilmNation and Warp Films are barred. One entry may be submitted to all four strands. Applications are anonymised: leave your name off the application questions and off every part of the submission.

Prizes

3,000 pounds per strand across four strands, with one winner each, alongside a long-term placement working closely with the partner production company and mentoring support. New Writing North frames the bursary as covering the cost of participating in developmental projects rather than as a fee for work. Applicants may additionally opt in to the television development slate, which carries a further 1,000 pound bursary and support from New Writing North and script editors. Payment staging is not published, and travel or accommodation for the placement is not addressed anywhere. RIGHTS, AND THIS NEEDS CARE: New Writing North's event page states that copyright stays with you at all times and that it does not exert or ask for any rights over your work at any point. But its separate eligibility and conditions page states that FilmNation TV UK and Warp Films will be given the right of a first look at any scripts developed during their respective placements. Those reconcile, since New Writing North takes nothing and the first look applies to work created during the placement rather than to your entry, but a writer reading only the event page would never know the clause exists. Note too that the conditions page names only two of the four 2026 partners, so whether Merman and Hat Trick hold the same right is unverified.

Judging

Each strand is judged by its production company partner together with New Writing North, with shortlisted writers invited to an online interview with the company. Note that Channel 4 itself was named in the judging line for 2025 but is absent from the 2026 line. No individual judges are named. Group mentoring is led by Hannah Rose. All applicants hear back by 30 September, but New Writing North states it cannot enter into individual correspondence about unsuccessful submissions or give specific feedback.

Frequently asked questions