CineStory Foundation Retreat and Fellowship

Deadlines & fees

• TV earlybird deadlineNext deadline
  9 Aug 2026America/Los_Angeles$50
• TV regular deadline
  20 Sept 2026America/Los_Angeles$70
• TV late deadline
  25 Oct 2026America/Los_Angeles$80
• TV extended late deadline
  24 Nov 2026America/Los_Angeles$90
• TV final deadline
  14 Dec 2026America/Los_Angeles$95

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

125 pages

Eligibility

Open worldwideEmerging writersNon-professional18+

Required materials

PDF script with clean cover page (title only, no author details anywhere) · Rights documentation for adaptations · Finalists submit a letter and video for final judging

Writers must be 18 or over; entries accepted from all countries. In the five years before the final deadline entrants must not have earned more than $25,000 in total for motion picture and TV writing services or script sales. Scripts must be original, in English, and unproduced, unoptioned and unsold at submission. Features 85 to 125 pages; drama pilots 45 to 65 pages; single-camera comedies 22 to 45 pages; multi-camera 52 to 58 pages.

Prizes

Grand Prize Fellowship worth roughly $20,000: a $10,000 cash award, free retreat tuition and housing, a 12-month mentorship with two hand-picked industry professionals, and supplemental Script Pipeline mentorship. Second prize $1,500, third $1,000. Non-fellow invitees (finalists, semifinalists and quarterfinalists as space allows) attend the retreat at their own cost, which was $2,800 per individual in 2025.

Judging

Anonymous judging moves entries through quarterfinalist, semifinalist and finalist rounds announced over roughly three months after the final deadline, with the Fellow named last; finalists submit a letter and video. No notes are given on submissions. The Feature Retreat runs 2 to 6 October 2026 in Idyllwild; the TV Retreat runs 23 to 27 April 2027.

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