Greenlight Screenwriting Lab

Eligibility and project requirements

A LONE WRITER APPLIES DIRECTLY: no producer, company or attachment is needed. The gate is the opposite of the usual one, because it excludes the experienced rather than the unproven. Quoted: only writers who do not have a broadcast credit as a television writer or theatrical release as a feature film writer may apply, although produced short films of 20 minutes or less and episodes of soaps or continuing drama series are exempt. RESIDENCY IS PUBLISHED TWO DIFFERENT WAYS AND WE HAVE NOT RESOLVED IT. The National Talent Academy states the lab is open to any writers resident on the Island of Ireland and any Irish writers resident overseas, which admits Northern Ireland residents by construction. The Course Director's own site states applicants must be resident in Ireland or of Irish nationality, which is narrower. If you are in Northern Ireland, ask before you spend time on an application. Secondary sources add a minimum age of 18, writing partnerships of at most two, and one script per applicant; treat those as unconfirmed against primary sources. Shadow script editor places are open to Irish residents or citizens abroad with no prior broadcast script-editing credit. The working language is English, though writers fluent in Irish who wish to write in Irish are particularly welcomed. Diversity, equity and inclusion criteria are taken into account at shortlisting.

Formats

TV Pilot

Genres

Drama

Eligibility

Free to enterNo credit required

Open to

Ireland, United Kingdom

Deadlines & fees

Dates and fees checked against the official site 19 Oct 2026.

Prepare your entry

Prizes

PAID, BUT THE AMOUNT IS NOT PUBLISHED. Quoted: writers will be paid a fee for participating in the course and for completing two drafts of a one hour or 30 minute script. No figure appears anywhere, on either the host site or the Course Director's site. Entry is free of charge and there is no participation charge. RIGHTS, AND THIS IS THE HEADLINE TERM: all writers will be required to grant Danú Media a first option to acquire all rights in their script, and will be told within six months of delivery whether Danú Media wishes to exercise that option. So a free, paid lab run in association with a production company takes a first option over all rights in the script written on the course. READ THE NEXT PART TOO, BECAUSE IT IS WHY WE HAVE PUT THIS SO PROMINENTLY: that clause is published on the Course Director's site for 2026 and on the National Talent Academy's own 2023 page, but it does not appear on the Academy's 2024, 2025 or 2026 pages. The host organisation's current page omits the single most consequential term in the offer. No exercise price for the option is published.

Judging

Philip Shelley is Course Director. Nadine Flynn of Danú Media serves as script editor. Shortlisted writers are interviewed by a panel of industry professionals, in Dublin or on Zoom. Guest speakers in prior years have included writers from Kin and Hidden Assets, producers, and BBC commissioning executives. FEEDBACK IS EXPLICITLY NOT GIVEN: no feedback can be given on the scripts.

Frequently asked questions