MIDPOINT Series Launch: Essentials
Lab · 2026Prestige 64/100Feedback included
One of the few European series labs a solo writer can enter alone. Free to apply, 1,400 euro per head to attend.
Deadlines & fees
Closed for this cycle
The 2026 round closed on 3 March 2026, with no time or timezone published, and this was the first edition of Essentials. No 2027 call has been announced; only the Accelerator strand is on record, with its first module starting in early 2027 and no call dates published. The programme is annual and reliable in cadence but has drifted materially in every other dimension: the deadline has swung about three months across recent cycles, the programme shortened from three residential modules to two, the fee fell from 2,100 euro to 1,400 as a result, a new 100 euro shortlist charge appeared, and eligibility opened to solo writers for the first time.
Dates and fees checked against the official site 9 Aug 2026.
It costs €1,400 if you get in
That is charged after selection and is separate from any entry fee above. Charged in two stages, on two different bases, which is the thing to understand before applying. Applying is free. If shortlisted, an online feedback session costs 100 euro PER PROJECT. If selected for the full programme, the fee is 1,400 euro PER PARTICIPANT, so a team of three pays 4,200 euro plus the 100 euro project fee. The fee covers tuition plus accommodation and board during both residential workshops, and explicitly excludes travel. Payment may be split into two instalments of 700 euro corresponding to the two residential parts. Partial scholarships exist but are described only as partial and allocated under unpublished specific conditions, with MIDPOINT advising applicants to seek national or local funding in parallel and warning that processing may run past its confirmation date. VAT treatment is not stated despite MIDPOINT holding a Czech VAT registration. Note that a figure of 1,200 euro appeared on the page before the call opened and no longer applies.
Key facts
- Formats
- TV Pilot
- Eligibility
- Open worldwide
- Required materials
- Basic project information · A series pitch or pre-bible of up to five pages · A synopsis of the entire series · A statement of purpose · A mood book (optional) · A cover photo · A biography and photo of each team member
Open to creators globally with a strategic focus on European co-productions, and no quota published. English is used throughout and an intermediate level is required. Fiction drama series only, including drama and comedy, and limited series are welcome; reality, animation and documentary are excluded, as is a 90-minute three-part mini-series. The project stage is a hard gate in both directions: projects must be at an early stage of development, at pre-bible or series pitch, and mid or late stage projects are refused and redirected to the Accelerator strand. NOTABLY, A LONE WRITER CAN APPLY: eligibility covers solo writers or creators, independent producers with writers, and broadcaster development or creative producers with writers, to a maximum of three participants per team, and MIDPOINT states twice that while it recommends applying as a team of two or three it also accepts solo screenwriters with a series project in development. That is a change from the previous edition, which was open to creative teams of writers and producers. No credit requirement and no career-stage bar is published. Full attendance at every module is mandatory.
Prizes
No cash award, prize or stipend of any kind. This is a fee-paying programme with no prize pot. The benefits are access-shaped: an online assessment from a professional script consultant at the shortlist stage, the full development programme across two residential modules, entry to the MIDPOINT Talent Connections database, and presenting at the TV Days of the Serial Killer festival in Brno.
Judging
Around fifteen ideas are shortlisted and receive an online assessment from an experienced script consultant mentor, from which nine projects are selected. Applications are accepted only through MIDPOINT's Visitor Page; email submissions are refused. The 2026 group leaders were Gabor Krigler, Steve Matthews, Head of Scripted at Banijay Entertainment, and Donna Sharpe, with Tatjana Samopjan as script consultant trainee mentor, Maria Garcia-Castrillon as producer tutor and Agathe Berman as pitching tutor. No rights, option or exclusivity terms are stated. Note a naming history worth knowing: this programme was called TV Launch until 2022, then Series Launch, and from 2026 splits into Essentials for early-stage projects and Accelerator for late-stage, so anyone searching the old names needs routing by project stage.
The PreList verdict
One of very few European series labs a writer can enter entirely alone, and MIDPOINT says so twice in different places. That is new for this edition: the previous Series Launch was built around teams of writers and producers. Applying is free, the shortlist assessment is a real professional script consultant read, and the programme runs two residential weeks in Prague and Brno with online consultations between them, ending with a presentation at the Serial Killer festival's TV Days.
The cost structure is the thing to model carefully, because it changes basis halfway through. Applying costs nothing. If you are shortlisted, the online feedback session is 100 euro per project. If you are selected, the programme is 1,400 euro per participant, and that per-head basis is what bites: a team of three pays 4,200 euro plus the project fee. Tuition, accommodation and board during both residential weeks are included; travel never is. You can pay in two instalments, and partial scholarships exist though the conditions are not published.
Two things worth knowing. There is no cash award at all, so this is purely an investment in development and contacts. And the naming has changed twice: TV Launch became Series Launch in 2022, and Series Launch split in 2026 into Essentials for early-stage projects and Accelerator for late-stage ones. If your project has a full bible or a written pilot you will be redirected to Accelerator, so check which door you are at. No 2027 Essentials call has been announced.
Dylian Salvatore, Founder of The PreList · Updated 9 Aug 2026
Frequently asked questions
Can a solo writer apply?
Yes, and that is new. MIDPOINT states twice that while it recommends a team of two or three, ideally a writer and a producer, it also accepts solo screenwriters with a series project in development. The previous Series Launch edition was built around teams.
What does it actually cost?
Applying is free. If shortlisted, 100 euro per project for the online feedback session. If selected, 1,400 euro per participant for the full programme, payable in two instalments of 700. A team of three therefore pays 4,200 euro plus the project fee. Tuition, accommodation and board are covered; travel is not.
What stage does my project need to be at?
Early, and this is enforced in both directions. Essentials takes projects at pre-bible or series pitch stage, and mid or late stage projects are refused and redirected to the Accelerator strand. Fiction drama series only: reality, animation and documentary are excluded.
Is this the old MIDPOINT TV Launch?
Its descendant, after two renames. TV Launch became Series Launch in 2022, and from 2026 Series Launch split into Essentials for early-stage projects and Accelerator for late-stage. Which one you want depends on how far along your project is.
Is your script right for MIDPOINT Series Launch: Essentials?
Upload your screenplay and The PreList scores how well it fits this lab: genre, format, eligibility and readiness, before you spend anything.
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