Netflix NextGen India Writers' Program

Deadlines & fees

• Registration closesPassed
  1 Sept 2026Asia/KolkataFree

Dates and fees checked against the official site 6 Sept 2026.

Key facts

Formats

TV Pilot

Eligibility

Free to enterEarly career only18+

Open to

India

Required materials

A response to the writer's challenge Stranded in a Lifeboat: a scene of minimum 5 and maximum 10 pages using two existing series characters stranded in a lifeboat, drawn from Taskaree, Glory, The Royals, Maamla Legal Hai, Kohrra or Single Papa · One original writing sample, complete and solely authored: a TV screenplay up to 60 pages, a feature screenplay up to 120 pages, or a play · A creative biography answering what kind of stories you want to tell, maximum 250 words · All files as PDF, each 10MB or under, via the online portal · Round 2: an interview plus a one-page series synopsis

A LONE WRITER APPLIES DIRECTLY, and must: no company, no attachment, and no co-writers. Quoted: you must be at least 18 years old, reside in India, and be proficient in speaking Hindi and English and in reading and writing both. The programme is open only to writers currently residing in India who can write for a Hindi-speaking audience. Career stage is capped, not floored: early career writers with a maximum of three years of experience in screenwriting, and no Created by credits. Co-writing is expressly barred, with submissions required to be authored by a single writer, and one application per applicant. All application documents must be in English, though scripts with dialogue in Romanised Hindi are accepted. In-person attendance in Mumbai is mandatory for the first and final weeks, and applicants are told to make the necessary personal and professional accommodations.

Prizes

PAID, AND THE FIGURE IS PUBLISHED BY NETFLIX ITSELF. Each selected participant receives INR 3,00,000, three lakhs, described as an option fee for their participation and towards optioning their original materials, paid in two instalments: 50 per cent at the time of selection and 50 per cent at the end of the programme, subject to a valid invoice and applicable tax. Up to five participants may be selected; that is a ceiling, not a count. There is no application fee, though you bear your own costs of preparing and submitting. TRAVEL AND ACCOMMODATION ARE COVERED: if your primary residence is not in Mumbai, LG India bears all costs of travel to and from Mumbai and accommodation for the periods you are required to be there. Other expenses need pre-approval to be reimbursable. RIGHTS, AND THEY BITE IN TWO SEPARATE PLACES. On your own series idea, you keep ownership, but a selected participant grants an exclusive, irrevocable, transferable and assignable option exercisable within 18 months from shortlisting to develop, acquire, commission, adapt, produce or otherwise exploit it, and during that window you may not offer, negotiate, sell, assign, license or otherwise exploit that idea or any substantially similar concept without prior written consent. If the option lapses you are free. The exercise price is not fixed and is to be mutually agreed in writing. ON THE APPLICATION SCRIPT ITSELF THE TERMS ARE HARDER, AND THIS APPLIES TO EVERY APPLICANT: because the writer's challenge uses Netflix's own characters, the scene you submit is an Adapted Material, and all rights, title and interest in Adapted Materials vest solely and exclusively in LG India from the date of creation, by irrevocable, exclusive, perpetual, universe-wide assignment with an express waiver of moral rights under the Copyright Act 1957. Also material: perpetual publicity rights over your name, likeness and voice without additional compensation, notification or permission; a confidentiality obligation; a similar-works waiver barring claims if Netflix develops something comparable; and Mumbai courts under Indian law.

Judging

Round 1 is judged on the written submission; Round 2 is an interview with the selection panel plus a one-page series synopsis. Barbara Nance is named as the instructor, with experienced instructors plural and Netflix executives referenced at the final pitch; Monika Shergill, VP Content at Netflix India, was quoted at launch. Feedback is not offered, and all applicants are informed by email in December 2026. A NO-AI WARRANTY APPLIES: materials must not have been generated, created, written, modified, enhanced or otherwise assisted, in whole or in part, using any artificial intelligence tool, generative AI or large language model.

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