NRDC Climate Storytelling Fellowship
Fellowship · 2027Prestige 76/100Feedback included
Free to enter, and it gives you a paid evaluation for nothing. 20,000 dollars each to three writers.
Deadlines & fees
- Submission deadlineNext deadline4 Dec 2026America/Los_AngelesFree
Dates and fees checked against the official site 9 Aug 2026.
Key facts
- Formats
- Feature, TV Pilot
- Eligibility
- Open worldwide18+
- Required materials
- Completed feature screenplay or pilot, in English, hosted on the Black List (hosting and evaluation are provided free for accepted scripts) · A brief description of how the project qualifies as a climate story · If shortlisted: a one-page personal statement and professional resume · If shortlisted with a pilot: a long synopsis or treatment describing the primary story arcs
Open to writers in any country, with scripts submitted in English. Applicants must be at least 18 and not a minor in their state or country of residence, must be the sole owner of all rights in a wholly original, non-infringing completed feature or pilot, and writing teams are permitted provided every member complies. There is no income cap, no career-stage restriction and representation is irrelevant. The theme gate is real but genre-agnostic: the script must include climate in the story in a meaningful way involving major characters, events and plot or subplot, and more than just a backdrop or setting. Every script is reviewed by the NRDC team to decide whether it qualifies. Not eligible: content made as part of a commercial campaign, incomplete scripts, stage plays, musicals, novels, podcasts, games, VR or AR, and scripts already in development. Adaptations are eligible though securing an option or permission is recommended. Previous cycles' submissions may re-enter.
Prizes
20,000 US dollars each to three writers, plus consultation with a credited professional screenwriter, guidance from NRDC's Rewrite the Future team and its subject experts, and one dedicated meeting with a Climate Spring development executive. The programme page states revised scripts may be reviewed for development by Climate Spring, CAA, Hyperobject Industries, NBCUniversal, UTA, WME and Yellow Dot Studios among others; note the legal submission requirements put this more modestly, as review by at least one studio executive with a possible studio meeting. Every accepted script also receives a free evaluation and a free month of hosting, normally worth 100 and 30 dollars. Fellows retain complete ownership of their work, and the submission agreement contains no option, first look or first refusal.
Judging
Every accepted script receives a free Black List evaluation, and selection is based on the strength of the script as determined by those evaluations. A shortlist is invited to submit a one-page personal statement and professional resume, with pilot writers also providing a long synopsis or treatment describing the primary story arcs. Semifinalists may be asked to do a short interview, with three recipients selected no later than 30 April 2027. Mentors are named on the programme page but for the 2026 cycle rather than 2027: Dustin Lance Black, Stephen Markley and J.J. Philbin. Past mentors have included Pamela Adlon, Roxane Gay, Brit Marling, Mike Schur, Sarah Treem and Scott Z. Burns.
The PreList verdict
This is the best value entry in the whole directory, and it is not close. It costs nothing to enter, and every accepted script receives a free Black List evaluation and a free month of hosting, which you would otherwise pay around 130 dollars for. So you are not merely applying for free, you are being paid in kind to apply. Three writers then receive 20,000 dollars each to revise, with a credited screenwriter as mentor, NRDC's climate researchers on hand for accuracy, and a development meeting with Climate Spring. Sixth year running, open to writers in any country.
The honest part: the constraint is not money or the date, it is the cap. Only 500 qualified scripts are accepted, and when we checked on 8 August there were 304 places left against a December deadline. That number moves, so do not read the deadline as the thing you are racing. The climate gate is also enforced by an actual human review rather than an honour system: climate has to run through major characters, events and plot, not sit in the background as weather. And be careful with the mentor names on their page, which are the 2026 line-up rather than a promise about 2027.
Enter if you have a finished feature or pilot in English where climate genuinely drives the story. There is no income cap, no career-stage bar, representation makes no difference, and you keep complete ownership: the submission agreement carries no option, first look or first refusal. If you have been meaning to get a Black List evaluation anyway, this is the cheapest route to one that exists.
Dylian Salvatore, Founder of The PreList · Updated 9 Aug 2026
Frequently asked questions
What does it cost to enter?
Nothing, and it is better than free. Every accepted script receives one free month of hosting and one free evaluation, normally around 130 dollars together. You do not need to pay for hosting or an evaluation to submit.
What is the catch?
The cap. Only 500 qualified scripts are accepted for the cycle, and the counter on the page showed 304 remaining when we checked on 8 August 2026 against a 4 December deadline. Places, not time, are the binding constraint.
How strictly is the climate theme enforced?
Strictly, and by a human. The NRDC team reviews every script to decide whether it qualifies, and their rule is that climate must be in the story in a meaningful way involving major characters, events and plot or subplot. A climate backdrop or setting alone is not enough.
Do I keep my rights?
Yes. Fellows retain complete ownership of their work, and the submission agreement contains no option, first look or first refusal. It does carry the usual release, indemnity and a name and likeness clause, with disputes going to arbitration in Los Angeles under California law.
Is your script right for NRDC Climate Storytelling Fellowship?
Upload your screenplay and The PreList scores how well it fits this fellowship: genre, format, eligibility and readiness, before you spend anything.
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