NZ Writers Guild Seed and Seed Advanced Grants
Grant · 2026Prestige 62/100
Cash to write a feature draft before you part with any rights. New Zealand citizens and residents only.
Deadlines & fees
- Round 1Next deadline4 Sept 2026Pacific/AucklandNZ$60
Dates and fees checked against the official site 8 Aug 2026.
Key facts
- Formats
- Feature
- Open to
- New Zealand
- Required materials
- Biography or resume (PDF) · Budget and plan (PDF) · Logline of 35 words or fewer · Short synopsis of no more than 250 words · Potential audience statement · Treatment: five pages up to 2,300 words for Seed, five to ten pages for Seed Advanced · Ten-page screenwriting sample from the same feature, including dialogue, may be non-consecutive · All identifying details removed; 12pt Courier, single spaced, no pictures, links, casting references or director vision
Applicants must be New Zealand citizens or permanent residents and must hold the rights to the project, which means no producer or production company may be attached; an attached director is fine. Feature film scripts only: no television, documentary or short film. Seed is for writers with unproduced work across film, short film, television, new media, literary works or theatre where they are the primary creator, or under 90 cumulative produced minutes with a Written By credit. Seed Advanced requires over 90 cumulative produced minutes with a Written By credit through a recognised production company, platform or authority, or theatrical performance; experience in non-screen forms such as novels or poetry does not qualify. You may apply to only one of the two funds per round, may apply with the same project up to three times, and cannot reapply with a project that has already won. Generative AI must not be used for the treatment, sample or script, since AI-generated material cannot be copyright-owned and you would not hold the rights.
Prizes
Seed: up to four grants per round of 12,500 New Zealand dollars plus GST if applicable, of which 3,000 goes directly to a Guild-approved script consultant, leaving 9,500 to the writer, paid half on signing and half on delivery of a polished draft. Seed Advanced: up to two grants per round of 15,500 dollars on the same structure, leaving 12,500 to the writer. Caps of eight Seed and four Seed Advanced grants per year. Recipients also get consultant matching, meetings with the Guild Executive Director, guidance on pathways for the project, and participation in Guild networking and pitching events. Described explicitly as a subsidy, not a debt against the production, and the Guild takes no rights: the stated aim is to fund a draft before the writer parts with any rights.
Judging
Double-blind assessment against three criteria: Idea, Craft and Voice, scored one to three for Seed and one to five for Seed Advanced. Up to four assessors are appointed by the Executive Director with input from the NZ Film Commission and the Guild board, with at least two reading each application and up to four for shortlisted work, before two adjudication sessions. Assessor identities are kept confidential until the recipients are announced. Standing diversity commitments have applied since 2018, with at least half of judges female or Maori, Pacific, Asian or non-Pakeha, and at least one LGBTQIA+ judge since 2021. The assessors are under no obligation to award grants in any round.
The PreList verdict
This is a rare thing: money paid to a writer specifically so they can finish a draft before handing any rights to anyone. The Guild is explicit that no producer or production company may be attached, and equally explicit that the grant is a subsidy rather than a debt against the production. Seed pays 12,500 New Zealand dollars, Seed Advanced 15,500, with 3,000 of each going straight to a script consultant the Guild helps you choose. Funded by the New Zealand Film Commission, judged double-blind on Idea, Craft and Voice.
The honest part: it is for New Zealand citizens and permanent residents only, so for most readers this is a window into how it should be done rather than something to enter. The judges are kept anonymous until the recipients are announced, so there is nobody to research. Feedback is not included and costs an extra 150 dollars as an add-on, assessed by a different reader after the results are out. And the odds are tight: up to four Seed and two Seed Advanced grants per round, with the assessors under no obligation to award any at all.
Apply if you are in New Zealand with a feature you own outright and six months to work with a consultant. Entry is 30 dollars if you belong to the Guild, Women in Film and Television, the Pan-Asian Screen Collective, Pacific Islands Screen Artists or Nga Aho Whakaari, and 60 if you do not; membership is not required, it only changes the fee. Watch the deadline: this round closes at 11:59 in the morning on 4 September 2026, not at the end of the day, which is exactly the sort of thing that costs people an entry.
Dylian Salvatore, Founder of The PreList · Updated 9 Aug 2026
Frequently asked questions
When exactly does it close?
4 September 2026 at 11:59am. That is a morning deadline, not 11:59pm, and it is easy to misread. The Guild is Auckland-based so New Zealand time is the operative zone, though the documents never state it explicitly.
Can I apply if I have a producer attached?
No. You must hold the rights to the project yourself, which means no producer or production company can be attached. An attached director is fine. The whole point of the scheme is to fund the draft before you part with any rights.
How much of the grant do I actually receive?
For Seed, 9,500 New Zealand dollars of the 12,500, with 3,000 paid directly to your script consultant. For Seed Advanced, 12,500 of the 15,500 on the same basis. Each is paid half on signing and half on delivery of a polished draft.
Which fund should I apply to?
Seed if your relevant work is unproduced, or you have under 90 cumulative produced minutes with a Written By credit. Seed Advanced if you have over 90 produced minutes through a recognised company, platform or authority, or theatrical performance. You can only apply to one per round, and screen credits are what count: novels and poetry do not qualify you for Advanced.
Is your script right for NZ Writers Guild Seed and Seed Advanced Grants?
Upload your screenplay and The PreList scores how well it fits this grant: genre, format, eligibility and readiness, before you spend anything.
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