RTÉ Storyland
Programme · 2026Prestige 72/100
Free to enter, three scripts commissioned and broadcast. But a production company has to submit for you.
Deadlines & fees
- Submission deadline (strict)Passed13 Mar 2026Europe/DublinFree
Closed for this cycle
The 2026 cycle closed on Friday 13 March 2026 at 12 noon, described as a strict deadline; no timezone is published, though RTÉ is Dublin-based. Finalists were named on 17 April, commissions on 15 May, with delivery in October 2026. The next cycle is unannounced, and this is one to watch rather than plan around: the cadence is reliably annual but the deadline month swings hard, running December for the 2022 edition, April for 2024, May for 2025 and March for 2026. The slate size moved too, from eight developed and three commissioned to ten and four in 2025 and back again in 2026, and 2026 switched from drama to comedy-only. Expect a call, but do not expect it in any particular month.
Dates and fees checked against the official site 9 Aug 2026.
Key facts
- Formats
- TV Pilot
- Genres
- Comedy
- Eligibility
- Free to enterNo credit required
- Required materials
- A cover page using RTÉ's downloadable cover sheet · A synopsis, maximum two pages · A writer's note · A producer's note · Writer and producer CVs · Emerging or uncredited writers may add up to three sample scenes
THE GATE IS THE PRODUCTION COMPANY, NOT NATIONALITY. Quoted: the submission must be made by a registered production company. RTÉ confirms a writer and producer may submit together, but the submission must still go through a production company, and each idea a writer submits must be routed the same way. There is no cap on how many ideas one writer may submit. No nationality or residency clause is published at all: Northern Ireland writers are eligible and projects may film there, and international writers or teams are admissible where the story explores contemporary Irish life. NO CREDITS ARE REQUIRED: RTÉ invites writers from television, film, theatre, standup comedy and beyond, whether they have written for television or film before or not, and RTÉ links the Screen Ireland and Screen Producers Ireland directories precisely so unattached writers can find a producer. Films must run twenty-five minutes plus or minus 30 seconds and work as standalone stories. Documentation is in English; a subtitled version must be factored into the production schedule and budget. RTÉ states a commitment to diversity and an equal gender balance across all key creative positions.
Prizes
NO FIGURE IS PUBLISHED AT ANY STAGE, and that is the single most important thing to know here. Development and production are both funded, but neither the development fee, the production budget per film, nor any writer minimum appears on any RTÉ or Screen Ireland page. RTÉ addresses the question directly and hands it off: how much the writer gets paid is for the producer and the writer to decide, at both the development and commission stages. The writer is therefore paid by the production company on privately negotiated terms, and RTÉ publishes no floor. Budget is referenced only obliquely, in a note that a writing team is possible if the budget allows. What is certain is the outcome: eight scripts into paid development, three commissioned, produced and broadcast on RTÉ and RTÉ Player. RIGHTS: none published. No option, first refusal, exclusivity, holdback or assignment terms appear in the call-out, and there is no linked terms and conditions document anywhere on the site. The only rights language runs the other way, requiring you to have cleared all rights in any pre-existing format you are adapting. Rights terms are presumably in the production company's own contract, which is not public, so this is a term to negotiate rather than one to read.
Judging
Selectors are not published and no panel is named. Whether feedback is given is not addressed anywhere. Note that anything based on a pre-existing format requires all rights cleared and a plan for the adaptation outlined at the point of submission.
The PreList verdict
One of the very few schemes in these islands that ends with your script actually shot and broadcast. Eight go into paid development with RTÉ and Screen Ireland alongside you, three get commissioned as 25-minute standalone films and go out on RTÉ and RTÉ Player. It is free to enter, it requires no credits whatsoever, and RTÉ actively invites writers from theatre, standup and beyond. There is also no nationality or residency clause published at all, so a Northern Ireland or international writer with a story about contemporary Irish life is admissible.
The gate is structural and absolute: the submission must be made by a registered production company. A writer and producer can submit together, but it still has to go through the company. RTÉ at least helps, linking the Screen Ireland and Screen Producers Ireland directories so unattached writers can go find one. If you have a producer, this is among the best free opportunities in Ireland. If you do not, finding one is the first task.
Two things RTÉ does not tell you. No monetary figure is published anywhere, at any stage: not the development fee, not the production budget, not a writer minimum. RTÉ says plainly that what the writer gets paid is for the producer and the writer to decide, which means your fee is a negotiation with your production company and there is no published floor to anchor it. And no rights, option or commissioning terms are published either, with no terms and conditions document on the site at all. Both of those live in the production company's contract, so go in knowing they are yours to negotiate.
Dylian Salvatore, Founder of The PreList · Updated 9 Aug 2026
Frequently asked questions
Can I submit on my own as a writer?
No. The submission must be made by a registered production company. A writer and producer can apply together, but it must still be routed through a company. RTÉ links the Screen Ireland and Screen Producers Ireland directories to help you find one.
How much does the writer get paid?
No figure is published at any stage. RTÉ states that what the writer is paid is for the producer and the writer to decide, in both development and commission. Your fee is a private negotiation with your production company and there is no published floor.
Do I need to be Irish, or have credits?
Neither. No nationality or residency clause is published, Northern Ireland writers are eligible, and international writers are admissible where the story explores contemporary Irish life. RTÉ explicitly welcomes writers who have never written for television or film.
What happens to my rights?
Nothing is published. There is no terms and conditions document on the site and no option, first refusal or assignment terms appear in the call-out. Rights sit in the production company's contract, so they are yours to negotiate rather than a published term to accept.
Is your script right for RTÉ Storyland?
Upload your screenplay and The PreList scores how well it fits this programme: genre, format, eligibility and readiness, before you spend anything.
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