Screen Scotland Talent Builder: First Draft
Programme · 2027Prestige 68/100
Twelve paid months taking one feature from outline to polished first draft. No produced credit required.
Deadlines & fees
- Application deadlineNext deadline7 Sept 2026Europe/LondonFree
Dates and fees checked against the official site 8 Aug 2026.
Key facts
- Formats
- Feature
- Eligibility
- UK residentsEmerging writers18+
- Open to
- United Kingdom
- Required materials
- Personal statement, maximum 400 words, one per co-writer · Reflecting on Storytelling response, maximum 300 words, one per co-writer · Primary writing sample: a continuous screenplay of at least 30 pages · Second writing sample of at least 10 pages, which may be a stage play · Story outline of 3 to 4 pages in prose, 12 point, 1.15 spacing, no images · Diversity and equality monitoring form, completed after submission
Every screenwriter and co-writer named on the application must live in Scotland and remain based in Scotland for the duration of the programme; proof of a Scottish address is required if selected. Applicants must be 18 or over and not in further education during the programme. You must not have had a feature screenplay theatrically distributed, and must not have previously received development support from Screen Scotland's main development fund. Applicants should ideally have experience developing a feature screenplay, or equivalent long-form television, theatre or radio experience, but are explicitly not required to have had work produced or commissioned. Your story does not have to be set in Scotland. An attached producer or director is optional and does not need to be in Scotland, but must be UK-based. Microdramas, vertical dramas, episodic short-form series and other mobile-first content are excluded.
Prizes
Development fees of up to 15,000 pounds, paid in instalments linked to agreed milestones, plus up to a further 5,000 pounds for identified development support assessed case by case, and a separate access resource. Funding is awarded per project, so co-writers share it. An attached UK-based producer or director may be eligible for a small fee. Not repayable: recoupment is deferred to separate agreements with Screen Scotland if the project ever moves into production. Note the rights condition: The Portal Arts holds a 10 per cent development interest in the project during the programme, transferring to Screen Scotland once agreed development materials are delivered and approved. Writers otherwise retain ownership of the screenplay and all underlying rights.
Judging
Eligible applications are assessed in stages by independent script readers and an internal selection team drawn from First Draft and Screen Scotland. Shortlisted writers are invited to interview in November 2026, with final selections made after that stage. Unsuccessful applicants are notified by the end of November and successful writers announced in early December, with the programme running January to December 2027. No individual feedback is offered to unsuccessful applicants. The organisers state that AI is not used to assess applications. In the first year, six screenwriters were selected from close to 200 applications.
The PreList verdict
This is the most writer-native scheme in the UK, and one of very few agency programmes anywhere where the writer is the applicant rather than a producer's attachment. Twelve months, up to 15,000 pounds in development fees paid against milestones, another 5,000 available for identified development needs, one-to-one work with a development executive and editorial feedback direct from Screen Scotland. Best of all, it requires no produced credit at all: you need experience developing a feature screenplay, not a finished film on a shelf.
The honest part: you must live in Scotland and stay based there for the full twelve months, which is a hard gate rather than a preference. There is also a rights condition that is easy to skim past. The Portal Arts holds a 10 per cent development interest in your project for the duration of the programme, which then transfers to Screen Scotland once your agreed materials are delivered and approved. You keep ownership of the screenplay and all underlying rights, but that interest is real and worth reading properly before you sign. For scale, roughly 200 people applied for the first year's handful of places.
Apply if you are in Scotland with a feature you can take from outline to polished first draft inside a year, and you would rather be paid to write it than fit it around a job. It is free to enter and you do not need a producer or director attached, though if you have one they must be UK-based. Applications close at 12 noon on Monday 7 September 2026, interviews are in November, and the programme runs through 2027.
Dylian Salvatore, Founder of The PreList · Updated 9 Aug 2026
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a produced credit?
No, and this is what sets First Draft apart from Screen Scotland's main development fund. You should ideally have experience developing a feature screenplay, or equivalent long-form television, theatre or radio experience, but the guidelines state outright that applicants are not required to have had work produced or commissioned.
Do I have to live in Scotland?
Yes, and it is strictly enforced. Every writer and co-writer named on the application must live in Scotland and remain based there for the whole programme, with proof of a Scottish address required if selected. Your story does not have to be set in Scotland.
Is the money repayable?
No. It is a development fee, not a loan. Any discussion of recoupment is deferred to separate agreements with Screen Scotland only if the project later moves into production.
Does anyone take a stake in my project?
Yes, and it is worth knowing before you apply. The Portal Arts holds a 10 per cent development interest in the project during the programme, which transfers to Screen Scotland once the agreed development materials are delivered and approved. You retain ownership of the screenplay and all underlying rights.
Is your script right for Screen Scotland Talent Builder: First Draft?
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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