Séries Mania Institute Writers Campus

Programme · 2026Prestige 70/100

Five days in Lille pitching a series at the Séries Mania Forum. Free to apply, 960 euro including VAT to attend.

Deadlines & fees

Closed for this cycle

The 2026 edition is complete and no 2027 call has been announced. The 2026 round opened 16 September 2025 and closed 27 October 2025, with results on 17 December. Note that a September 2026 deadline circulating for the Séries Mania Institute belongs to its separate Eureka Series programme, not to Writers Campus.

Dates and fees checked against the official site 8 Aug 2026.

It costs €960 if you get in

That is charged after selection and is separate from any entry fee above. Quoted as 960 euro TTC, meaning toutes taxes comprises: VAT is INCLUDED, not added on top. The VAT-exclusive equivalent is not published. Whether the fee is per participant or per project is not stated. Payment arrangements may be considered if necessary, though no terms are published. The fee covers tuition, the full educational programme including the workshop, Creative Bazaar and Séries Mania Forum, Forum accreditation, visibility on the Séries Mania+ platform, and lunches at the Creative Bazaar across four days. It excludes transport, accommodation, all other meals and personal expenses. French participants may be able to fund the programme through AFDAS or similar bodies. Financial assistance and housing subsidies for international participants are advertised as headings but no terms, amounts or eligibility are published; the only concrete offer is an introduction to a travel agency for negotiated Lille accommodation rates.

Key facts

Formats: TV Pilot
Eligibility: Open worldwide
Required materials: Pitch deck of up to 10 pages, in English · Logline of no more than 2 sentences · Detailed pitch covering format, setting, narrative arcs and tone · Synopsis of the pilot episode, and of subsequent episodes where available · Main character profiles and a writer statement or note of intent · Short CV · Motivation letter explaining how the programme will develop the project · Optionally, proof of agreement with a broadcaster

Open to professional scriptwriters worldwide, with no nationality or residency gate. Proof of professional experience is required: a project broadcast on television, a platform, online, in cinemas or at a festival, whether a television or digital series, a short film or a feature, or a distribution agreement for a first work about to be released. The project must be a live-action fiction series in development with episodes between 20 and 60 minutes; documentary and animation projects are not considered. Crucially, no production company or broadcaster may be attached: the programme is for screenwriters seeking a producer, and applications already backed by a production company are ineligible. All work and application materials must be in English. Selected projects must be ready to present to industry after just a few days of workshops, so a premise alone is not enough.

Prizes

No cash award, prize or stipend. What the fee returns is mentoring, accreditation to the Séries Mania Forum, a listing on the Séries Mania+ digital platform and a pitch in front of industry.

Judging

Applications are judged partly on the quality of writing and originality, by a jury that is not named. Mentors are described only as renowned experts and are not named. Charlotte Brandstrom, Ron Leshem and Bryan Elsley are named in connection with masterclasses and networking rather than as assigned mentors. Selected-project rosters are published for the 2023, 2024 and 2025 editions, and the Institute reports that participants in the latest edition rated the training 8.9 out of 10 on average.

The PreList verdict

Séries Mania is one of the two or three series markets in Europe that genuinely matter, and Writers Campus is the route in for a writer without a producer. Five days in Lille, four of them intensive mentoring in group and individual sessions, ending in a pitch at the Forum itself, with accreditation and a listing on their digital platform. Free to apply. Open to scriptwriters worldwide with no nationality gate, which is rarer among European schemes than you would hope.

The honest part: it costs 960 euro if you are selected, though credit where it is due, that figure is quoted TTC so VAT is included rather than sprung on you afterwards. What it does not cover is getting to Lille or staying there, and the Institute advertises headings for financial assistance and housing subsidies for international participants without publishing a single term, amount or eligibility rule beneath either. The only concrete help is an introduction to a travel agent. There is no cash award, and mentors are described as renowned experts without being named.

The gates are the interesting part. You need a produced credit, which can be a series, a short or a feature, or a distribution agreement for a first work. And you must not have a producer or broadcaster attached, because finding one is the entire point. Documentary and animation are out. Be warned that selected projects are expected to be ready to face industry after a few days of workshops, so a premise will not survive it. The 2026 edition is finished and no 2027 call is announced; if you see a September date for Séries Mania, check it, because that one belongs to their separate Eureka Series programme.

Dylian Salvatore, Founder of The PreList · Updated 9 Aug 2026

Frequently asked questions

What does it cost?

Applying is free. If selected, 960 euro TTC, which means VAT is included rather than added. That covers tuition, the workshop, Forum accreditation, visibility on the Séries Mania+ platform and four days of lunches. Transport, accommodation and all other meals are yours.

Can I apply with a producer attached?

No, and this is the defining rule. The programme is for screenwriters seeking a producer, and applications already backed by a production company are not eligible. No broadcaster may be attached either.

Do I need credits?

Yes. You need proof of professional experience: a project broadcast on television, a platform, online, in cinemas or at a festival, which can be a series, a short film or a feature, or a distribution agreement for a first work about to be released.

When is the next call?

Not announced. The 2026 round ran from 16 September to 27 October 2025. Be careful with dates circulating for the Séries Mania Institute: a September 2026 deadline belongs to their separate Eureka Series programme, not to Writers Campus.