Sundance Institute Screenwriters Lab
Lab · 2027Prestige 88/100
Sundance's flagship January lab: five days developing your first or second feature with world-class advisors.
Deadlines & fees
Closed for this cycle
Applications for the January 2027 lab closed on 12 May 2026 (US$45 fee). The next Development Track window is expected to open in April 2027.
Dates and fees checked against the official site 14 Jul 2026. Last checked over a month ago; confirm on the official site before entering.
Key facts
- Formats
- Feature
- Genres
- Action, Adventure, Animation, Biography, Comedy, Crime, Documentary, Drama, Family, Fantasy, History, Horror, Music, Mystery, Romance, Sci-Fi, Sport, Thriller, War, Western
- Page limit
- 130 pages
- Eligibility
- Open worldwideEmerging writersEarly-career
- Required materials
- Logline (75 words max) · Synopsis (750 words max) · Introductory statement (250 words max) · Eight short essay responses (150 words each) · Artist bios (150 words each) · First five pages of the screenplay · AI usage disclosure · Full screenplay if advanced to the second round (10 to 14 days to submit)
For first- or second-time fiction feature writers, writer-directors or writer-director teams. Open worldwide, though international projects must have a director attached. Scripts must be in English, 75 to 130 pages (90 to 120 recommended).
Prizes
No cash prize; selection is the award. Fellows attend a five-day lab at the Sundance Resort, Utah (January 2027), with one-on-one sessions with creative advisors. Sundance covers travel, accommodation and food for up to two participants per project. The US$45 application fee is the only cost.
Judging
One Development Track application feeds all Feature Film Program development offerings, with applicants automatically considered for everything they qualify for. Initial rounds are notified on a rolling basis; roughly 1,000 to 1,200 full screenplays are read at second round (notified by 31 August), with final selections by 15 December 2026. The 2026 lab selected 11 fellows from over 3,800 submissions.
The PreList verdict
The Screenwriters Lab is the most prestigious development credential in independent film, and its economics are the inverse of a contest: US$45 is the only money that ever changes hands, and if you are selected, Sundance pays for everything while world-class advisors spend five days inside your script. Around eleven fellows from nearly four thousand applicants, so this is the longest of long shots.
The honest part: the application itself is a project. Eight essays, a synopsis, a statement and your first five pages carry the first round; the full script is only read if you advance. That structure rewards writers whose idea is genuinely distinctive at the concept level. Polished-but-familiar work dies early here, which is precisely backwards from the commercial contests.
Apply if you are a first- or second-time feature writer with something formally or culturally distinctive, and treat the essays as seriously as the script. Skip it if your strength is executing familiar genres cleanly; the majors on this list reward that better. The 2027 cycle closed on 12 May; the next Development Track window is expected in April 2027, and one application also covers the Screenwriters Intensive and the Sloan awards.
Dylian Salvatore, Founder of The PreList · Updated 7 Sept 2026
Frequently asked questions
What does the Sundance Screenwriters Lab cost?
A US$45 application fee is the only cost. If selected, Sundance covers travel, accommodation and food for up to two participants per project.
Who can apply?
First- or second-time fiction feature writers, writer-directors or teams, worldwide. International projects must have a director attached, and scripts must be in English (75 to 130 pages).
When can I apply next?
The 2027 window closed on 12 May 2026. The next Development Track window is expected in April 2027, and one application covers the January lab, the March Screenwriters Intensive and the Alfred P. Sloan awards.
Is your script right for Sundance Institute Screenwriters Lab?
Upload your screenplay and The PreList scores how well it fits this lab: genre, format, eligibility and readiness, before you spend anything.
Similar competitions
All labs
The Writers Lab
Lab · 2027
Closed for this cycle
The 2026 window closed on 30 April and final selections are notified by 17 August. The next cycle has not been dated.
NYC script-development retreat for women and nonbinary screenwriters over 40, open internationally.
FeatureTV PilotActionAdventure+18
Checked 29 days ago
Scriptapalooza
Contest · 2026
5 Oct 2026
Long-running open-to-all contest spanning feature, TV, short and a fellowship, with a year of industry promotion.
FeatureTV PilotShortActionAdventure+18
Checked 29 days ago
Shore Scripts Feature Screenplay Contest
Contest · 2026
Closed for this cycle
The 2026 contest closed with the final deadline on 28 August (early 29 May at 59 US dollars, regular 14 July at 69, final 79). Quarter-finalists are announced on 6 October, semi-finalists on 13 November, and the finalists and winners on 9 December 2026. Shore's page lists 1 April as the opening date, so expect the 2027 contest to open around then.
UK-based feature comp with $5,000 grand prize, mentorship from Debbie Berman (Black Panther, Captain Marvel), and industry circulation.
FeatureActionAdventure+18
Checked 2 days ago
Shore Scripts Short Film Fund
Contest · 2026
30 Sept 2026
Short-script production fund: a US$15,000 grant to produce one winning short screenplay, plus US$4,000 finishing funds.
ShortActionAdventure+18
Checked 29 days ago
The Next Brilliant Career
Programme · 2026
Closed for this cycle
Applications closed on 18 August 2026 (Netflix gave 11.59pm; most state agency portals cut off at the end of 17 August). Selected writers are notified on 28 September, the Sydney pitch day is 6 October, resubmissions are due 6 November and final feedback arrives by 1 December 2026. Netflix has announced no second round.
Netflix ANZ, the Australian Writers' Guild and all eight screen agencies fly eight writers to Sydney to pitch. Free, and you keep every right.
FeatureTV Pilot
Checked 2 days ago
The Owl Screenwriting Workshop
Lab · 2027
2 Oct 2026
Four residential days in Athens with board covered. You pay your flights, and you need a real credit to apply.
FeatureTV Pilot
Checked 29 days ago
For organisers
Run Sundance Institute Screenwriters Lab? You are welcome to use this badge on your own site. It links back to this listing, where writers see dates and fees checked against your official site.
<a href="https://www.theprelist.io/competitions/sundance-institute-screenwriters-lab"><img src="https://www.theprelist.io/badges/listed-on-theprelist.svg" alt="Sundance Institute Screenwriters Lab is listed on The PreList" width="190" height="36" /></a>On a dark background, swap the image for /badges/listed-on-theprelist-light.svg. Using the badge makes no difference to your listing, ranking or verdict. Those stay editorial.