TIFF Sloan Science and Technology Writer Fellowship
Fellowship · 2026Prestige 78/100
Thirty-five thousand Canadian dollars to one writer, plus a place in TIFF's Writers' Lab. Sole writers only.
Deadlines & fees
Closed for this cycle
The 2026 cycle is closed and no 2027 dates have been published. That cycle opened on 19 February 2026 with an early-bird deadline of 23 March at CAD 46.75 and a regular deadline of 13 April at CAD 55, notification at the end of July and the Writers' Lab in September. No deadline times or timezones are published.
Dates and fees checked against the official site 9 Aug 2026.
Key facts
- Formats
- Feature
- Page limit
- 120 pages
- Eligibility
- Open worldwide18+
- Required materials
- Completed feature script of 80 to 120 pages · Biography of 150 to 300 words and a headshot · One consolidated PDF containing a one-page CV, filmography, 50-word logline, 250-word synopsis, one-page script outline, a 5-page writing sample from a previous project, and a one-page outline of any confirmed attachments, financing or other markets and labs · A 2-minute pitch video · A 2-minute clip from previous work on which you are credited as writer or writer-director
Open to Canadian and international applicants: three of the four official sources say so explicitly, and only TIFF's English page is silent on nationality. Applicants must be at least 18 and credited as a writer on at least one feature film or one television series. The project must be a feature-length narrative with a first draft complete, focused on science or technology themes or characters; documentaries are ineligible. Notably TIFF publishes no science-fiction exclusion, unlike the SFFILM equivalent. You must be the sole writer: projects with co-writers will not be considered, so a writer applies alone and no director or producer attachment is required. Previous TIFF Writers' Lab and Writers' Studio participants are ineligible. Adaptations need a fully executed copyright ownership agreement with proof. Scripts run 80 to 120 pages.
Prizes
A CAD 35,000 award to further develop the selected script, to one recipient a year, plus a place in TIFF Writers' Lab, mentorship from a story consultant and a science consultant, project feedback from screenwriters and industry professionals, accreditation to TIFF and The Market, and TIFF Talent alumni network membership. How the money is staged or paid is not published. On repayment: we read TIFF's complete published terms and conditions and they contain no clause on repayment, recoupment, profit participation or equity, so on the published record this is an outright grant. TIFF does not publish a grantee agreement, so terms could in principle be introduced at contracting. There is one binding credit obligation: completed projects must carry a separate main-title frame reading that funding was provided by TIFF's Sloan Science and Technology Writers' Fellowship, supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, developed by TIFF Writers' Lab.
Judging
Selected by an unnamed jury and selection committee. The fellow must commit to attending the full Writers' Lab in person in Toronto and completing the required readings, viewings and assignments; the Lab is fully catered, but whether travel and accommodation to Toronto are covered is not published, which is a material unfunded cost for an international fellow. Note that TIFF's own page publishes an incomplete materials list, omitting both required videos and the attachments and financing outline; the FilmFreeway listing carries the full list. One further caution for verification: TIFF's French fee paragraph gives deadline dates that contradict the French key-dates table on the same page and both English sources.
The PreList verdict
Thirty-five thousand Canadian dollars to a single writer, plus a place in TIFF's Writers' Lab with both a story consultant and a science consultant attached, and accreditation to the festival and its market. Funded by the Sloan Foundation, whose science-on-screen money is behind several of the better-endowed opportunities in this directory. For a writer with a science or technology story and one produced credit, this is among the most valuable single awards we carry.
Two things make it unusually clean. First, we read TIFF's complete published terms and there is no repayment, recoupment or profit-participation clause anywhere, so unlike several European funds this reads as money you keep. Second, and rarer than it sounds, TIFF publishes no science-fiction exclusion. The SFFILM Sloan fellowship bars anything beyond today's scientific capabilities in almost every case; TIFF simply asks that science or technology sits at the centre and that you are not making a documentary.
The honest part: you must be the sole writer, and a project with a co-writer is disqualified outright, which is an unusual and absolute rule. You need at least one produced feature or television credit. And the Writers' Lab attendance is mandatory and in person in Toronto for five days; the Lab is catered but TIFF does not say whether travel and accommodation are covered, which for an international fellow is a real unfunded cost against the award. The 2026 cycle is closed with no 2027 dates published; it has opened in February with an April deadline, so watch from the new year.
Dylian Salvatore, Founder of The PreList · Updated 9 Aug 2026
Frequently asked questions
Can I apply from outside Canada?
Yes. Three of TIFF's four official sources state that Canadian and international applications are accepted, including one in English. Only TIFF's English web page is silent on the question, which reads as an omission rather than a restriction.
Do I have to repay it?
Nothing in TIFF's complete published terms and conditions covers repayment, recoupment, profit participation or equity, so on the published record this is an outright grant. TIFF does not publish a grantee agreement, so terms could in principle be added at contracting stage.
Is science fiction eligible?
TIFF publishes no science-fiction exclusion at all, which sets it apart from the SFFILM Sloan fellowship. The requirement is simply that science or technology themes or characters are at the centre of the project. Documentaries are ineligible.
Can I apply with a co-writer?
No. Applicants must be the sole writer on the project, and TIFF states that projects with co-writers will not be considered. No director or producer attachment is needed, so this is a scheme a writer enters entirely alone.
Is your script right for TIFF Sloan Science and Technology Writer Fellowship?
Upload your screenplay and The PreList scores how well it fits this fellowship: genre, format, eligibility and readiness, before you spend anything.
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