Academy’s 2011 Nicholl Screenwriting Competition Now Underway

Beverly Hills, CA (March 7, 2011) - The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is now accepting entries for the 2011 Don and Gee Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting competition.  As many as five $30,000 fellowships will be awarded through the program in November.

The Nicholl Fellowships competition is open to any individual who has not earned more than $5,000 from the sale or option of a screenplay or teleplay, or received a fellowship or prize of more than $5,000 that includes a “first look” clause, an option or any other quid pro quo involving the writer’s work.  To enter, writers must submit a completed application online, upload one PDF copy of their original screenplay in English and pay the entry fee before 11:59 p.m. PT on May 2, 2011.  The regular entry fee is US$45; an early-bird entry fee of US$30 is available for those who enter prior to 11:59 p.m. PT on April 1, 2011.

Online applications, rules and other details are available at www.oscars.org/nicholl.

Fellowships are awarded with the understanding that the recipients will each complete a new feature-length screenplay during the fellowship year.  The Academy acquires no rights to the works of Nicholl fellows and does not involve itself commercially in any way with their completed scripts.

Last year’s competition drew 6,304 entries.  Since the program’s inception in 1985, 118 fellowships have been awarded.

[click the above orange link to read the press release]

Interview with Greg Beal: An Inside Look at the Nicholl Fellowships

by Barri Evins

Greg Beal has been the director of the Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting since 1989. Those of us privileged to know Greg are well aware of the enormous integrity he brings to every aspect of the contest, from application to awards ceremony, his ceaseless striving to improve the competition experience and the extra effort he puts into personally encouraging writers. I’ve heard from many writers how much it meant to them to receive Greg’s handwritten postscript to their official semi or quarterfinalist letter letting them know how close they came to the next level and encouraging them to keep at it. Greg’s empathy is no accident; he understands what it means to be in your shoes. Once a screenwriter himself, Greg won a WGA East fellowship and went on to write several scripts on assignment.



Barri Evins: The Nicholl Fellowships is widely considered to be the most prestigious contest out there. Now that it’s celebrating a 25th Anniversary, there’s no doubt it’s the Granddaddy of all contests. What are some of the qualities that make the Nicholl unique?

Greg Beal: Being a program of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is at the heart of things. The filmmaking achievements of the Nicholl Committee members who judge the finalist scripts are extraordinary. So are the achievements of the Academy members who judge in the semifinal round. Hearing Academy Award winner Michael Arndt describe at last year’s Nicholl Awards Dinner how being a Nicholl semifinalist kept him writing for years leading up to his creation of LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE reminded us that the program’s reach extends far beyond the group of 126 fellows.

BE: I know some of the extraordinary steps you go to give each and every script submitted the very best shot possible. Can you share some of them with our readers?

GB: While it may seem hard to believe, especially in this era of PDF entries, Nicholl program manager Joan Wai or I “handle” every script in distributing them to readers. As we assemble a small group of scripts for a reader, we’re aware of that reader’s likes and dislikes, especially in terms of genre, and try only to assign scripts that fit their preferences. At the least we’re glancing at every log line, which is why entrants should try to write clear, concise and accurate log lines, and using those and the genre to assign scripts. We also try to make sure that a previously entered script is not judged by any reader who has read the script in another year. We even try not to assign scripts to any reader who has read any script by the writer in a previous year. Over the course of the first round of a competition, every script is read once, just under half of the scripts are read a second time, and about 800 scripts are read a third time.

BE: How do you find your first round judges/readers? What are their backgrounds?

GB: These days, new readers often are recommended by a current reader. Occasionally, a potential reader will cold contact us. Year to year, the turnover is fairly slight, as are the new hires. In fact, in some years we do not add any new readers. More often, we add about a half-dozen new readers in a given year.

Nicholl readers’ backgrounds vary. Many are writers; many are or have been script readers. All of them have worked in some capacity within the industry, and all of them have resided in Southern California. Over the years, the Nicholl reading staff has included writers, directors, producers, agents, executives, actors and development assistants. Several Nicholl fellows have read after winning; one fellow was a reader prior to winning. We even have a former production company president reading for the competition.

BE: What are three strengths that winning scripts share?

GB: Originality; strong, intriguing characters; and a compelling story. If I added a fourth and a fifth, they would be exceptional storytelling and exemplary writing and craft skills —



[click the above orange link to continue reading on moviebytes]

Since the program’s inception in 1986, Nicholl Fellowships have been awarded to over 120 talented new screenwriters. During the ensuing years, these Nicholl fellows have written movies, television episodes, novels, non-fiction books and more. To celebrate its 25th Anniversary, the Nicholl Fellowships has gathered updates on what many of the Nicholl fellows are doing now

[click the orange link to see the 25th Anniversary Nicholl Yearbook]

Beverly Hills, CA – Five writers have been selected as winners of the 25th annual Don and Gee Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Each writer will receive a $30,000 prize, the first installment of which will be distributed at a gala dinner in Beverly Hills on November 4. This year’s winners are (listed alphabetically by author): Destin Daniel Cretton, San Diego, Calif., “Short Term 12” Marvin Krueger, North Hollywood, Calif., “And Handled with a Chain” Andrew Lanham, Austin, Texas, “The Jumper of Maine” Micah Ranum, Beverly Hills, Calif., “A Good Hunter” Cinthea Stahl, North Hollywood, Calif., “Identifying Marks” The winners were selected from 6,304 scripts submitted for this year’s competition. The competition is open to any individual who has not sold or optioned a screenplay or teleplay for more than $5,000, or received a fellowship or prize that includes a “first look” clause, an option, or any other quid pro quo involving the writer’s work. Final judging of the competition was conducted by the Nicholl Committee, chaired by producer Gale Anne Hurd and composed of writers Naomi Foner, Daniel Petrie, Jr., Tom Rickman and Dana Stevens; actor Eva Marie Saint; cinematographers John Bailey and Steven B. Poster; executive Bill Mechanic; producers Peter Samuelson and Robert W. Shapiro; and agent Ronald R. Mardigian.

*big congrats to the winners see you at the dinner

Beverly Hills, CA (October 18, 2010) — Oscar®-winning writer Michael Arndt will deliver the keynote address at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 25th annual Don and Gee Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting presentation dinner on November 4, 2010, at the Beverly Wilshire hotel. Arndt earned his first Oscar nomination and win in 2006 for the original screenplay for “Little Miss Sunshine.” He also wrote the screenplay for “Toy Story 3,” released earlier this year. The Academy annually awards up to five Nicholl fellowships of $30,000 each. Ten scripts have advanced to the final round of the competition this year. Since the program’s inception in 1985, 113 fellowships have been awarded. Fellowships are awarded with the understanding that the recipients will each complete a feature-length screenplay during their fellowship year. The Academy acquires no rights to the works of the Nicholl fellows and does not involve itself commercially in any way with their completed scripts. For a complete list of 2010 Nicholl finalists, visit: http://www.oscars.org/awards/nicholl/fellows/finalists.html

Beverly Hills, CA (September 27, 2010) — Ten writers have been selected as finalists for the 25th annual Don and Gee Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Their scripts will now be read and judged by the Academy’s Nicholl Committee, which may award as many as five of the prestigious $30,000 fellowships.

This year’s finalists are (listed alphabetically by author):

• Art Corriveau, Santa Fe, New Mexico, “Nicky Flynn Finally Gets a Life”
• Destin Daniel Cretton, San Diego, Calif., “Short Term 12”
• Sebastian Davis, Los Angeles, Calif., “Drunk-Dialing”
• Marvin Krueger, North Hollywood, Calif., “And Handled with a Chain”
• Andrew Lanham, Austin, Texas, “The Jumper of Maine”
• Tim Macy, Kansas City, Mo., “The Last Queen”
• Micah Ranum, Beverly Hills, Calif., “A Good Hunter”
• Cinthea Stahl, North Hollywood, Calif., “Identifying Marks”
• Logan Steiner, Redondo Beach, Calif., “The Promise of Spring”
• Sage Vanden Heuvel, Ann Arbor, Mich., “Inner Earth”

The finalists were selected from 6,304 scripts submitted for this year’s competition. The competition is open to any individual who has not sold or optioned a screenplay or teleplay for more than $5,000, or received a fellowship or prize that includes a “first look” clause, an option, or any other quid pro quo involving the writer’s work.

The Nicholl Committee, chaired by producer Gale Anne Hurd, is composed of writers Naomi Foner, Daniel Petrie, Jr., Tom Rickman and Dana Stevens; actor Eva Marie Saint; cinematographers John Bailey and Steven B. Poster; executive Bill Mechanic; producers Peter Samuelson and Robert W. Shapiro; and agent Ronald R. Mardigian.

Fellowships are awarded with the understanding that the recipients will each complete a feature-length screenplay during their fellowship year. The Academy acquires no rights to the works of Nicholl fellows and does not involve itself commercially in any way with their completed scripts.

Since the program’s inception in 1985, 113 fellowships have been awarded, and a number of fellows have achieved considerable success. Mike Rich, a 1998 fellow, wrote the upcoming “Secretariat.” Susannah Grant, a 1992 fellow, earned an Oscar nomination in 2000 for her “Erin Brockovich” screenplay. Andrew W. Marlowe, a 1992 fellow, created and executive produces ABC’s “Castle,” for which Terri Miller, also a 1992 fellow, is a writer-producer. “City Island,” which was written and directed by 1991 fellow Raymond De Felitta, premiered at the 2009 Berlin and Tribeca film festivals, and premiered theatrically in March of this year.

Several other Nicholl fellows have had success in the film industry; to read more about them, visit http://www.oscars.org/awards/nicholl/fellows/notable.html.