Academy's 2010 Nicholl Screenwriting Competition Deadline Is May 1

The deadline to submit entries for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' 25th annual Don and Gee Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting competition is Saturday, May 1, 2010.

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 online application, upload one PDF copy of their original screenplay in English and pay the US$45 entry fee before 11:59 p.m. PT on May 1, 2010.

Last year's competition drew a record 6,380 entries.

Entry scripts must be feature length and the original work of a sole author or of exactly two collaborative authors. The scripts must have been written originally in English. Adaptations and translated scripts are not eligible. Up to five $30,000 fellowships are awarded each year.

"The Academy is extremely proud that the Nicholl competition continues to identify talented but as yet undiscovered screenwriters," said Academy President Tom Sherak. "I'm sure that this year's fellowship recipients will exhibit the same great potential as so many of our past winners."

Several past Nicholl fellows have gone on to successful screenwriting careers, including Oscar®-nominee Susannah Grant ("Erin Brockovich," "Charlotte's Web," "The Soloist"), Doug Atchison ("Akeelah and the Bee"), Mike Rich ("Radio," "The Rookie," "Finding Forrester"), Ehren Kruger ("Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," "The Ring," "Arlington Road") and Andrew Marlowe ("Hollow Man," "Air Force One," ABC's "Castle").

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.

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.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the world's preeminent movie-related organization, with a membership of more than 6,000 of the most accomplished men and women working in cinema. In addition to the annual Academy Awards – in which the members vote to select the nominees and winners – the Academy presents a diverse year-round slate of public programs, exhibitions and events; provides financial support to a wide range of other movie-related organizations and endeavors; acts as a neutral advocate in the advancement of motion picture technology; and, through its Margaret Herrick Library and Academy Film Archive, collects, preserves, restores and provides access to movies and items related to their history. Through these and other activities the Academy serves students, historians, the entertainment industry and people everywhere who love movies.

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