Application deadline: August 25, 2026 at 6:00 PM PT
How to apply: Apply through FilmFreeway.
Applicants must submit all required materials online, including contact information, writer bio, series logline, pilot synopsis, series overview, personal statement, thematic statement, character/core relationship statement, episodic vision statement, full pilot script, and optional video samples.
Applications are open for the Sundance Institute 2027 Episodic Program.
The Sundance Institute Episodic Program supports emerging to mid-career writers and creators working across scripted series formats. Through a lab experience or virtual intensive, selected writers receive creative and strategic support to develop an original pilot and move their projects and careers forward.
The program gives writers the opportunity to workshop an original pilot and build their writing and pitching skills. Fellows may participate in one-on-one story meetings, pitching sessions, craft workshops, writers rooms, and customized development support with accomplished showrunners, producers, executives, and creative advisors.
Applicants must be 18 years of age or older. The program is open to U.S. and international applicants. Submitted scripts must be original creations or adapted from optioned source material, written in English, not already produced, not sold to a third party, and not distributed online or otherwise.
One submitted project may also be selected for a separate monetary grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, supporting a series with a focus on science, including subjects such as medicine, energy, technology, and invention.
