NEW VOICES FELLOWSHIP

The New Voices Fellowship is an approximately six-month mentorship program for emerging television and screenwriters who are exploring the human condition in a nuanced, meaningful way. 

The program identifies and empowers five writers each year who are currently working on a 30- or 60-minute pilot or feature-length screenplay. These are stories and people who, for varying reasons, may go overlooked by the traditional marketplace.

Humanitas also recognizes the importance of mentorship and the changing nature of apprenticeship in Hollywood, and how advancement in the film and television industries involves social access and community building. 

Through mentorship, workshops, conversations on professional development, and networking opportunities, New Voices equips writers with the tools needed to advance their careers. Fellows are paired with a mentor, invited to the Humanitas Prizes event, and receive a trophy and $7,500 stipend.

Since 2010, 69 fellows have completed the New Voices program, with many becoming showrunners, producers, directors, and staff writers.

Former New Voices Fellows include Will Pascoe (Absentia), J. Holtham (Supergirl, Jessica Jones), Jeanine Daniels (Snowfall), Rashaad Ernesto Green (The Chi, Searching for Alaska), Carlito Rodriguez (Empire), Emily Silver (Finding Carter), Martín Zimmerman (Ozark), Obiageli Odimegwu (All American), Eric Anthony Glover (Tom Swift), and Eugene Ramos (The Dragon Prince).

Cick here to view the New Voices Fellowship Talent Guide, which offers individual bios, resumes, and project information on the 2023 fellows.

Submissions for the 2024 New Voices Fellowship closed on April 15.

The next application period for the New Voices Fellowship is expected to open in February 2025.

PROGRAM COMPONENTS

Mentorship: Fellows are paired with award-winning showrunners for one-on-one mentorship focused on their project. Written notes are provided over a series of meetings. Former mentors include: Alan Ball, Jenny Bicks, Janine Sherman Barrois, Scott Z. Burns, Reggie Rock Bythewood, Steven Canals, Matt Carlson, Marissa Jo Cerar, Robb Chavis, Liz Craft, Sarah Fain, Tom Fontana, Gary Glasberg, Gary David Goldberg, Deborah Goodwin, Marc Guggenheim, Hart Hanson, Chris Harris, Felicia D Henderson, Winnie Holzman, David Hudgins, Jason Katims, Jay Kogen, Bill Lawrence, Ali LeRoi, Melanie Marnich, Justin Noble, Nancy Pimental, Rashad Raisani, Robin Schiff, David Shore, Charise Castro Smith, Patrick Sean Smith, Robin Swicord, Pam Veasey, Ligiah Villalobos, Ben Watkins, and David Zuckerman.  

Conversation & Workshops Series: The Humanitas staff and the New Voices Advisor invite fellows to join a series of conversations and workshops focused on the most pressing issues facing emerging television and screenwriters. Topics have included the art of the pitch, general meetings, networking, representatives, “branding” yourself as a writer, the guilds, first jobs, career longevity tips, and more. Fellows are also encouraged to attend Humanitas public programming efforts like Industry 101 and participate in a mock writers’ room near the conclusion of the fellowships.

Professional Development & Networking: In addition to the community cultivated through the New Voices Conversation and Workshops Series, New Voices aims to present fellows with at least one networking opportunity per year. Once the New Voices Fellowship has concluded, the fellows’ creative materials and contact information are collected in the New Voices Fellowship Talent Guide and distributed to the Humanitas agents and managers network. New Voices Fellows also receive invitations to community events throughout the year.

Stipend: Each fellow receives a $7,500 stipend paid in two installments, one-half at the commencement of the fellowship and the second half upon its completion.

PROGRAM BENEFITS

UCLA Extension Writers’ Program: UCLA Extension Writers’ Program will offer each fellow one UCLA Extension Writers’ Program course. UCLA Extension Writers’ Program staff will work with fellows to identify courses that best suit the needs of the fellows. The UCLA Extension Writers’ is one of the most prestigious creative writing and screenwriting continuing education programs in the nation. Their open admissions policy and supportive community ensures that all students are inspired and guided to do their best work. Their curriculum includes 400 annual writing courses, offered both onsite and online, taught by a diverse corps of 200 published and produced professionals.

The Black List: The Black List is proud to offer New Voices Fellows one free month of hosting and two free evaluations of their projects on blcklst.com.

NFMLA: New Voices Fellows will be awarded 1-year of Rising Creator Memberships with NewFilmmakers Los Angeles (NFMLA).

Coverfly Pitch Week: Fellows automatically qualify as finalists for the biannual Coverfly Pitch Week and are included on a curated list sent to the over 70 participating industry members and companies, including Warner Bros., Sony, Paramount, Bad Robot, CBS, MGM, Disney, and other major studios and networks, who select writers for a week of meetings, pitches, and generals.

MasterClass: Fellows will be gifted a 3-month membership to MasterClass, giving them access to instructors and classes across a wide range of subjects. MasterClass is here to get you inspired, learn a new skill, and reach any goal and is available to stream on mobile, desktop, and TV. MasterClass makes it possible to learn from 100+ of the world’s greatest minds anytime, anywhere, at your own pace. Classes cover a wide range of writing subjects with instructors including Shonda Rhimes, Aaron Sorkin, Roxane Gay, Walter Mosley, and Margaret Atwood.

Final Draft: Final Draft will provide to fellows activation codes for Final Draft 13. Final Draft, a Cast & Crew Company, has published Final Draft® software – the number-one selling screenwriting application in the world – for over 30 years. Final Draft is the only screenwriting software that allows writers to fully customize their writing environment, streamlines their process, maximizes productivity, and automatically paginates and formats scripts to industry standards. With Final Draft, writers can focus on what they do best - writing. Used by such industry giants as J.J. Abrams, Bong Joon Ho, Sofia Coppola, Guillermo Del Toro, Issa Rae and Aaron Sorkin, Final Draft software is the professional’s choice and the entertainment industry standard. In addition to its flagship software product, Final Draft offers the annual Big Break® Contest – a screenwriting competition that launches careers, and awards over $80,000 in cash and prizes. Final Draft also offers Final Draft Go for iPhone and iPad, making creativity truly portable. To learn more about Final Draft and its products and services, visit: www.finaldraft.com.

Michael Wiese Productions (MWP): MWP is gifting each 2024 fellow a title of their choosing from the MWP catalog. An internationally acclaimed publishing company serving emerging, as well as established, filmmakers, MWP has published over 200 books, over 65 titles have been translated into 25 different languages, are used in over 700 film courses, and in the Hollywood studios and by emerging filmmakers. MWP also hosts a series of classes, interviews, and essays on their sister site The Future of Story.

Professional Headshots: Humanitas will coordinate a photoshoot for fellows to facilitate the creation of professional-grade photos for their use during and after the fellowship.

Humanitas is grateful to the companies and organizations who have agreed to partner with us to support emerging writers! Check back for updates as we sometimes add partners throughout the year. 

Components and benefits are subject to change. If you’re a company or organization that would like to be considered for program partnership, please email info@humanitasprize.org with “Program Partnership” in the subject line.

NEW VOICES FELLOWSHIP CALENDAR:

February 1, 2024: Submissions Open
February 26, 2024: Early Deadline
April 1, 2024: Regular Deadline
April 15, 2024: Final Deadline
May - July 2024: Judging period
August 2024: Announcement of New Voices Fellows 
September 2024: New Voices Fellows recognized at Humanitas Prizes event
September 2024 - March 2025: Fellowship period

SUBMISSION MATERIALS:

• Original 30- or 60-minute pilot, or feature-length screenplay

• Logline 

• Brief synopsis (~250-300 words)

• Supplementary materials: bio, resume, and a short artist statement that speaks to the applicant's professional aspirations and why they felt compelled to write the submitted project.  

• Signed release form (link)

ELIGIBILITY & ADDITIONAL DETAILS:

• Applicants must be 21 years of age or older by August 1, 2024.

• Applicants do not need to be a U.S. permanent resident and/or citizen but must be residing in the United States. Humanitas is unable to provide Visa support for writers overseas.

• Applicants must be available to participate actively in all dimensions of fellowship programming, including mandatory workshops, virtual gatherings, and virtual public programs.

• The New Voices Fellowship is for emerging television and screenwriters who meet all of the following criteria:

  • 1) do not have a manager or agent representing them in the area of writing for film and television,

  • 2) have not been previously staffed as a writer in a scripted television series’ writers room, and

  • 3) have not otherwise received payment for produced scripted feature film or television writing services prior to the submission period. 

• Writers paid for options on unproduced scripts or for writing services on unproduced treatments, micro-budget features, or on unproduced projects outside the WGA’s jurisdiction and below WGA-established minimums should contact Humanitas with details on their situation to determine eligibility. Writing teams with a member who, as an individual writer, has produced credits will remain eligible so long as the writing team applying to the program does not have produced credits. The individual writer with credits, however, would be ineligible if applying on their own.

• Applicants are strongly advised to only submit one application and script per year.

• Scripts must be an original work. Adaptations or reimaginings of true events or fictional stories are acceptable; by submitting you acknowledge you have secured all rights needed to adapt any material. 

• Applicants for Humanitas programs may not submit literary material created through the use of generative AI. Humanitas distinguishes itself among artistic organizations by celebrating stories that explore the human experience, because we believe that the act of acknowledging our common humanity is transformational. 

• Former semifinalists and finalists are eligible to reapply so long as they meet all other criteria. Former semifinalists and finalists are advised that all application materials must have undergone notable revisions, including and especially the script sample if it is the same project as previously submitted.

• Previous recipients of the Carol Mendelsohn College Drama Award and David and Lynn Angell College Comedy Award are eligible for the New Voices Fellowship so long as they meet all other eligibility criteria.   

• Former New Voices Fellows are not eligible to reapply.

• Current Humanitas staff and interns are not eligible for the fellowship. 

• The assessment to determine finalists weighs the quality of the applicant’s script, the script’s relevance to Humanitas mission, and the quality of the applicant’s supplementary materials. All finalists are interviewed via Zoom. These meetings cover the submitted project, career aspirations, and play an essential role in determining who is selected for the annual New Voices Fellowship cohort.

• Should a writing team be selected for the fellowship, the stipend will be split evenly amongst members of the team.

While the New Voices Fellowship accepts materials from all writers, writers with diverse backgrounds and social identities historically underrepresented in media are highly encouraged to apply. 

OUR PROCESS

Over the last three years, the New Voices Fellowship has received an average of 1,000 applications per year.

The New Voices Fellowship competition begins with a three-round reading process powered by Coverfly, during which Coverfly readers consider the submitted scripts at least once. Scripts are anonymized; readers do not know the identity of the writer.

Coverfly curates a group of readers to support the Humanitas New Voices Fellowship and College Screenwriting Awards annually. For 2024, Coverfly has gathered 85 readers from across the United States. These readers have a diverse set of experiences and backgrounds. 61% do not identify as white, 50% identify as either female or non-binary, 5% are over the age of 50, 19% of readers identify as LGBTQ+, and 2% of readers identify as disabled. 

Coverfly readers have or are currently working as development execs, consultants, critics, story editors, authors, and in other positions at companies like Disney, Amazon, Blumhouse, TBS, Warner Bros., FOX, Lionsgate, HBO, Paradigm Talent Agency, Netflix, Magnolia Entertainment, StudioCanal, Paramount, and STARZ, as well as competitions like the Austin Film Festival, Slamdance, The Tracking Board, Screencraft, and Launchpad. 

Coverfly compensates readers at an average rate of $19-21/hour based on experience with bonuses available for quality and efficiency. 

Following the Coverfly reading process, Humanitas staff reviews the top scoring applicants, their submitted scripts, corresponding Coverfly reader notes, and supplemental materials in order to select semifinalists.

For the semifinal and final rounds, Humanitas staff curates reading committees that oversee the review of approximately 25 semifinalists and 10 finalists to determine the five fellows, who represent the approximate top 0.5% of applicants. The semifinal committee consists of writers, assistants, and others with industry and/or organization experience.

The final committee consists of the Humanitas staff, New Voices Fellowship Program Advisor, as well as managers who have experience nurturing writers in the early stages of their careers and/or executives who have experience developing projects. All members of reading committees who are not Humanitas staff are offered an honorarium in recognition of their time and expertise.   

Coverfly readers and members of the semifinal and final round reading committees are given an orientation sheet describing Humanitas and its mission, and a scorecard which asks them to evaluate scripts in the following areas: plot, characters, concept, structure, dialogue, originality, writing style, connection to the Humanitas Mission, and an overall impression.

To learn more about what we look for in a script, you may wish to read this article on our website about the art of screenwriting and exploring the human condition.

NEW VOICES PROGRAM PARTNERS

NEW VOICES FELLOWSHIP SUPPORT

New Voices Fellowship is supported through various fundraising efforts, including proceeds from The Humanitas Prizes event. The New Voices Fellowship is funded in part by the California Arts Council, a state agency, and by the Snap Foundation, a 501(c)3 organization. New Voices Fellowship submission fees are used to cover administrative costs.

QUESTIONS?

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