Palo Alto writer Kevin Sharp was a previous runner-up
in the Don & Gee Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting. The Nicholls
-- as they are called in the industry -- are considered the most
prestigious screenwriting competition of the numerous ones that exist across
the U.S. and the world. Aspiring writers are advised to consider both the prestige of a
contest and past winners’ track records, before committing money for an entry fee. The
Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (AMPAS) has administered the fellowships
since 1986; the program was born in 1985 as a collaboration between Gee Nicholl
(widow of film producer Don Nicholl) and Julian Blaustein.
The Nicholls recognize up to five amateur screenwriters
each year with a $35,000 prize for each. Over $4 million in total has been awarded
since the program’s inception. All fellowship winners are expected to complete
one new feature film screenplay during the following year; quarterly prize
payments are made to assist writers with living expenses, giving them time and
freedom to focus on their creative work.
Writers who have earned less than $25,000 profressionally
are eligible to enter. Screenplays must be original works, written in English,
between 70-160 pages. Scripts are read via multiple rounds of voting; each is
read at least twice, while the further a script advances the more times it is
read. The quarterfinal round is made up of approximately 5 percent of entries;
the semifinal round is approximately 2 percent. Typically, 10-15 scripts reach
the finals each year. As of 2017, over 7,000 total entries were received.
Past winners who have gone on to professional writing
careers include Alison Anders, Jeffrey Eugenides, Susannah Grant, Karen
Moncrieff, Michael A. Rich, Doug Atchison, and Deston Daniel Cretton.
