New writers collective FAQS
We want the application to be as straightforward as possible. If you have questions, we hope that we’ve answered them here. If there’s anything else you’d like to know, please email us at tvfoundation@thetvfestival.com. The New Writers Collective aims to attract talented people from all backgrounds. If you require this information in a different format or need to apply in another way, please email tvfoundation@thetvfestival.com
Eligibility
The New Writers’ Collective is an initiative designed to discover and support new TV writers.
The successful cohort will receive
- A free pass and accommodation for the Edinburgh TV Festival
- Free access to TV Foundation events for a year
- A free pass to the Edinburgh TV Festival for the subsequent year
- Free priority access to our screenwriting event First Draft in March 2026
- Industry guidance from executives at All3Media and from across the Group
- Access to a supportive community of peers and an alumni network of new writers.
- Entrants must be 18 years of age or older
- Entrants must not be represented by an agent as a screenwriter
- Entrants must not have paid TV writing credits or anything in *active development
- International entrants are eligible, but entrants must primarily reside in the UK
- Entrants can submit an entry that is co-written to the New Writers Collective. But we must stipulate that only one festival pass will be supplied per writing team.
- Entrants must be available between the following dates in 2026 for an afternoon with All3Media, the First Draft event for screenwriters (March 24-26) and The TV Festival (August 25-28)
*If you had a project in development over 3 years ago you are still eligible to apply
The New Writers Collective is geared towards giving people a career boost in the UK TV industry, so the scheme wouldn’t benefit you fully if you live and work outside of the UK.
International entrants are eligible, but entrants must primarily reside in the UK
Yes, we will accept co-written entries to the New Writers Collective. But we have to stipulate that only one festival pass will be supplied per writing team.
Applying
Applications for New Writers Collective are open from Wednesday 26 November 2025 until Thursday 08 January 2026.
The application form will be available on our website.
We will require you to submit:
A 100-word writer’s biography. This doesn’t need to be a formal recap of any experience you might have (you don’t need any!) – just give us a sense of who you are as a writer, what interests you etc.
A logline for your script. This should be a one sentence summary of your idea.
A one-page (or shorter) pitch summary of your series/ idea. This should be a PDF. As entries are assessed blind you should remove your name and any contact details from the document. You can find more information about writing a short treatment and pitch document here and here
The first 20 pages from a completed TV episode of the project described above. This should be a PDF and the same idea as your pitch. As entries are assessed blind you should remove your name and any contact details from the document. Your entry should be formatted as a television script. For a guide, see here
A one page CV. A CV no more than a page outlining your work experience. You don’t need any experience as a writer or in the screen industries – this is just for us to understand a bit more about you. Your CV should be a PDF and free from all identifying information including your name or email address.
- The fee to enter the award is £24 – this is inclusive of VAT and is frozen from 2023
- All fees are payable via Stripe after submission. Entries will not be considered until payment has been made.
- The entry fee covers the costs of processing and assessing submissions, and we do not give refunds.
- If you are unable to pay the entry fee, email tvfoundation@thetvfestival.com and, if appropriate, we will provide you with a waiver code.
- Entries must be submitted by 11.59pm on the deadline day – we cannot offer any extensions on the deadline and late submissions will not be considered.
Being on the programme
In its fourth year, we were delighted to offer even more to the selected writers who benefited from a newly extended programme including:
- A free pass and accommodation for the 2026 Edinburgh TV Festival
- Free access to all TV Foundation events for a year
- A free pass to the 2027 Edinburgh TV Festival
- Free priority access to our brand-new screenwriting event First Draft
- Exclusive access to scripted executives at All3Media
The All3Media and TV Foundation partnership has provided a vital first step towards an on-screen credit for a number of writers including David MacPherson (The Rig), Anna Costello (Dead Canny) and director Nichola Wong.
We are committed to making our programmes and the Festival as inclusive as possible. You can read the Festival’s accessibility policies here.
If there are any reasonable accommodations you require to be able to participate in the assessment process or in the programme we will make them and cover the associated costs. If you have any questions about access or inclusion, please email tvfoundation@thetvfestival.com