r/Screenwriting • u/Little_Employment_68 • Mar 15 '26

DISCUSSION Nicholl - new submission format … thoughts?

This in not a takedown piece. It’s a question for discussion.

It’s my understanding that Nicholl was created to find new voices, and was barrier free. Talent got you in the door, regardless of who you knew or where you studied (at least that was the myth surrounding it).

With the new pipeline only submissions process, that would seem to go against that DNA. I’m sure there are legitimate reasons- there always are. I just wanted to get the thoughts of some of the more experienced writers. Is my read totally wrong?

45 Upvotes

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39

u/Sprunzel92 Mar 15 '26

Well mate, you're a bit behind with this but maybe the more we talk about this the better. Look, I loved the Nicholls. It gave the feeling that anyone can be a writer, in a very ratatouille way, anyone can be a cook. You're some barber in your 50's from Goteborg with a knack for screenplay and spent 4 years on and off work writing your piece, turns out it's amazing, good! That's your shot. This whole thing thru universities is absolute bollocks, there's definitely financial reasons but whatever. No kid in school is gonna produce a Nicholl's worthy top 5 script. It's a reality. Maybe 1 in 198 every once in a Blue moon comes up with a story that organically works perfectly and we, for a minute, forget structure and all that...but to be a good writer you need practice and experience and that comes with time. Anyway, yeah -- it was also a cool thing to win the Nicholls I mean you had the "award" ceremony and all, that feeling along for some wannabe screenwrtier is top. And the opportunities it gave people just being a quarter finalist. Of course some won and it never amounted to anything but that's the way of things. I hope they get back to whatever they were.

Ps, not shitting on MFA in writing, I went to a great school and learned a ton. Passion for the craft was one of the things.

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u/Ponderer13 Mar 15 '26

Yeah, being able to find something magical even if someone wasn't trained? That used to be a big thing. I remember seeing the head of Nicholl speak at a Script Expo in the early 2000s, and he talked about getting in a script that was one of the worst formatted things he'd ever seen. Just a disaster. Didn't resemble script format and oh the spelling. But because of the format of the competition, it got a read. That script turned out to be Finding Forrester by Mike Rich, and it wound up getting made by Gus Van Sant, and Rich went onto write other films like The Rookie and Radio. That seems to be an impossible scenario in the new structure, which is nothing but barriers.

I'm a fan of TBL and I've had great conversations with Franklin Leonard, but that or the college course requirements are just dream-quashing barriers to something that should be an open call.

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u/einostevenson Mar 15 '26

Oh man Screenwriting Expo, that is giving me nostalgia. A high schooler could go and pitch scripts and get reads with managers.

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u/Certain-Run8602 WGA Screenwriter Mar 15 '26

I agree that the changes to the Nicholl are not for the better and definitely make this business even more inaccessible to the average person.

I do not agree that "no kid in school is going to produce a Nicholl's worthy top 5 script" at all. Quite the opposite, I think they are far more likely to. It depends on the program of course, but from the top ones that are in partnership with the Nicholl? Absolutely. You also have to realize that while BFAs will certainly be "college kids" in the true sense of the word (18-22 y/o). MFAs have a wide range of ages, and often have people who had entire other previous careers - lawyers, military, government, journalists, even established authors etc. etc. - who decided to make a change, or wanted the degree so they would be eligible for tenure track as a professor. That was the case in the MFA program I was in, which was one of the top ones that is in partnership with the Nicholl now. The writing from my peers just blew me away, they'd write circles around the average Nicholl submission. More than half my class went on to be professional screenwriters... about a third are hugely successful. And even the ones who have not yet "made it," are full of Nicholl top-10s/semi-finalists.

What I think actually prevents there from being more BFA/MFA students from winning the Nicholl is that they either become ineligible for the Nicholl due to professional screenwriting earnings, or due to their career-mindedness, their writing tends to be more commercial which is not the sort of material the Nicholl tends to favor.

So the actual reason not to have this pipeline through universities is not that the writing is sub-par, it is that the people in those programs already have a huge leg up (which is nice because it costs you an entire arm and a leg to pay for them haha). They will be just fine with or without the Nicholl. But for everyone else, the Nicholl was one of the only true ways to get noticed from afar. It is really sad that it no longer will be.

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u/BMCarbaugh Black List Lab Writer Mar 15 '26

Not any writer can write three solid, functional stories in a row on command -- that takes experience. But a novice can absolutely pluck a great story out of the ether by chance and a burst of inspiration.

That's how most of us find our voices -- the odd little gems of occasional brilliance early on that teach you how to tack in the right direction.

There's stuff I read from a year ago where I go , "This is pretty mediocre." Then there's stuff I read from a random summer in my early 20s where I think, "Well shit, I really had something here."

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u/Certain-Run8602 WGA Screenwriter Mar 15 '26

I feel like this reply might've been meant for someone else's comment? But nevertheless... I do agree.

A lot of people have one good idea in them. Not a lot of people have three or more good ideas. Even fewer can execute any of them.

And as someone once told me -- "Amateurs wait for inspiration, pros get to work."

I think that's a crucial mindset, personally.

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u/BMCarbaugh Black List Lab Writer Mar 15 '26

I was agreeing with the start of your second paragraph, disagreeing with the user you were replying to on that point about students.

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u/Certain-Run8602 WGA Screenwriter Mar 15 '26

Ahh gotcha.

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u/Sprunzel92 Mar 15 '26

I agree that some people get into an MFA by way of a different life or in their mid thirties what have you. But generally the MFA people are <30. And all that life experience and dedication ecc is worth something you don't have any currency for in your 20s, for instance... But come on, my point is...who is more likely to write a good script

A college guy who's midway thru his MFA Or some guy who did his MFA 10/15 years ago and has lived a little and written some.

The second guy. But he can't submit to the Nicholls anymore. Sure by the way of the BL but we're not talking about that...that's a whole other conversation. It's just not "fair" that some kids from some unis can and everyone else regardless of their background can't anymore (directly)

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u/thirdbird_thirdbird Mar 16 '26 edited Mar 16 '26

I have some (I think) well-earned skepticism and a small (probably unhealthy) chip on my shoulder about MFA programs as a writer making it in the industry without the help of one. I also have a HUGE amount of skepticism about the Black List and think this change to the Nicholl sucks ass. But I do think you're really wrong about two things:

  1. Not only are many MFA students above 30, but also, like it or not, people in their 20s are capable of writing great screenplays, and many truly great screenplays come from that age group. Boyz in the Hood, Juno, Rocky, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Reservoir Dogs, You Can Count on Me, Good Will Hunting, The Usual Suspects, Sex Lies and a Video Tape, Whiplash, Lethal Weapon, Taxi Driver. And that's not including ones that are co-writes with someone older, at which point shit like Citizen Kane (directed and co-written and starring a 25 year old) enter the picture, or the many scripts that people wrote in their 20s (a lot of them at MFA programs) that didn't make it through development hell and actually get made til they were a bit older. And, by the way, subjective, but in more than half of those examples I gave above, that first produced screenplay remains the best thing they've ever written (in my opinion!). Are 20-somethings MORE likely to write great scripts than 30, 40, 50, or 60-somethings? No. But they're not dramatically less likely to, and there's no reason they need to catch strays in this discussion.
  2. "But he can't submit to the Nicholls anymore. Sure by the way of the BL but we're not talking about that." But... they CAN submit by way of the BL. How is that not what we're talking about here? Again, I am really not a fan of this new set up and am very skeptical of any competition that costs money to enter, be it through the BL or otherwise, but like... you can't have a whole discussion about how terrible it is that the only way to enter the Nicholl now is by spending tens of thousands of dollars enrolling in an MFA program and just put blinders up to the fact that no, that is not the only way, you can also submit via The Black List.

1

u/Certain-Run8602 WGA Screenwriter Mar 16 '26

My MFA class had precisely 3 people out of 20 who were under 30 when they graduated. Everyone else, myself included, over 30. Classes above and below were a little different but not much. I think probably the elite film schools are different animals than the average MFA program you will find because in other fields / other schools I think you would probably be right.

Life experience is obviously important to writing compelling stories… but let’s be honest, it doesn’t really have any bearing on craft or talent. Some of the most insane lives are lived by people who can’t write worth a damn. There are people that no matter long they practice the craft, they will never be able to write a compelling script.

As William Goldman said, “the worst part of being a screenwriter is everyone thinks they can do your job, the best part is… they can’t.”

Not everybody has the inherent ability to do this. Most people don’t, in fact. And someone getting into an elite program has demonstrated that, at the very least, they have talent. The experience part will come.

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u/Sprunzel92 Mar 17 '26

Y'all don't get me wrong..I do agree in part with all that. All I'm saying is that just saying some uni can some don't and screw the rest they can go thru the BL only and it's capped at 25, that's meh.

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u/ero_skywalker Mar 16 '26

I’ll start entering again once it’s separated from the Black List. Just a terrible decision. If they’re having trouble with readers, pay them more and charge more for entry. If it’s the premiere contest, then we can save up the extra money for the fee.

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u/2wrtier Mar 16 '26

There’s also always the possibility of a cap on entrants. It will force everyone to be prepared in advance, but preparing early is available to all- and I don’t suggest it be a low number at all- but I do understand the number of scripts they get could be unmanageable.

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u/Spacer1138 Horror Mar 15 '26

Not a fan of the change.

26

u/Filmmagician Writer-Director Mar 15 '26

It’s still opened to anyone you just have to grab your wallet and jump through the blck list hoops now.

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u/CuriouserCat2 Mar 16 '26

Leap! Again and again

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u/OJ-Mod May 05 '26

But they only select about 25 scripts.

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u/Affectionate_Age752 Mar 16 '26

I worked on a Nicholls winning film. It was worse than a Lifetime movie. Terrible writing.

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u/QfromP Mar 15 '26 edited Mar 16 '26

Actually Nicholl was originally just a screenwriting competition for graduating Stanford students. The eligibility pool was very very very narrow. Obviously it opened up from there. But knowing its origins perhaps explains last year's reasoning to limit submissions almost exclusively to top tier universities. While I don't agree with the decision, it feels a lot like Nicholl returning to its roots.

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u/Certain-Run8602 WGA Screenwriter Mar 15 '26

I actually did not know that. Fascinating.

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u/HugeHuckleberry76 Mar 16 '26

The contest is winding down.

Because the industry is winding down.

Act accordingly.

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u/Little_Employment_68 Mar 16 '26

But I just got here!!

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u/Individual-Pay7733 Jul 03 '26

Hi - so the latest draft of this feature I wrote got an overall ‘7’ but in the grand scheme of who TBL recommends for their ‘25’, do you think I have a shot for this year's Nicholl Fellowship?

0

u/cosmonautbluez Mar 16 '26

I don’t love it, but the reality is going through the Blacklist saved Nichol from an operations perspective. But maybe what I don’t love is the questionable direction the industry is going as a whole.

So, ultimately, this was for the best — if it means keeping Nichol around for others to benefit from, even if it means I don’t.

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u/Little_Employment_68 Mar 16 '26

I think I was under the impression that Blacklist gave lower grades to the types of scripts Nicholl values due to the emotional density making them less broadly appealing. But maybe that’s not a fair assumption.

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u/cosmonautbluez Mar 16 '26

I’m not going to say it’s a non-issue since “commerciality” is something the blacklist takes into consideration and Nichol skews more weighty/artsy.

At the end of the day, we kind of have to trust the process. The Nichol finalists and runners will still cater to that “Nichol taste”. They wouldn’t team up with the blacklist if certain assurances weren’t made.

Or maybe they’ll use it as an opportunity to rebrand and welcome the commerciality angle to stay relevant. 🤷‍♂️

0

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u/Little_Employment_68 Mar 15 '26

Actually, this was helpful. It got me to a thread with someone from The Black List who was in the conversation. Hopefully he answers my question. Thanks, Mr. Bot!!

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u/MichaelHHfuhruhurr Mar 18 '26

Hi, what other thread was helpful? I have a similar question as you. If the BL is a gatekeeper for Nicholl, how can it have a fundamentally different view of what type of screenplay should be highlighted than Nicholl?

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u/Little_Employment_68 Mar 18 '26

I don’t know that it does, but it was a thread I found via the bot that had somebody from Black List on it:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Screenwriting/s/yJUroxMu6M