2024 Dates
To be Announced
Seed & Seed Advanced Grants
Writer-only feature film script development grants, proudly funded by NZ Film Commission.
Seed Grants represent an opportunity for writers to be innovative, to be brilliant, and to be excited to create something they own. Seed grants are the home of new and original stories. No constraints on genre, content, characters, location or even the space-time continuum.
Seed is for emerging and unproduced writers and Seed Advanced is for writers with more than 90 minutes of credited and produced scripted work.
The industry needs strong and new ideas. We need stories that resonate. NZWG believes that our primary storytellers need to be unleashed and offered diverse pathways for developing these stories. Allowing writers space to find their voices will produce new and fresh perspectives to enrich the industry and the country.
The goal of these New Zealand Film Commission funded grants is to create an opportunity for writers to create the feature film scripts they believe in. Seed and Seed Advanced provides unencumbered development funding specifically for writers only.
Seed Advanced acknowledges experienced writers by offering a higher grant level and flexibility around development costs.
Seed & Seed Advanced applications are judged through a blind-read process. Meaning, the application materials don't show the writers name or identifying details and the judges are kept confidential until after judgement is made.
The judges assess each application on three key criteria:
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Idea – is it compelling/engaging? Does it have an audience?
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Craft – is the writer able to execute the screenplay on a high enough level to deliver on the promise of the idea?
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Voice – is the writer’s voice original and clear?
About Seed & Seed Advanced
Seed
NZWG Seed Grants are offered over two rounds per year, with a total of twelve grants of $10,000 (+ GST if applicable) per year for the development of a first draft of a feature film script. Seed is open to emerging writers who haven’t yet written and had produced a feature film. Included in each grant is $2,500 (+ GST if applicable) to put toward script consultation.
Seed Advanced
NZWG Seed Advanced Grants are offered over two rounds with a total of four grants of $12,500 (+ GST if applicable) per year for the development of feature film scripts. Seed Advanced is open to established writers who have more than 90 minutes of scripted broadcast credits. Included in each grant is $2,500 (+ GST if applicable) for further development of the feature film script. This can include (but is not limited to) workshops, table reads, research and multiple script consultants.
With thanks to the
New Zealand Film Commission
for their support.