Free resources
The screenwriter’s resource list.
Free, trustworthy places to read produced scripts, find fellowships and contests worth your entry fee, learn the craft from working writers, and protect your work. Researched and updated October 2026.
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From Matt’s desk
Guides I wrote for writers, free to read.
- 18 types of movie ideas
The proven engines behind most hit movies, from fish out of water to the night that goes completely wrong, with examples and the conflict each one creates.
- 100 logline examples: can you guess the movie?
One-sentence loglines for 100 hit films, from The Godfather to Get Out. Guess each one, reveal the answer and keep score.
- The Art of Dramatic Writing, in brief
My take on Lajos Egri’s classic: the three-part premise, why your ending is already in it, and where the method is overrated.
Guilds & industry organizations
Start here. The guilds publish more free, reliable information than most paid courses: pay minimums, agency lists, credit rules and craft events.
Writers Guild of America
- WGA West: FAQ
Plain answers on joining the guild, finding agents, registration and credits.
- WGA Schedule of Minimums
The minimum a guild signatory must pay for every kind of film and TV writing job, updated for the 2026 contract.
Matt’s note Know these numbers before your first deal conversation. You can’t negotiate well if you don’t know the floor.
- WGA Credits Manuals
How screen and television writing credit is actually determined, including arbitration.
- WGA West Agency List
Searchable list of guild-franchised agencies that represent writers.
Matt’s note A legitimate agent never charges a reading fee. If someone wants money up front to represent you, walk away.
- WGA East Agency List
Agencies that signed the guild’s Code of Conduct. Legitimate agents never charge fees beyond commission.
- WGA Pilot Deal & Series Comp Guide
Real-world data on what TV writers are being paid for pilots and series work.
- WGA 101 Greatest Screenplays & TV Series
The guild members’ own lists of the best-written films and shows: a ready-made reading list.
- WGA East Events
Craft talks and workshops from the East Coast guild, some open to the public.
- WGA West on YouTube
Panels and craft conversations with working guild members.
Writers Guild Foundation
- WGF Resource Center
A vetted hub of craft videos, TV and feature primers, fellowship listings and advice on bios and personal statements.
- WGF Events
Public panels and library office hours with major writers. You don’t need to be a guild member.
- WGF on YouTube
Recorded panels and oral histories with film and TV writers.
- Veterans Writing Project
A free year-long writing mentorship for U.S. military veterans.
Other institutions
- BBC Writers
The BBC’s free hub for new writers: craft guides, opportunities and an open call for scripts.
- Writers’ Guild of Great Britain
The UK writers’ union, with free guides to contracts and rates.
- Sundance Co//ab
Free membership tier with a screenwriting resource library and community. Most workshops are paid.
- Film Independent Blog
Interviews and craft articles from the nonprofit behind the Spirit Awards and LA’s writing labs.
Read produced scripts
Reading professional scripts is the single best free education there is. Official sources come first; community libraries are useful but aren’t licensed, and drafts vary.
Official and authorized
- BBC Writers Script Library
Hundreds of produced BBC TV, film and radio scripts, posted for writers to study, including Doctor Who.
- John August Library
Free scripts from the writer of Go and Big Fish, plus Chernobyl and Station Eleven posted with their creators’ permission.
- Deadline: Read the Screenplay
Every awards season, Deadline posts studio-supplied screenplays for the year’s contenders.
- Netflix FYC: Film
Netflix’s awards site, with scripts for its film contenders during awards season.
- Netflix FYC: Series
Episode scripts for Netflix’s Emmy contenders.
- Amazon MGM Studios Guilds
Official screenplay PDFs for Amazon MGM’s awards films.
- Universal Pictures Awards
Has hosted screenplays for films like Oppenheimer and Wicked; returns each fall.
- Disney Studios Awards
Disney’s awards portal, which has included screenplays in past seasons.
Research libraries (read on site)
- WGF Shavelson-Webb Library
More than 50,000 produced film and TV scripts, plus treatments, pitches and bibles. Los Angeles, by appointment.
- Margaret Herrick Library
The Academy’s library holds scripts for 15,000+ films. Beverly Hills reading room.
- WGF guide to script libraries
Directory of about 20 script archives across the U.S., from AFI and UCLA to the Library of Congress.
Community libraries
- Script Slug
The cleanest, most current library of film and TV script PDFs. Posted for education; honors takedown requests.
Matt’s note Read the script, then watch the film. The changes between page and screen are where you learn the most.
- SimplyScripts
Long-running, actively updated index that links out to scripts, including studio FYC copies, and labels which draft each is.
- IMSDb
The Internet Movie Script Database. Huge, but drafts and sources vary, so check against the produced film.
- The Daily Script
Older archive of film and TV scripts; little added in recent years.
TV bibles & pitch documents
A series bible shows how a show’s world, characters and future seasons were sold. Very few have been officially released; most copies online are fan-hosted, so treat them as study material only.
- John August: D.C. and Ops pitch documents
Pitch documents and pilots for two series, posted by the writer himself. The rare officially released examples.
- 8FLiX: series bibles and pitches (part 1)
Includes the original Star Trek pitch, Stargate SG-1, Scrubs and the 2014 Stranger Things bible.
- 8FLiX: series bibles and pitches (part 2)
Includes Fargo, Freaks and Geeks, Grey’s Anatomy, the Lost format document and the New Girl pitch.
- Battlestar Galactica series bible
Ronald D. Moore’s 2003 bible for the reimagined series, a model of how to pitch a world.
- Star Trek: The Next Generation writers’ guide
Gene Roddenberry’s 1987 guide for writers on the series.
- The Wire: David Simon’s bible
Kottke’s post with David Simon’s 2000 pitch document for The Wire, alongside several scripts.
- WGF Library (bibles on site)
The Writers Guild Foundation collects show bibles and pitches you can read in person in Los Angeles.
Fellowships & labs
The programs with real track records of launching careers. Deadlines are typical windows, so confirm the current cycle on each official site.
Feature film
- Academy Nicholl Fellowships
Up to five $35,000 fellowships for original features. Since 2025, entries go through partner portals (the Black List and the Writers Guild Foundation). Opens June.
- Sundance Screenwriters Lab
The most prestigious development lab for first- and second-time feature writers. One application covers the Lab, the online Intensive and the Sloan grant. Spring.
- Film Independent Screenwriting Lab
Development lab for emerging feature writers in Los Angeles. Summer.
- SFFILM Sloan Science in Cinema Fellowship
$35,000 for science-themed features or series. February to May.
- CineStory Feature Retreat & Fellowship
$10,000 plus a year of mentorship and a writers’ retreat. February to July.
Television
- Disney Entertainment TV Writing Program
A paid staff-writer job for emerging writers with two original pilots. Free to apply. May to June.
Matt’s note Free to apply, and it’s a paid staff job at the end. Have two strong original pilots ready, not one.
- Paramount Writers Mentoring Program
Formerly the CBS program, now also covering Nickelodeon. Eight months of mentorship. April.
- NBC TV Writers Program
NBCUniversal’s program for emerging episodic writers, formerly Writers on the Verge.
- Sundance Episodic Lab
Lab for original pilots, open internationally. July to August.
- Women in Film x Black List Episodic Lab
For women and underrepresented genders in LA. October to November.
- CAPE New Writers Fellowship
For Asian and Pacific Islander TV writers. Applications typically in the fall.
- CineStory TV Retreat & Fellowship
For pilots: a cash prize, mentorship and retreat. August to December.
Film and TV
- Sundance Native Lab
For Indigenous writers of features or series. Free to apply. December.
- Film Independent Project Involve
Year-long program for filmmakers and writers from underrepresented communities. May to July.
- Stowe Story Labs
Labs and retreats for emerging feature and TV writers, with rolling deadlines from October.
- The Writers Lab (NYWIFT)
For women and nonbinary writers over 40, features or pilots. February to April.
International
- BBC Writers Open Call
The BBC reads unsolicited drama scripts from new writers. Free. Usually November to December.
- Channel 4 4Screenwriting
A paid five-month course for UK writers with no TV or feature credits. Free to apply. Autumn.
- Berlinale Talents
The Berlin festival’s program for emerging film and TV creatives. July to September.
- TorinoFilmLab
European script and series development labs. November to December.
Screenplay contests worth entering
Most contests are a business, not a door. These are the few with real track records of getting writers read, staffed or sold.
Most respected
- Academy Nicholl Fellowships
The gold standard, run by the Academy. Entries through the Black List or WGF portals, June to July, about $100.
- Austin Film Festival Script Competition
Long the top “writers’ festival,” with feature, teleplay and short categories and a great conference. March to May, $50 to $90.
- Script Pipeline
Strong record of placing winners with producers and studios, with development support after the contest.
- PAGE International Screenwriting Awards
Running since 2003, with alumni including the creators of Ozark and Pose. Check the site for the current cycle.
Solid
- Final Draft Big Break
Feature, TV and short categories with $10,000 grand prizes and industry meetings. March to June.
- Slamdance Screenplay Competition
From the indie festival; every entrant gets short reader notes. March to August.
- BlueCat Screenplay Competition
Valued mainly because every entry gets written feedback. June to November.
Related
- The Black List
Not a contest: a paid script-hosting and evaluation service that industry members browse, and now a Nicholl entry portal.
- The Black List annual lists
Free archive of every year’s list of the most-liked unproduced scripts, a who’s who of breakout writers.
Matt’s note Just read the loglines. It’s a free lesson in what makes a buyer stop and ask for the script.
- How to spot a predatory contest
No Film School’s checklist of red flags before you pay an entry fee.
Matt’s note If a contest can’t name past winners who actually got work from it, keep your entry fee.
Free download
The 2027 fellowship & contest calendar
Every program and contest on this page, month by month, with typical deadline windows and entry fees. Three pages, ready to print and pin above your desk.
Communities & feedback
Free places to trade pages, ask questions and find writing partners.
- r/Screenwriting
Reddit’s screenwriting community, more than a million members, with verified professionals doing regular AMAs.
- r/Screenwriting wiki & FAQ
The subreddit’s pinned guide: start-here FAQs, contest policy, tools and writing groups.
- r/Screenwriting weekly threads
Logline Monday, Five Page Thursday, Weekend Script Swap and more, for free feedback.
- Done Deal Pro forums
A long-running message board on the craft and business of screenwriting.
- SimplyScripts forum
Script discussion boards and regular short-script challenges.
Craft, lectures & podcasts
Free masterclasses from the people who wrote the films you love.
Lectures and interviews
- BAFTA & BFI Screenwriters’ Lectures
Free video lectures by Charlie Kaufman, Tony Gilroy, Scott Frank, Susannah Grant, Richard Curtis and more.
Matt’s note Better than most paid courses. Start with the writer whose work you most admire.
- On Story
Austin Film Festival’s interviews and panels with screenwriters, as a TV series and podcast.
- Scriptnotes
John August and Craig Mazin’s long-running podcast on screenwriting. Recent episodes are free; the back catalog is paid.
- Scriptnotes transcripts
Free written transcripts of Scriptnotes episodes.
Guides and references
- Nicholl scoring rubric
The exact criteria Nicholl readers use to score scripts. Use it to grade your own draft.
Matt’s note Before you pay any entry fee, grade your own draft against this. It’s the closest you’ll get to seeing a reader’s scorecard.
- Screenwriting.io
John August’s plain-language answers to common screenwriting and formatting questions.
- How to format a screenplay
Final Draft’s free guide to standard screenplay format.
- Dan Harmon’s Story Circle
The Community and Rick and Morty creator’s own eight-step story structure tutorial.
- Go Into The Story
Scott Myers’ craft blog for the Black List, with years of interviews and script analysis.
- No Film School
Daily news and craft articles on screenwriting and filmmaking.
Video essays
- Lessons from the Screenplay
Video essays analyzing how great screenplays work.
- Every Frame a Painting
A classic archive of film-craft essays. No longer posting, still essential.
- Just Write
Essays on story, character and theme.
Protect your work & know the business
Register before you send your script out, and know what fair pay looks like.
- U.S. Copyright Office registration
The strongest legal protection for a script. Online registration is $45 for a single author and work.
Matt’s note Register with the Copyright Office, not just a guild registry. The registry proves a date; copyright registration is what gives you real legal standing.
- WGA East Registry
Dated proof of authorship for 10 years. $25 for the public, $10 for members.
- WGA West Registry
Dated proof of authorship for 5 years, open to non-members.
- WGA Minimum Basic Agreement
The guild’s master contract with the studios, with plain-language summaries.
Free screenwriting software
You don’t need to buy software to write a properly formatted script.
- WriterDuet
Free for up to three projects with no watermark; real-time collaboration.
- Arc Studio
Free plan for two scripts; PDF export is watermarked.
- Trelby
Completely free, open-source screenwriting program for Windows and Linux.
- Story Architect
Open-source successor to KIT Scenarist, with free core features.
- Celtx
Free tier for one project with basic screenplay editing.
- Fade In
A professional screenwriting app with a free demo version.
Archives for deep research
Original drafts, notes and papers from the writers themselves.
- Writers Guild Foundation Archive
Writers’ papers, scripts and oral histories, searchable online, viewable by appointment.
- Harry Ransom Center, UT Austin
Papers of Ernest Lehman, David O. Selznick and Matthew Weiner’s Mad Men archive, partly online.
- Library of Congress Moving Image Research Center
The national collection, open by appointment.
- AFI Louis B. Mayer Library
The American Film Institute’s research library in Los Angeles.
- UCLA screenplay research guide
UCLA Library’s guide to finding screenplays in print, online and in archives.
When you’re ready for real notes
Free resources will teach you the craft. A one-on-one read from someone who bought and developed scripts at the studios will tell you exactly what isn’t working in yours.
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