Bill Warnock Talent Accelerator Initiative 2026

Dates

Deadlines are as the organizer states them. Check the time zone on the official page.

At a glance

Entry fee

FreeThe page and guidelines mention no application fee

Formats

Any

Language

English

Where

Sydney, Australia (in person)

Who can apply

Early-to-mid-career writers living in Western Australia who have had state or federal screen agency funding in the past three years and have written a produced non-student short, online series or similar in that time, but no feature or national broadcast series that has been released. Applicants must meet Screenwest's Terms of Trade and have no overdue acquittals.

Prizes

Up to AUD 100,000: up to AUD 80,000 toward the placement, paid through the host company as a salaried job, and up to AUD 20,000 in repayable development funding for up to two projects on the writer's slate.

What to send

Also asked for

A cover letter of up to three pages, an overview of the current slate, a development plan with budget for up to two projects, and a CV of up to two pages with two referees. Shortlisted writers are interviewed by Picking Scabs/See-Saw.

Need your pages in standard screenplay format first? The free screenplay formatter lays them out and saves a PDF.

What it gives besides money

A one-year fixed-term job at See-Saw Films' office in Paddington, Sydney, reporting to Picking Scabs executive producer Shay Spencer: reading submissions and writing coverage, research for new ideas, and sitting in on development meetings and calls.