Open Call
Our annual open submission opportunity for all writers aged 18 and over and resident in the UK or Republic of Ireland.
How and When to Send us a ScriptOur latest annual Open Call script submission window closed on Wednesday 7th December 2022 at noon and will be open again late in 2023.
More Opportunities from BBC Writersroom & across the BBC
The Alfred Bradley Bursary Award 2023Deadline: 12 noon on Tuesday 11th April 2023
An opportunity for writers living in the North of England who are new to writing for audio. It offers a £5,000 bursary to the winner as well as the chance of a Radio 4 Drama commission.
BBC Writersroom's Writers' Access GroupSubmissions open: 10am on Tuesday 24th January 2023 | Deadline: 12 noon on Tuesday 18th April 2023
The Writers’ Access Group is a training programme that aims to support and accelerate the professional development of deaf, disabled and/or neurodivergent writers.
Any Questions? Join a webinar on Thu 9th March from 12-1.30pm to get all the details.
BBC Comedy Commissioning - Short-form development opportunitiesOpen for submissions now!
BBC Comedy Commissioning have 2 new strands where you can get involved. Please note that pitches must come via a production company.
Non-BBC Opportunities
Anthroplay Theatre | Anthrotalks New Writing EventDeadline: 11am on Thursday 9th March 2023
Anthroplay are looking for monologues, spoken word, poetry and songs from new and existing writers/performers, that revolve around the theme "FEMME" as part of their next Anthrotalks new writing event.
British Comedy Guide - BCG Pro Video ContestDeadline: Various
Each month, a panel of judges will select a sketch, which will be awarded £100 and shared with over 150,000 comedy fans via British Comedy Guide's social media platforms.
The Big Finish Comedy Playhouse Script Writing CompetitionDeadline: 17.00 on Saturday 1st April 2023
Big Finish Productions and the writing association, Write on Comedy are in search of original and hilarious scripts which are suitable for a pilot episode of an audio production.
Chesil Theatre | TakeTen New Writing Competition 2023 | Snakes & LaddersDeadline: 23:59 BST on Friday 2nd June 2023
Writers from across the UK are invited to enter their stage plays with the theme 'Snakes and Ladders' for Chesil Theatre's TakeTen New Writing Festival.
The David Nobbs Memorial Trust | 6th Annual Comedy Writing CompetitionDeadline: 23:59 on Friday 31st March 2023
The David Nobbs Memorial Trust has launched its latest annual narrative comedy writing competition, encouraging and championing emerging talent with financial aid.
Devon and Cornwall Screenwriting GroupEvent: The group meets online every month
The group meets to provide reciprocal feedback on completed TV and feature scripts written by group members.
Evening Standard | Stories CompetitionDeadline: 23.59 on Wednesday 12th April 2023
The Evening Standard are searching for fresh new voices in their free-to-enter Stories competition, encouraging anyone with a story to share their piece in written word, audio or film.
Finborough Theatre | Open Script SubmissionsRolling submissions
Finborough Theatre welcomes unsolicited scripts at any time of the year.
The John Byrne AwardDeadline: Various
Deadlines: Monthly on the last day of each month for £250 prize, 31st January for annual £7500 prize. The John Byrne Award is an online exhibition and competition exploring personal and societal values. A single piece of creative work (any kind is accepted - Audio, Video, Imagery, Writing) can be entered. You must be living or studying in Scotland.
Manchester Screenwriting Meet UpOngoing Meet Ups
An opportunity for Manchester based screenwriters who want to develop their craft and learn more about screenwriting.
New Writing North | Channel 4 Writing for Television Awards 2023Deadline: Monday 5th June 2023
Established by New Writing North, the Northern Writers’ Awards supports work-in-progress by new, emerging and established writers across the North of England. Writers may enter three awards which focus on scripted writing with Lime Pictures, Rollem Productions and Bonafide Films.
North Cumbria Scriptwriters | Lonely Cloud – Act Your AgeDeadline: 23:59 Sunday 30th April 2023
North Cumbria Scriptwriters invite scripts by writers with links to Cumbria on the theme of ‘Act your Age’.
Northern Digital Storytelling Festival 2023ONLINE EVENTS: Monday 20th - Friday 31st March 2023
The Northern Digital Storytelling Festival (NDSF) is a free online collaborative event that celebrates advancements in digital storytelling with a variety of sessions and panel discussions with industry professionals..
Pen to Print | Audio Play Competition 2023Deadline: 5pm on Friday 31st March 2023
Pen to Print and Alternative Stories are on the hunt for innovative, original plays that have been designed specifically for listening.
Script ClubEvent: Script Club meets up online approximately every 2 months
Much the same as a traditional Book Club, the group gather to discuss different scripts drawn from the extensive catalogue of BBC Writersroom.
*Please Note* while the BBC Writersroom help share and support the Script Club, it is not organised by or affiliated to BBC Writersroom.
Scriptwriters & Co | Scratch Night SubmissionsDeadline: 12 noon (GMT) on Wednesday 15th March 2023
S&Co are looking for original plays, screenplays or audio plays of 5-6 pages, on the theme published on their website from writers anywhere in the world.
TYPE! - Micro playsRolling submissions
TYPE! is a new bookmark magazine looking for short/micro plays or screenplays (2-5 minutes in length) to feature in the next edition.
UEA & FutureLearn - An Introduction to Screenwriting A free online course for new and experienced writers built by the University of East Anglia’s School of Literature, Drama and Creative Writing on the FutureLearn platform.
Unshaded Arts | UniversalDeadline: Midday on Monday 13th March 2023
Unshaded Arts are seeking short plays from writers for their next new writing night.
The Women's Prize for Playwriting 2023Deadline: 5pm on Monday 17th April 2023
The prize is open for submissions from female and non-binary playwrights in the UK and Ireland.
The Writing SquadDeadline: Midnight on Friday March 31st 2023
The Writing Squad is recruiting writers aged between 16 and 22 who live, work or study in the North of England for their next two year programme.
Do you have an Opportunity that you would like us to include on this page?
Please visit our Opportunities Listing Requests page for full details of the information we require and how to get in touch.
Our remit is scriptwriting so in general we can't promote opportunities or events from organisations outside the BBC which are for novel writing, short stories, poetry etc.
We can only promote opportunities and events which are free for writers to enter or attend and don't ask for payment from writers at any stage.
BBC Comedy
From 2021, Comedy writer and writer/performer development is looked after by BBC Comedy Commissioning, which brings together all comedy outreach that is happening across the BBC under one strategy.
The separate Caroline Aherne Bursary, Felix Dexter Bursary and Galton & Simpson Bursary for writers have been brought together with two new bursaries for directors and producers into the BBC Comedy Collective, a supercharged bursary scheme offering 10 places to up-and-coming writers, producers and directors who’d like to develop their careers in scripted comedy.
We will no longer open a window specifically for Comedy script submissions or run further Comedy Room writer development groups via BBC Writersroom.
Interested in breaking into Comedy?
Visit the BBC Comedy Commissioning website to find out about more opportunities