Writing Opportunities
Explore new writing opportunities and events from the BBC and across the industry.
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 Script
Our Open Call is now closed for submissions. The dates of the next Open Call will be announced in autumn 2026. Find out more about the Open Call and what we do (and do not) accept.
More Opportunities from BBC Writers & across the BBC
Write Across Bradford
Submissions open: Monday 9th February 2026 at 12 noon | Submissions close: Tuesday 10th March 2026 at 12 noon
Write Across Bradford is an eight-week development programme specifically designed to support emerging writers and creatives from the Bradford District who are at the early stages of their writing careers.
The Comedy Unit | Noising Up!
Rolling Deadlines
Noising Up is set to return to BBC Radio Scotland and BBC Sounds and needs your topical, satirical and observational sketches!
BBC Upload
Upload is open to submissions all year round, with content showcased every day on BBC radio stations and social and online platforms from writers and content creators across the UK.
Non-BBC Opportunities
Aberystwyth University Scriptwriting Society
Ongoing Meet Ups
The society is holding weekly writing workshops for keen scriptwriters who are based in the Aberystwyth area in Ceredigion, Wales. Non-students are welcome.
Actwrite
Rolling Deadline
Actwrite is seeking London-based screenwriters to join a new project connecting them with trained actors to workshop scripts.
Anthroplay Theatre | Anthrotalks
Multiple Deadlines and themes throughout the year
Anthroplay is looking for poetry, spoken word, monologues, comedy, drag, songs - the lot - for their upcoming Anthrotalks events in 2026.
Barons Court Theatre | The Sunday Fix
Deadline:15th of the month
The Sunday Fix is a scratch night offering feedback on 10 minute extracts of new plays from writers.
Box of Tricks | Open Door
Rolling Submissions
Box of Tricks has a year-round, open door policy to receiving new plays from playwrights in the North of England.
Climate Spring | The Hot House Writers Development Lab 2026
Deadline: 23.59 on Friday 30th January 2026
An 8-week programme to support screen writing talent in creating engaging and commercially viable climate stories for film and TV.
Devon and Cornwall Screenwriting Group
Event: The group meets online every month
The group meets to provide reciprocal feedback on completed TV and feature scripts written by group members.
Eastern Angles Theatre Company | New Angles Writers Club
Rolling deadline. Booking required prior to each session
Eastern Angles is looking for East Anglian playwrights to join their New Angles Writers Club, a local writing community to receive support and feedback on a play in development.
Edinburgh Screewriting Sessions
Bi-weekly meetups
An opportunity to write and socialise with other screenwriters in Scotland.
Finborough Theatre | Open Script Submissions
Rolling submissions
Finborough Theatre welcomes unsolicited scripts at any time of the year.
London Comedy Writers
Ongoing Meet Ups
An opportunity for London based comedy writers who want to share their work and receive constructive feedback.
Manchester Screenwriting Meet Up
Ongoing Meet Ups
An opportunity for Manchester based screenwriters who want to develop their craft and learn more about screenwriting.
Messy Writers | Monthly London Meet-Ups
Monthly Meet Ups
An opportunity for London based screenwriters who want to share opportunities and meet potential collaborators.
Milk Tea Films | Great Migrations
Deadline: 17:00 on Friday 16th January 2026
A new development lab for East and/or Southeast Asian (ESEA) writers, writer-directors and producers based in the UK.
National Youth Theatre | Script School
Deadline: 1pm on Monday 19th January 2026
A theatre writing programme for young people aged 19-30 in London who are unemployed or underemployed, and not in education.
Papatango | Playwrights’ Studio
Papatango have announced a brand-new, completely free offer for playwrights which includes digital workshops, open-access funding, one-to-one advice, in-person events, and representation on a searchable industry database.
Playwrights' Studio Scotland | National Script Reading Service
Rolling Submissions
Playwrights' Studio Scotland's free script reading service provides an opportunity for Scotland's writers to receive valuable script feedback from theatre professionals.
Royal Birmingham Conservatoire | Short Film Script Submissions 2026
Deadline: Wednesday 11th February 2026
The RBC is seeking seven short film scripts to be produced in May 2026 as part of the graduation films for the BA Acting course.
Royal Court Theatre | Script Submissions
Rolling Submissions
The Royal Court is dedicated to finding the most exciting new plays, underpinned by the history of their open submissions policy.
Script Club Cardiff
Monthly meet-ups
Script Club Cardiff holds monthly informal meetups for local scriptwriters.
Script East Midlands
Monthly meet-ups, booking required
A writer-led support network for scriptwriters, based in the East Midlands.
Script East Midlands | Palace Playwrights
WORKSHOPS: 8 weekly sessions from Saturday 24th January 2026
A free eight-week course for residents of Newark or Sherwood to explore the foundations of writing scripts, whilst developing their creative voice.
Soho Theatre | The Verity Bargate Award 2026
Submissions open Monday 12th January 2026 and close Monday 13th April 2026
Soho Theatre is seeking submissions for the Verity Bargate Award 2026, its flagship new writing prize.
Stolen Moments | Writer Call Out
Rolling submissions
A call out for short plays from Welsh and Wales-based writers for a new theatre platform.
TYPE! - Micro plays
Rolling 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.
University of East London | Short Scene Submissions
Deadline: Midday on Monday 26th January 2026
BA (Hons) Acting for Stage and Screen at the University of East London are looking for Short Scene Submissions to showcase their third year acting talent.
Womxn Who Make Funny Films
Ongoing Meet Ups
Womxn Who Make Funny Films organise networking events, writing groups and showcases for women identifying comedy filmmakers.
Yorkshire Screenwriters | Monthly Script Feedback
Monthly Meetings
Yorkshire Screenwriters is a community-based organisation supporting screenwriters in the region by offering Monthly Script Feedback on the first Wednesday of each month, either online or in person in central Leeds.
Help: Do you have an Opportunity that you would like us to include on this page?
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.
Info: BBC Comedy
BBC Comedy
From 2021, Comedy writer, writer/performer, director and producer 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 each year to up-and-coming writers, producers and directors who’d like to develop their careers in scripted comedy.
Find out more about the BBC Comedy Collective leaders and alumni
We will no longer open a window specifically for Comedy script submissions or run further Comedy Room writer development groups via BBC Writers.
Interested in breaking into Comedy?
Visit the BBC Comedy Commissioning website to find out about more opportunities
