MISSION

A CONTAINED SHORTS WRITERS LAB FOCUSED ON GETTING UNDERREPRESENTED WRITERS INTO PRODUCTION

Our mission is to fill a hole in the short film space, equipping writers to elevate their skills to craft a contained short that they themselves may be able to produce, while hitting all the emotional and structural beats award winning shorts need to hit. 

We wanted to create opportunity——and yes, jobs——and encourage underrepresented and emerging screenwriters in the Hudson Valley (and greater NY) to produce their own work, foster community, and have a polished, shoot-ready, professional, contained script to elevate their careers.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2026 COHORT! 25 UNDERREPRESENTED WRITERS MOVE ON TO ROUND 1 OF OUR SEPT LAB!

Thanks to the generosity of Spark of Hudson, fiscal sponsor, Stockade Works, Final Draft, and ShotDeck, the Screenwriting Sprint has launched a Contained Shorts Writers’ Lab designed to get underrepresented writers into production. At any level of career, having a shoot-ready contained short script in your back pocket is priceless! As emerging filmmaker opportunities dwindle… get out there and make your own! Shoot it yourself. It’s suddenly a maker’s market and there is a way forward.


THE LAB UNFOLDS IN THREE PHASES:

Phase One — Selected writers will join a month-long online lab: twice-weekly sessions covering screenwriting structure, guest mentors, and hands-on writing exercises. (September 1-24, 2026)

Phase Two — 10 writers will be invited to an immersive three-day in-person lab in Hudson, NY. (October 23-25, 2026)

Phase Three/Grand Prize: One winning contained short script receives a $10,000 production grant and goes into full production in 2027, as well as a $1000 stipend to attend their own shoot. Support from Stockade Works will help locate talented, underrepresented crew members in Upstate NY.

Two Runners-Up will each receive a $500 cash award.