Announcing the 2017 Recipients of the Prestigious Academy Nicholl Fellowship

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has announced the recipients of the 2017 Academy Nicholl Fellowship.

The prestigious Fellowship, which launched in 1986, remains one of the top honors for emerging screenwriters looking into enter into the industry, with winning screenplays routinely landing at the top of pile at every agency in town. Moreover, each Fellow also receives $35,000 to support them in their creative pursuits during their Fellowship year.

2017’s winners – which comprise four individuals and one writing team – represent the top picks of over 7000 submissions worldwide. The winners are:

Vigil Chime, “Bring Back Girl”

SJ Inwards, “Jellyfish Summer”

Max Lance and Jen Bailey, “The Queen of Sleaze”

KG Rockmaker, “Last Days of Winter”

Cesar Vitale, “The Great Nothing”

Fellowships are awarded with the understanding that each recipient will go on to complete a feature-length screenplay within their fellowship year.

Selected from 9 finalists, each winning script is read and then voted upon by the Academy Nicholl Fellowships Committee. This year’s committee was chaired by writer Robin Swicord, with other members including writers Tina Gordon Chism, Larry Karaszewski, Dan Petrie Jr., Eric Roth, Misan Sagay, Kirsten Smith, and Tyger Williams; animation director Jennifer Yuh Nelson; cinematographer Steven Poster; executives Marcus Hu and Bill Mechanic; producers Stephanie Allain, Albert Berger, Julia Chasman, Julie Lynn, and Robert W. Shapiro; and sound editor Bobbi Banks.

A ceremony in honor of the recipients will be held on Thursday, November 2, at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.

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