WRITERS CAMPUS

Open to professional screenwriters from across Europe, the Writers Campus brings together a new generation of European writing talent for a week-long intensive program in Lille, culminating in a pitch session at Series Mania Forum.

The program’s mission is to spotlight new projects rooted in European stories, new voices, and the next wave of standout European series creators. All submitted projects must feature European elements — whether through their narrative perspective, characters, settings, planned shooting locations, or cultural themes.

Building on its successful legacy, the Writers Campus continues to nurture high-potential projects while reinforcing its commitment to Europe’s most promising screenwriters and to the development of distinctly European series.

• Free webinar on October 6, 2026 at 11:00 AM CET to learn everything about the Writers Campus. Sign up!

The Writers Campus is an intensive pitch preparation program designed for professional European screenwriters with a live-action fiction series project in development and no production company or broadcaster attached. The program is open to solo screenwriters and screenwriting duos.

The program champions fresh creative visions, bold storytelling, and the rising generation of European series authors. Eligible projects must contain mandatory European elements, ensuring that the Writers Campus remains a platform dedicated to strengthening Europe’s audiovisual identity and co-production potential. Building on its established legacy, the Writers Campus preserves its core strengths while offering even deeper creative and strategic support tailored to today’s European audiovisual landscape.

Objectives

• Prepare participants to pitch their project to the audiovisual industry at Series Mania Forum.
• Strengthen the project’s creative and strategic positioning.
• Develop skills in project development, pitching, and professional networking.

Methods

• Online introductory session with mentors ahead of Series Mania.
• 4 days of intensive mentoring (group and individual sessions) with two mentors at the Creative Bazaar, Series Mania Institute’s international creative hub taking place just before Series Mania Forum.
• Participation in masterclasses and networking events with renowned professionals (showrunners, producers, etc.).
• Preparation for the final pitch session at Series Mania Forum.

The Writers Campus is aimed at European professional screenwriters and writer-directors, applying individually or in duos, with a live-action fiction series project in development. The project must not be attached to a production company or television channel/streaming platform. A maximum of 10 projects will be selected for the program.

Eligibility criteria:

• Have a live-action fiction series project in development, consisting of 4 to 12 episodes of 20 to 60 minutes each. Documentary, animation and kids projects are not eligible. Only first seasons are eligible.
• No production company or broadcaster should be attached to the project.
• Provide proof of professional experience: at least one credited project broadcast on television, on a platform, online, in cinemas, or at a festival (whether a TV or digital series, a short film, or a feature film); or one credited work with a distribution agreement about to be released.
• Adaptations of existing IP are eligible (novels, graphic novels, podcasts, articles, etc.) provided the applicant holds the adaptation rights. Proof of rights ownership or option agreement must be submitted with the application (e.g., signed rights agreement, option contract, or letter of authorization from the rights holder).
• The project must feature European elements in its creative DNA — whether through its narrative perspective, characters, settings, planned shooting locations, or cultural themes. Projects should reflect or engage with European stories, voices, or co-production potential.
• Be able to work in English and submit all application materials in English.
• Hold nationality or a long-term residence permit from one of the following countries: Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine or the United Kingdom.
• Be over 18 years old or above.

Application procedure:

Submission of applications via the form at the end of the page.

Applying to the program is free of charge. Fees are payable only upon selection. Payment arrangements may be considered if necessary.

Documents required for application (in English):

• A pitch deck (max. 10 pages) including:
  • Logline (max. 2 sentences).
  • Detailed pitch (format, setting, narrative arcs, tone).
  • Synopsis of the pilot episode and of subsequent episodes (if available).
  • Profiles of the main characters.
  • Writer’s statement / note of intent.
• A short CV.
• A motivation letter explaining how the program will help you develop your project.

• Screenwriters with professional writing experience, demonstrated through at least one previous work released, broadcast or about to be released.
• Screenwriters seeking a producer (applications already backed by a production company are not eligible).
• Quality of writing and originality of the project. Projects should already be sufficiently developed to be presented to the industry after the workshop, with strong creative potential beyond a simple premise.

Participants from the latest edition gave the training an average rating of 8.9/10