Application

OSM Pre-Development Writing Incubator Application 2026–27
Applications close October 19, 2026 at 12:00 p.m. Central Time.

There is no cost to apply or participate. Applicants must be current On Screen Manitoba members, and five mid-career Manitoba screenwriters and creators will be selected. Eligible projects are ongoing, limited, animated, or digital/streaming television series only; documentary, factual, and unscripted projects are not eligible.
Application
A. Applicant information and eligibility
Name:

First NameLast Name
Email:
example@example.com
Preferred language for application and participation:
Manitoba eligibility:
B. Professional background
Which role or roles best describe your current professional practice? Select all that apply.

Other
Which career stage best describes your current screen-sector practice?

Another description input
Briefly list up to three experiences that demonstrate your professional screenwriting or creator practice. Examples may include produced, optioned, funded or professionally developed work, paid writing, commissions, labs or comparable experience. Maximum 250 words.
C. Cohort composition equity and access
Why OSM asks: CMF uses voluntary self-identification information to measure representation and report on participation. Information you choose to provide will support CMF reporting and the composition of the final five-person cohort. It will not change the initial creative-merit score. Choosing Prefer not to answer will not affect the merit assessment.
Self-identification (optional). Select all that apply. I identify as:
Are there language, accessibility, caregiving, technology or travel supports that would help you participate fully? This response is used for program planning and is not part of the merit score. Maximum 150 words.
D. Proposed project
Project title:
Eligible series format: Select all that apply. Documentary, factual, and unscripted projects are not eligible.
Indicate the intended episode length and approximate number of episodes:
Genre, if applicable:
Logline: One to three sentences.
Project overview: What is the project, what happens, who are the central characters and what is the world of the story? Maximum 400 words.
Why this project? Why do you want to tell this story and what draws you to it as a creator? Maximum 150 words.
Why is this the right series format for the story? At a preliminary level, describe what generates continuing or limited episodic story and why the selected format suits the project. Maximum 150 words.
Which materials currently exist for the project? Select all that apply.

Other
If pages or a draft exist, approximately how much material has been completed?
Has the project previously received professional development, funding, notes or participation in another lab? Previous support is neither required nor inherently advantageous. Maximum 150 words.
Project origin and rights — single applicant only
If the project is co-created, co-written, adapted or based on third-party material, explain your role and the rights or permissions you currently hold. Confirm that you are applying as the sole program participant:
E. Development fit goals and readiness
Which two or three stages of the incubator would be most valuable to the project at its current stage? Select up to three.
What are the biggest creative questions or challenges you are currently facing with this project? Explain how they connect to your selected stages. Maximum 200 words.
Which two or three concrete milestones do you believe are achievable during the incubator? Select up to three.

Other
What would be different about the project at the end of the incubator compared with where it is now? Maximum 150 words.
What is the most realistic next step for the project in the following 3 to 12 months, and how would the completed materials help you take it? Maximum 150 words.
Describe one example of receiving substantive creative feedback and deciding how to respond to it. Maximum 150 words.
F Writing sample
Submit a screenwriting sample of up to 10 pages that demonstrates your voice and craft.

Cancelof
Sample title and format
Is this sample from the proposed project?
Describe your authorship and, if relevant, where the excerpt occurs in the larger work

Maximum 100 words0/100
G Participation confirmation
Participation commitment — I can participate throughout the program, complete work between sessions, share my work with facilitators, receive creative feedback, revise my project, and take part in pitch preparation and industry-access activities.
Applicant and rights confirmation — I am applying as the sole participant and confirm that I hold or control the rights necessary to develop the submitted project, subject to the information provided above.
Accuracy confirmation — I confirm that the information in this application is accurate.
Known scheduling constraints between November 2026 and March 31, 2027:
Should be Empty:

OSM Pre-Development Writing Incubator Application 2026–27

A. Applicant information and eligibility

B. Professional background

C. Cohort composition equity and access

D. Proposed project

E. Development fit goals and readiness

F Writing sample

G Participation confirmation