Are you a current senior or NYU alumni with a feature screenplay or TV pilot you’re dying to get in the right hands? The NYU LA PitchFest is a unique chance to put yourself, your writing, and your pitch in front of agents, managers, producers, and executives.

The PitchFest is designed to give writers in the NYU community a chance to gain real experience pitching their material to a handpicked group of industry insiders who are in a position to elevate careers. Past industry insiders have included representatives from Sony Animation, New Line Cinema, Amblin, Echo Lake, Amblin, Good Fear Content, and more.

When you submit to the NYU LA PitchFest you will be judged alongside other writers from NYU’s expansive alumni network, and if selected, will be given the chance to pitch your finished work in person. There are limited finalist spots, so submit your best, most pitch-ready work.

THE 2026 PITCHFEST CONSISTS OF:

⦿ VIRTUAL PITCH TRANINGS: (Dates TBA)
TV Pitching Workshop*
Feature Pitching Workshop*

Writer Bio Workshop
* Writers will be required to attend the workshop of their selected category (TV or Film), but are welcome to attend a second training session.

⦿ PITCH BOOTCAMP (IN PERSON in Los Angeles): Friday, October 16th
You will practice your pitch, receive feedback from experienced writers, showrunners, directors and other industry professionals, and re-pitch after incorporating notes.

⦿ THE PITCHFEST (IN PERSON in Los Angeles): Saturday, October 17th
You will officially present your refined pitch to a jury of industry professionals, including agents, managers, executives, and producers.

Awards & Prizes

🏆 WINNERS:
⦿ Free 1-Year Subscription to Highland Pro writing software
⦿ Free 1-Year Subscription to SMASHPro from MySMASH Media
⦿ 1 Round of Private Marketing Outreach to Execs & Managers (10 MAX) from Roadmap Writers
⦿ Virtual Training, Bootcamp, Writer Bio and Marketing Workshop & The PitchFest itself!

🏆 GRAND JURY PRIZE WINNERS (1 TV PILOT, 1 FEATURE SCREENPLAY):
On the day of the PitchFest, our Grand Jury Prize Winners will be chosen and announced. They will receive:
⦿ Cash Prize (Amount TBA)

Rules & Terms

The 2026 PitchFest is open ➡️ ONLY ⬅️ to New York University (NYU) alumni and NYU seniors who are currently unrepresented and who have never had their work professionally produced.

‼️ Participants can submit only ONE ENTRY OVERALL, so pick your best work. If you submit multiple entries, only the first one received will be considered, and all others will be automatically disqualified.

Co-written projects are also eligible. As long as the submitting writer is an NYU alum, any other co-writer(s) do not have to be.

If submitting a project with one or more co-writers, all writers must be included in the "Writing Credits" section of the submission.

⚠️ IMPORTANT: If you are selected, in-person participation in Los Angeles is MANDATORY for the 10/16 and 10/17 sessions. Inability to attend in-person portions of the PitchFest will be grounds for disqualification.

✏️ If you applied to the PitchFest in previous years but were not selected, you are welcome to resubmit either with the same script (with significant changes) or a different one.

If you are a past winner, you are also welcome to resubmit with a different project.

🚨 Remove ALL identifying information (name, email, phone number, etc.) from all submitted materials. Include only your project title. Leaving any identifying information anywhere on your entry document, including on the pitch deck, may be grounds for disqualification.

Your required materials must be submitted as one / merged PDF document IN THIS EXACT ORDER:

1️⃣ Logline

2️⃣ Synopsis

3️⃣ Character Statement (200 words max)
Tell us about your main character(s) and why you care about them.

4️⃣ Finished draft of a screenplay or teleplay.
👉 Finished drafts should adhere to general industry standards within a 10% range
(27-33 pages for a half-hour, 54-66 pages for an hour-long, 108-132 pages for a feature)

5️⃣ Pitch Deck or other visual materials

If you have questions on how to merge your PDF files, check our website for resources: https://www.nyula-pitchfest.com/submit
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  • Christopher Isenegger

    The NYU LA Pitchfest was incredible. The care taken by the NYU LA team in curating this opportunity was so evident! This is exactly the kind of event that emerging writers need to get in front of decision makers to whom we normally would not have access.

    October 2025
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