Overview
The Athena List is an annual feature-length script competition run by the Athena Film Festival at Barnard College in New York City. It selects exceptional unproduced screenplays that center on women leaders. The program is part of the Athena Film Festival's Creative Development Program, which launched in 2011 to elevate women's leadership in film. The competition is open to scripts from all genres, written in English, between 80 and 120 pages.
There is no submission fee. The Athena List is one of the few major script competitions in the United States that does not charge an entry fee, which removes a financial barrier that disproportionately affects emerging writers.
The Athena List was postponed for the 2026 submission season. The festival has not announced whether the program will resume for 2027. Writers should monitor the Athena Film Festival website and social channels for updates.
What Winners Receive
Scripts selected for the Athena List receive industry visibility and development support. The specific benefits are:
- Public recognition through Athena Film Festival channels and industry press, placing the script in front of producers, development executives, agents, and managers who track the list as a source of women-authored projects
- Athena List Development Grant: $10,000 awarded to the writer or director of a selected script to support further development
- Alfred P. Sloan Athena List Development Grant: $20,000 awarded to a STEM-themed script that integrates science or technology themes into a narrative centered on women leaders
- Professional credential that carries weight in query letters, pitch meetings, and agent submissions
- Networking access through Athena Film Festival programming and events, including the annual festival held at Barnard College (typically March)
The Athena List is not a cash prize awarded to all selected scripts. The development grants are awarded to specific winners within the selected group. All selected scripts receive the visibility and credential benefits regardless of whether they receive a grant.
Past Recipients and What They Made with the Money
Several Athena List-selected scripts went on to production and release. These examples demonstrate the list's track record of identifying producible projects:
- On the Basis of Sex (2018): An Athena List-selected screenplay by Daniel Stiepleman about young Ruth Bader Ginsburg's early gender discrimination cases. Directed by Mimi Leder and released by Focus Features. Starred Felicity Jones and Armie Hammer. The film grossed over $38 million at the worldwide box office.
- Clemency (2019): An Athena List script written and directed by Chinonye Chukwu. Won the Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize, making Chukwu the first Black woman to win the award. Released by NEON and starred Alfre Woodard. The film received critical acclaim for its examination of the death penalty.
- Little Pink House (2018): A 2015 Athena List finalist written and directed by Courtney Moorehead Balaker. Based on the true story of Susette Kelo's fight against eminent domain abuse. Starred Catherine Keener. The film opened the 2018 Athena Film Festival.
- Lilly: An Athena List project about Lilly Ledbetter and her fight for fair pay. Starred Patricia Clarkson. The film continued the Athena List pattern of centering on women who challenged systemic inequality.
Eligibility Requirements
The Athena List has specific eligibility criteria that go beyond what many script competitions require. The requirements as of the most recent active cycle are:
- Women characters in leadership roles: Scripts must have a woman or women character(s) in leadership role(s) or position(s). All genres are accepted. Stories about women from all racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and cultural groups are encouraged.
- Feature-length only: Scripts must be between 80 and 120 pages. Short films and television scripts are not accepted.
- Advanced development: Scripts must be in advanced development. First drafts are not accepted. The program explicitly states "DO NOT SUBMIT A FIRST DRAFT."
- Prior development required: Submitted projects must have taken part in a writer's lab or intensive, or the writer must be actively working with industry members (manager, agent, executive, or producer) on the project. This is a higher bar than most script competitions, which accept scripts at any development stage.
- English language: Scripts must be written in English.
- Not fully financed: Screenplays that are fully financed and in pre-production are not eligible. Scripts can be optioned and have producers or talent attached.
- No resubmissions: Scripts previously submitted and considered for the Athena List are not eligible.
- Logline required: Entries lacking a logline on the application form will be disqualified.
- Rights secured: Scripts based on existing material will be considered only if the writer has secured the underlying rights to the source material.
The Athena Film Festival encourages applications from people of all races, religions, national origins, sexual orientations, gender identities, gender expressions, and ages, as well as veterans and individuals with disabilities. The program specifically encourages applications from marginalized or underrepresented groups in the film industry.
Submission Process
Submissions typically open in late summer or early fall, with the window running from June through August. The submission process is two-tiered:
- Synopsis review: The committee first reviews the synopsis of the submitted script to determine whether it fits the eligibility criteria. If the synopsis does not fit the criteria, the script will not be read in full.
- Full script read: Scripts that pass the synopsis stage are then read in full by the committee.
Submissions are made through the Athena List page on FilmFreeway or directly through the Athena Film Festival website. There is no submission fee.
What Makes an Application Competitive
The Athena List requires evidence of prior development, but competitive applications went further than meeting the minimum. Specific signals distinguished strong submissions:
- A woman leader who drives the action: The program requires women characters in leadership roles, but competitive scripts made leadership the engine of the plot. Applications where the protagonist's leadership was central to the conflict, not incidental, aligned with the program's mission.
- Development beyond the minimum: The program requires participation in a writer's lab or active industry collaboration. Competitive applications showed multiple layers of development: a lab, feedback from industry professionals, and a script that had been through multiple drafts. The program explicitly states "DO NOT SUBMIT A FIRST DRAFT."
- A logline that communicates the leadership dimension: Entries without a logline are disqualified. Competitive loglines concisely conveyed both the story and the woman's leadership role, giving the committee a clear reason to advance the script past the synopsis stage.
- Rights secured and documented: Scripts based on existing material required secured underlying rights. Applications that included documentation of rights clearance removed a common obstacle that could delay or prevent production.
- Not fully financed but not stagnant: The program excludes fully financed scripts in pre-production but also expects advanced development. Competitive applications occupied the sweet spot: polished, developed, and ready for industry attention but still seeking the visibility and grant support the Athena List provides.
The Athena List in Context
The Athena List occupies a specific niche in the script competition landscape. It is modeled on the concept of the Black List (the annual survey of Hollywood's most liked unproduced scripts), but with two structural differences: it requires women characters in leadership roles, and it requires evidence of prior development (a writer's lab, intensive, or active industry collaboration).
This prior-development requirement sets the Athena List apart from competitions like the Academy Nicholl Fellowships (which accepts scripts from non-professional screenwriters at any development stage) or the Page International Screenwriting Awards (which accepts scripts at all levels). The Athena List is designed for writers who have already invested in developing their script beyond a first draft and are seeking industry visibility to move the project toward production.
The Alfred P. Sloan Athena List Development Grant adds a STEM dimension. The Sloan Foundation has funded multiple film programs (including partnerships with Sundance, Film Independent, and the Tribeca Film Institute) to encourage scripts that integrate science and technology themes. The $20,000 Sloan grant at the Athena List is specifically for scripts that combine women's leadership with STEM subject matter.
Comparison to Similar Programs
| Program | Entry Fee | Grant Amount | Development Requirement | Focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athena List | Free | $10K to $20K | Advanced (lab or industry work required) | Women leaders |
| Nicholl Fellowships | $45 to $70 | $35,000 | None (non-professional writers only) | Open |
| Black List | $30/month hosting | Varies | None | Open |
| Page Awards | $49 to $89 | $1K to $25K | None | Open |
| Humanitas New Voices | $55 | $7,500 | No agent or prior staffing | Human condition |
The Athena List is the only major script competition in this comparison that charges no entry fee and requires evidence of prior development. The $10,000 to $20,000 grant range is competitive with the Nicholl Fellowships ($35,000) and exceeds the Page Awards top prize ($25,000).
Who Should Apply
Women screenwriters with a completed, polished feature-length screenplay (80 to 120 pages) that centers on women in leadership roles, and who have already developed the script through a writer's lab, intensive, or active collaboration with an industry professional. The program is not for first drafts or scripts still in early development. Writers who have a STEM-themed script with a woman leader at its center should also consider applying for the $20,000 Sloan grant.
Writers should verify the program's status before applying, as the Athena List was postponed for the 2026 submission season. Check the Athena Film Festival website for the most current information.
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See Also
For understanding the development process from script to production, see Film Festival Strategy: Getting Your Film Seen. For planning a production timeline once a script moves into production, use the Production Schedule Calculator. For other grant programs supporting women filmmakers, see the Through Her Lens: Tribeca CHANEL Women's Filmmaker Program listing.
