TV writers: Hollywood, Health & Society is accepting submissions for our Blue Sky Scriptwriting Contest. We’re looking for stories that take place in a future we would actually aspire to live and thrive in. Instead of the standard dystopian hellscape, think environmental sustainability, a fair and equitable social system, and a world without war.

In partnership with the Future of Life Institute and the Writers Guild of America East, we’re offering fellowship grants for television scripts whose storylines focus on a world set between 2045 to 2100 when we achieve lives that reflect our better selves. It may be hard to envision and it will take a global effort, but the research, innovations, policies and grassroots efforts already exist to accomplish this critical undertaking. This isn’t an unrealistic utopia, and since humans are involved there will be plenty of drama and comedy to go around. 

Tell whatever story you want in a pilot script for a TV episode. It needs to be set in this new world, and along the way we must learn how we got here.

To enter, submit the following:

• 30- or 60-minute pilot episode script set in this Blue Sky world. It can be a comedy or a drama.
• Logline (one sentence description of story and premise)
• Brief treatment (with key characters and how the premise unfolds over a few episodes)

The writing must reflect themes of racial equity, climate change mitigation or adaptation, advancements toward peace, and incorporating the beneficial use of artificial intelligence (A.I.). For specific rules, terms and to enter, visit the Blue Sky Scriptwriting Fellowship portal. For inspiration, writers are encouraged to visit the Future of Life website to learn about the recent finalists in the World Building Competition. 

There's no entry fee. The deadline for submissions has been extended to Aug. 5, 2022. HH&S will award five $7,500 fellowships. Winning writers will be announced on October 20, 2022, at the Sentinel Awards. Writers will receive mentorships and expert consultations for script revisions. One grand prize of $20,000 will be awarded in early 2023.

This contest is sponsored in part by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation