Stowe Story Labs is a Vermont-based nonprofit. Our mission is to help emerging and established screenwriters, filmmakers, and creative producers develop skills and projects. Our ultimate goal is to get work made and seen. We do this through labs, writers' retreats, workshops, one-on-one mentoring, and advanced development work when projects are ready to advance.
We look for people demonstrating a collaborative nature and the ability and capacity to do the work, regardless of previous experience, and presenting a good story.
We admit participants through competitive application processes. Our applications and review systems are designed to learn about you, your work, and your vision for the project you are building. Thank you for considering our programs and for taking the time to apply.
You can subscribe to our newsletter here.
Thank you,
Team Story Labs
Learn more about us here: stowestorylabs.org
Thank you for your interest in the 2025 Stowe Story Labs Connemara Writers' Retreat. Stowe Story Labs is a Vermont (U.S.) based nonprofit dedicated to helping top emerging filmmakers and screenwriters develop their craft and their work.
This application is open to screenwriters resident in Ireland or Irish writers abroad working with the Irish screen industries. The program will be held in Renvyle, Co. Galway, October 13-17, 2025.
The application asks about you and about your project, your residency, and asks for a writing sample from the material you intend to workshop at the Retreat. Please note you must have a solid first draft of the script by September 1, 2025 to be considered for the program.
The Retreat will have 20 participants. Ten screenwriters resident in Ireland or Irish writers will be selected. Other participants will join from around the world.
The screenwriters and filmmakers selected from Ireland through this process will not be charged a fee or room and board costs to attend the Retreat. Selected participants will be responsible for getting themselves to and from the Retreat.
We do charge a small fee to review the application. We do not do this lightly. It takes time and resources to conduct meaningful reviews, and we keep the fee as low as possible to not discourage applicants. If paying this fee is a burden, please reach out to us at info@stowestorylabs.org.
Please take your time completing the application, and know we make the same effort in reviewing your submission as you do in building it.
We are honored to be working with our partners in Ireland -- including Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, the Galway Film Fleadh, the Marketplace at the Galway Film Fair, and Renvyle House Hotel & Resort -- to offer this program, and wish you the best of luck in the review process.
This application will close at midnight Eastern Daylight Time on August 13.
Thank you,
Team Story Labs
Applications are now being accepted for Stowe's online feature script writing program -- Feature Campus -- and our online TV writing program -- the Writers Room.
The second run of the Feature Campus Program begins September 1, 2025.
The second run of the TV Writers Room Program begins October 13, 2025.
* Dates subject to slight change based on mentor schedules.
Admissions are rolling and will be capped at 12 participants for each program.
Applications will close when the program fully enrolls or on August 1, 2025 at 11:59 PM (PST).
The program fee to attend each program is U.S. $2,650.
About the Feature Campus Program:
This program is designed for a new feature film project, not revisions to an existing project.
The writing sample should be a sample of a previous feature script you have written, or, if this will be your first script, please send a strong sample of something you have written in another format to help us evaluate your writing skills.
Feature Campus will run Mondays for roughly twelve weeks and will run from 12 - 3 PM Eastern Time.
You can learn more about Feature Campus here.
Stowe's David Pope leads Feature Campus.
About the TV Writers Room Program:
This program is designed for a new TV project, not revisions to an existing television project.
The writing sample should be a sample of a previous TV pilot you have written, or if this will be your first TV project, please send a strong sample of a feature script or some other material you have written in another format to help us evaluate your writing skills.
Creator/Showrunner/Screenwriter Derek Simonds (THE SINNER) leads Part I for TV Writers Room, where the group will break down THE SINNER with Derek. Part I will be four sessions that will run Mondays from 7 - 10 PM Eastern Time.
Part II will focus on writing a show and will be led by David Pope. It will run Sundays for roughly eight weeks and will run from 12 - 3 PM Eastern Time.
You can learn more about the TV Writers Room here.
Thank you again and best of luck in the review process.
Team Story Labs
