the
incubator

program overview

palmtrees runs an annual screenplay incubator for writers from africa, the middle east, latin america, south asia, southeast asia, the caribbean and oceania. we source treatments through an open call, select a cohort of 8–10 writers, and put them through an intensive development cycle that produces scripts ready for a greenlight conversation.

the program runs for 9 months: 8 months of remote development with dedicated story analysts, structured curriculum sessions, and milestone-based deliverables, followed by a 3-week in-person retreat where the cohort works intensively toward final drafts.

NEON has a first-look window on every project that completes the program.

program length
9 months
cohort size
8–10 writers
format
8 months remote + 3-week retreat
submissions
treatment (5–10 pages) + first 15 pages

who we're looking for

we are looking for screenwriters from africa, south asia, southeast asia, latin america, the caribbean, the middle east, and oceania with a compelling screenplay proposal and the discipline to develop it over 9 months.

disposition

what we expect from every writer in the program.

curiosity means you are genuinely interested in what your script could become, not just what it already is. when our story analysts give you structural, sometimes difficult notes on your work, your first instinct is to lean in. the best writers in this program will be the ones who treat every note, even the hard ones, as an open door.

rigor means you do the work. you hold yourself to a standard that has nothing to do with talent and everything to do with discipline. when a draft isn't landing, you go back in, restructure, rewrite, and rewrite again. you are not here to be told you're talented: we already believe that. you are here because you know your craft has another level and you are willing to put in the hours to reach it.

we welcome writers at every stage, whether this is your first screenplay or your sixth. but regardless of experience, everyone enters the program on equal footing.

genre categories

what we're actively seeking.
🎯 thriller
the genre with the highest floor. every culture has corruption, secrets, and systems worth exposing. lowest budget-to-return risk on the board.
💰 heist / caper
the plan, the crew, the double-cross. these regions have shadow economies, informal systems, and hustles that hollywood can't invent. structurally bulletproof.
💘 will they, won't they
yearning as engine. two (or more?) people who shouldn't want each other: and can't stop. the tension isn't "will they get together." the tension is what it costs them to try. desire tangled with danger, class, loyalty, taboo, or something they can't name. the stories audiences are devouring right now are built on wanting that hurts.
⚔️ revenge / action
visceral, propulsive, globally legible. character-driven action with cultural specificity baked into the choreography, the stakes, and the moral calculus. blue ruin to a prophet territory.
🧬 lo-fi sci-fi / speculative
no spaceships. no armies. one concept, one world rule, real locations. ex machina was made for $15m and looked like $100m. we're looking for the $3m version of that: writers who use speculative premises to interrogate what's already happening in their world.
📖 public domain reimagining
a wave of major literary works entered the public domain in 2025 and 2026. we want writers who will take these texts, for example kafka, early agatha christie or your regions' own renowned works/folklore and do something dangerous with them. relocate them. recontextualize them. give them the genre treatment the source material invites.

*we have not listed horror as we believe the market for the next 12–24 months is highly saturated and thus competitive for nuanced, breakout potential: however, if an exceptional project comes through, it will be considered.

rules & regulations

please read all articles before submitting your application.
article 1 eligibility

palmtrees is open to writers who meet the following criteria:

age: you must be at least 22 years of age at the time of submission.

citizenship & heritage: you must hold citizenship or permanent legal status in an eligible country, or have been born in or primarily raised in an eligible country. this includes dual nationals, refugees, and individuals who may no longer hold a passport from their home country due to legal, political, or safety reasons. we recognize that citizenship is not equally accessible everywhere and we will not penalize writers for circumstances beyond their control.

story: the screenplay must be substantially set in an eligible region.

eligible regions: africa, south asia, southeast asia, the middle east, latin america, the caribbean, and oceania. a full list of eligible countries is available here.

article 2 submission requirements

all applicants must submit a treatment for a feature-length genre screenplay and the first 15 pages of the screenplay. treatments should be between 5–10 pages and must be written in english.

applicants must also submit a logline, a statement of intent, and a short bio. if you plan to direct the work, you must provide a link to a directing sample.

co-written projects: for our inaugural cohort, palmtrees is accepting solo-written projects only. each project must have a single writer who will serve as the sole program participant.

article 3 genre focus

palmtrees develops genre screenplays. eligible genres are defined in the genre categories section. we do not accept pure drama projects, documentaries, or non-fiction treatments. if your project blends genres, that is encouraged, but genre must be structurally central to the work.

article 4 program commitment

writers selected for the program commit to the full 9-month development cycle: 8 months of remote work including regular sessions with their assigned story analyst, curriculum participation, and milestone submissions, followed by a mandatory 3-week in-person retreat. travel and accommodation for the retreat are covered by palmtrees. the retreat will be held outside of the united states.

projected time commitment: during the curriculum period (approximately 2 months), expect 4–6 hours on weekends. during the writing period (approximately 7 months), expect 2–6 hours per week, which includes a required weekly consultation with your story analyst. your own writing and revision pacing will dictate what's needed to meet draft deadlines. we encourage downtime: sometimes the best writing happens when you're not writing, and we've built padding into the schedule accordingly.

exclusivity: projects accepted into the program are exclusive to palmtrees and NEON for the duration of the incubator and the subsequent first-look window. full terms are outlined in the program agreement shared prior to enrollment.

writers who cannot commit to the full program duration should not apply.

article 5 timeline

application deadline: june 1, 2026

incubator start: september 2026

in-person retreat: march – april 2027

incubator end: april 2027

dates for the incubator cycle and in-person retreat are provisional and may be adjusted as operational planning is finalized. confirmed dates will be communicated to selected participants prior to enrollment.

article 6 development award

development award: each writer in the cohort receives a USD $5,000 development award, paid at three milestones: outline delivery, second draft delivery, and final draft delivery. this mirrors the payment structure of professional screenwriting contracts and reflects our belief that development is real work that deserves real compensation.

the 3-week in-person retreat is covered by palmtrees, including roundtrip airfare, accommodation, and meals.

article 7 intellectual property

writers retain full ownership of their work. palmtrees does not acquire rights to any screenplay developed in the program. upon completion, NEON holds an exclusive first-look window on finished projects.

palmtrees remains attached on all projects developed through the program, regardless of where or how the project ultimately moves forward. full terms, including the first-look structure and palmtrees's ongoing attachment, are detailed in the program agreement shared with selected writers prior to invitation for final interview.

article 8 AI policy

all application materials must be yours. your screenplay pages, treatment, dialogue, and prose must be written by you, in your voice, from your imagination.

the following uses of AI or generative technology are prohibited: generating any portion of your screenplay pages, treatment, dialogue, scene descriptions, or narrative prose. generating a story concept, premise, outline, or character that forms the basis of your submission. using AI to rewrite, restructure, or polish your draft to the point where the resulting text is no longer yours. submitting AI-generated text as your own work.

we are not interested in what a machine can produce. we are interested in what you can.

if AI use is detected, the application will be disqualified and the writer will be permanently barred from future cycles.

article 9 selection process

applications are reviewed by the palmtrees story team. selection is based on the quality and originality of the treatment, the writer's voice and potential, the audience viability of the project within a genre framework, and the specificity of the cultural perspective.

two weeks after the close of applications, palmtrees will release a notification timeline to all applicants. there will be two rounds: the first, a review of submitted materials; the second, interviews with the palmtrees team. final invitations will be sent following the interview round.

palmtrees reserves the right to make exceptions to any eligibility criteria on a case-by-case basis.

article 10 language & communication

the working language of the program is english. all submissions must be in english. writers whose screenplays will ultimately be produced in another language are welcome, but all development work and curriculum sessions are conducted in english. fluency sufficient for detailed creative discussion is required.

article 11 application limit

applicants may submit one treatment per application cycle.

application portal

applications openmarch 31, 2026
applications closejune 1, 2026 at 11:59 PM PT
application
step 1 of 8

account

create your palmtrees account to save your progress and submit your application.

minimum 8 characters

eligible countries

africa
Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo (Republic), Congo (DRC), Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe
south asia
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka
southeast asia
Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam
middle east
Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Yemen
latin america
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela
caribbean
Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago
oceania
Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu