National Young Writers

Recruitment for our 2026 cohort is now open!

Deadline: 10.00am on Monday 13 July 2026

National Young Writers is our acclaimed, online writing programme for creatives aged 18 – 30. The course is free to attend, and provides an in-depth exploration of writing and creating micro plays designed for social media platforms.

National Young Writers is delivered by two award-winning organisations: Pentabus, the nation’s rural theatre, and production company Rural Media. Through collaborative online learning, young writers explore how to write and produce brilliant micro plays for digital platforms.

During the course, National Young Writers:

• Take part in a series of online evening workshops, and be offered several 1-2-1 sessions, led by experienced writers, directors and producers.
• Explore how to construct characters, build scenes, create tension and write dialogue
• Be supported to develop and write an original short script, and be given a budget to produce your work in a digital format
• Film your work easily on your mobile phone and see it performed by professional actors.
• Write 3 x 90 second, individual micro plays for social media. (The 3 x pieces can be connected by an issue or theme or location)
• Be signposted, where possible, to further opportunities to develop your craft

By the end of the course, you will have written and produced 3 micro plays that appeal to wide digital audiences and showcase your creativity. These films will be released across Pentabus’ and Rural Media’s digital platforms as part of a celebration of young people’s writing between April – July 2027.

Former Pentabus Young Writers have gone on to Olivier Award nominations, and last year National Young Writers projects gained over 500,000 views on TikTok alone. Click here to watch previous pieces.

Who can apply?

Recruitment for our 2026 cohort is now open!

We are particularly interested in hearing from rural writers aged 18 – 30 from across the UK, and from people from backgrounds currently under-represented in the arts and cultural sector. The course is aimed at young people who may not even know they’re writers yet, and those who have some experience of writing. 

Participant age: 18-30

When does the course run:  September 2026 – March 2027 (8 months) – Programme schedule download link below. 

Number of workshops: 6 online workshops + supported production time outside of sessions

Where: Online (via Zoom)

Cost: Free