Netflix Opens NextGen India Writers' Program

Netflix has launched the NextGen India Writers' Program, a talent development initiative for emerging screenwriters, bringing its global writers' program to India for the first time. Applications opened on July 1 and close at 11:59 pm IST on September 1, 2026. India is the third country to host the program, after France and the Netherlands.

The program is open to writers living in India with a maximum of three years of professional writing experience. Netflix is looking for original, character-driven Hindi-language series concepts, contemporary or historical, and says it is prioritizing distinctive voices over established credentials. Each selected writer will receive an option fee of Rs 3 lakh during the program.

Netflix will announce the selected writers on December 15, and the workshop begins in February 2027. The program ends with participants pitching their series directly to Netflix India's content team for potential development.

Inside the two-month program

The program opens with a one-week, in-person simulated writers' room at Netflix's Mumbai office, where participants work alongside Indian and international showrunners, followed by weekly online sessions. It closes with a second week in Mumbai, where writers present their projects to Netflix executives.

Participants will practice breaking stories, structuring episodes, and pitching. By the end, each writer will have developed an original concept into a professionally structured series bible. The program is led by Barbara Nance, a US television writer whose credits include FlashForward, House of Lies, and In Plain Sight, and who teaches screenwriting at the University of Southern California.

To apply, writers must complete a creative challenge titled "Stranded in a Lifeboat," submit an original screenplay, TV script, or play, and write a creative biography. Shortlisted applicants will then submit a one-page synopsis of their proposed series.

Monika Shergill, Vice President of Content at Netflix India, said the program is built to discover writers early in their careers, arguing that India has countless storytellers who have not had access to major platforms. She said the next chapter of Indian entertainment will be shaped by new writers with distinct perspectives drawn from the country's many cultures.

A pipeline built on first-time creators

The program extends Netflix India's pattern of backing first-time and early-career creators. The Railway Men was directed by debutant Shiv Rawail, and the pop-culture series The Bads of Bollywood was created by Aryan Khan. Its upcoming series Operation Safed Sagar comes from a team of emerging creators: Abhijeet Singh Parmar, Kushal Srivastava, Oni Sen, and Mehboob Pal Singh Brar.

For Netflix, which competes in India with Amazon Prime Video, JioHotstar, and others, a structured writers' pipeline reduces reliance on established industry names and standardizes development materials before money is committed to production. Full eligibility criteria and submission guidelines are on Netflix's NextGen program page at nextgen.netflix.net, ahead of the September 1 deadline.