Sundance Collab and TikTok have launched a global challenge for creators developing episodic stories designed for the rapidly expanding micro-series format.
The Sundance Collab x TikTok Micro-Series Challenge is open internationally to creators aged 18 and above. Five finalists will each receive a $5,000 unrestricted grant, a Sundance Collab course package and an online workshop focused on preparing them to pitch their projects to industry executives. The finalists will subsequently pitch their concepts live online to the TikTok team.
The challenge is specifically looking for stories built for short-form viewing. Applicants are expected to propose series of approximately 60 to 80 episodes, with individual episodes designed to run between 60 seconds and three minutes. The judging criteria include narrative voice and originality, suitability for short-form and vertical storytelling, the strength of the series engine, and the professionalism of the pitch materials.
Applicants must submit a title, genre, logline, character bios, a synopsis of up to 500 words, the first 30 episodes of the script in standard screenplay format, capped at 45 pages, and a one-to-three-page series bible. Applications and all supporting materials must be in English. Co-writers or co-creators can apply as a team of up to two people.
The opportunity is notable because it brings together Sundance's independent-film development ecosystem and TikTok's enormous short-form video platform. The partnership signals a growing interest from established film institutions and digital platforms in the creative possibilities of vertical, episodic storytelling.
The challenge also comes as TikTok expands its involvement in scripted micro-series. The platform has launched a micro-series hub and a dedicated app, PineDrama, while working with producers on original projects. Among them is Screen Time, a 57-part relationship thriller produced by Issa Rae's Hoorae, which TikTok executive Dawn Yang said had reached 250 million views by June 2026.
For independent filmmakers and screenwriters, the opportunity is therefore more than a conventional grant. It offers a route into a format that is increasingly attracting platform investment while requiring a substantially different approach to storytelling, with compact episodes, frequent hooks and cliffhangers, and narratives designed to sustain dozens of instalments.
There is, however, an important rights consideration. By submitting, creators give TikTok a 21-day first-look opportunity to decide whether it wants to explore a potential partnership to develop the series. The terms state that creators retain ownership of their intellectual property, with any eventual TikTok development deal subject to separate negotiations.
The challenge also explicitly prohibits the use of generative AI to create, develop or revise submissions. Concepts and scripts must be original, unpublished and unproduced.
Key details
- Organisers: Sundance Collab and TikTok
- Eligibility: International; applicants must be 18+
- Application fee: None
- Format: Approximately 60–80 episodes
- Episode length: Approximately 60 seconds–3 minutes
- Script requirement: First 30 episodes, maximum 45 pages
- Prize: Five finalists receive $5,000 each
- Additional support: Sundance Collab course package and pitch workshop
- Pitch: Finalists pitch directly to TikTok
- Language: English
- Team size: Maximum two creators
- Generative AI: Not permitted
- Deadline: September 9, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. PT
- Finalists announced: October 30, 2026
- Online pitch workshop: November 3, 2026
- Finalist pitch event: November 6, 2026
Verdict: ★★★★☆ Strong opportunity for writers and filmmakers experimenting with vertical storytelling. The Sundance-TikTok partnership is also worth watching as a sign of the increasing convergence between independent-film development and the global microdrama economy.
