AVIJOZI Submission Portal
Welcome to the submission portal where you can submit your work for the Writers Call sessions held during AVIJOZI 2026. More portals will be opened here soon.
PORTAL: Writers Call 2026
Chocolate Tribe is looking for emerging and established writers to join the development of an exciting new animation slate awarded by the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF).
This initiative forms part of a joint mandate to develop youth and emerging talent across animation, visual effects, and content development over a period of three years. We are looking for passionate, committed, and emerging or established writers who are interested in developing their craft, collaborating with industry professionals, and contributing to a long-term animation slate.
The purpose of the AVIJOZI Writers’ Call is to seek writers to join the Writers’ Room for three animation slate projects currently in development at Chocolate Tribe. These stories already have plots, characters, settings, and themes. Now, we are looking for talented creatives with fresh ideas and exceptional storytelling skills, spanning both creative and technical skillsets.
To Submit:
Phase 1: Initial Submission
Submit the following:
1. A writing sample of no more than 10 pages in the sci-fi, fantasy or comedy genres
2.CV and biography
3.One-page motivational letter
4.Portfolio
Phase 2: Pitch & Presentation
Shortlisted candidates will be invited to pitch and present their ideas directly to a panel of judges at the AVIJOZI International Festival 2026.
As part of this stage, shortlisted writers will be provided with a selection of concepts developed for the slate. Writers will be invited to choose a concept that resonates with them and develop their own creative approach to the selected concept.
This stage will allow the panel to engage with applicants, their ideas and their creative process. Applicants may be asked questions about their approach to the selected concept, storytelling choices, characters, themes, creative influences and how they would develop the idea further.
Phase 3: The Opportunity
Selected writers will be invited to Chocolate Tribe for a one-month paid residency, where they will work alongside industry professionals to further develop their storytelling and animation-writing skills.
Following the residency, selected participant(s) may be invited to join the Writers’ Room for the Chocolate Tribe Animation Slate 2026/2027.
Who can apply?
Applicants must meet the following criteria:
1.Be 18 years or older at the time of application.
2.Have demonstrated writing experience and must have been involved in at least one completed or produced writing project. This may include:
– A film, animation, television, theatre or digital project;
– A school, university or college project;
– A self-produced or independently produced project;
– A commissioned writing project; or
– Any other completed creative project that demonstrates your writing ability.
3.Successful applicants must be able to commit to the required programme activities, including the residency and, where applicable, participation in the Writers Room for the Chocolate Tribe Animation Slate.
4.Applicants based outside Gauteng are welcome to apply. Successful applicants must be able and willing to travel to Gauteng for the one-month residency. Writers selected to continue into the Writers’ Room must also be able to travel for any required in-person sessions during the three-year slate period.
5.This Writes’ Call creates no legitimate expectation of employment beyond the ONE MONTH Residency.
Conditions of Entry
1.No AI-generated submissions will be accepted. Applicants who use generative AI to write, generate, rewrite, substantially edit, or otherwise create any part of their submitted writing sample will be disqualified.
2.Applications submitted via email or social media will not be accepted. Failure to submit through the official Writers Call application form will result in disqualification.
3.Pitches for external projects will not be accepted. Applicants will be provided with slate concepts during Phase 2.
Important Dates
Applications open: Thursday, 10 September 2026
Applications close: Monday, 28 September 2026 @ 17H:00 SAST
Shortlisted applications notified: Friday, 16 October 2026
AVIJOZI 2026 pitch & presentation: Saturday, 31 October 2026
Residency: TBC/ (Dependent on NFVF administration process to finalise slate agreement with Chocolate Tribe. Chocolate Tribe and AVIJOZI neither guarantee nor create any legitimate expectation of employment.)
Apply
Submit your application through the official AVIJOZI Writers’ Call application form:
Submit here
For technical and application Queries, please contact info@chocolatetribe.co.za