For a fifth year, the Press Inclusion Initiative, part of the Institute’s commitment and ongoing cultivation of a more culturally abundant press corps at the Sundance Film Festival, returns by providing multifaceted support to freelance journalists from underrepresented communities: specifically critics and writers who are BIPOC, women, non-binary, LGBTQ+, and/or people with disabilities.

This year’s Press Inclusion Initiative offers a choice between In-Person and Online cash stipends, based on the hybrid format of the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. In-person stipends are meant to support expenses around travel to the Festival in Utah. Online stipends support attending the Festival online-only. Both stipend amounts are unrestricted; recipients are encouraged to deploy their stipends on anything they need to support and sustain covering the Festival.

Applications for the Press Inclusion Initiative closed on September 21, 2022. Stipend notifications will be sent at the end of October -- intentionally much earlier than in prior years, to afford more ample time for planning and pitching (as applicable). Please note that even if we are not able to extend you a stipend, we may still be able to issue a press credential. Please email presscredentials@sundance.org with questions.