DC Entertainment has announced a new talent initiative for budding comic creators; exclusive workshops for both writers and artists, curated by some of the best in the field. The Talent Development Workshops are set to take place later this year, and a select number of successful participants will get the opportunity to visit DC’s offices in Burbank for a more intensive, hands-on experience alongside DC staff.

The 2016 Artists Workshop follows a similar pilot program that ran in 2015, and was developed by Jim Lee, Klaus Janson and Andy Kubert. Successful applicants will be given briefs to artwork that will be looked over and critiqued by DC artists, and if their output meets the level of quality that DC is after, they will be invited to Burbank for an additional two-week workshop. Applications for the Artists Workshop will be accepted during April 2016.

The 2016 Writers Workshop, developed by Scott Snyder, also follows a three-month pilot program from last year, and will run as a weekly interactive seminar from October 2016 into early 2017. A smaller group of writers will be selected to visit DC Entertainment to work alongside DC staff and learn from guest speakers about what it takes to work in the comics industry full-time. Applications for the Writers Workshop will be accepted during May 2016.

All writers and artists who complete the Master Class program will be given due consideration for work on future DC Comics titles.

There’s no word as of yet if the Talent Development Workshop has any specific aim to support marginalized creators, who don’t often get the same sorts of opportunities as a lot of people working in the comic industry today, but hopefully it is a consideration. Jim Lee states that the goal “is to identify and foster fresh, new voices” so hopefully the initiative expands its scope to include creators often overlooked by mainstream comics.

More information about applications can be found out at www.dccomicstalentworkshop.com.