Contest Comments

You must login to post a comment.

First-time user? Register now to receive FREE email contest updates, news, results, deadline reminders and more. Rest assured, information submitted here is held in strict confidence. MovieBytes never sells or in any way distributes email names or addresses. We promise!

Contest News

Launch Million Dollar Screenplay Competition Now Open for Submissions

The LAUNCH Million Dollar Screenplay Competition has announced it will accept global submissions for its second million-dollar screenplay competition from Friday, February 1st through Tuesday, April 30th, 2019. Once again, The LAUNCH will be looking for original screenplays with captivating stories, unique voices and honest emotion in any genre. The international competition is open to students over the age of 18 who are enrolled in an accredited two-year, four-year college/university or graduate program. Like last year, in an effort to make the competition accessible to as many students as possible, The LAUNCHwill be subsidizing a greater portion of all submission fees this year. Screenplays received during the kick-off month of February will be granted a reduced entry fee of $20. Additional information about the competition, rules of entry and submission guidelines can be found by visiting www.launchscreenplay.com.

Co-founded by Zachary Green, Jason Shuman and philanthropists Chuck and Marni Bond, the Top 8 winners will split $100,000 in education grants and other prizes, with the top 3 gaining representation at APA and Valor Entertainment and the grand prize-winning screenplay produced by Zachary Green and Jason Shuman as a feature film, with a budget of approximately $1 million.

The announcement comes on the heels of the success of The LAUNCH’s first competition, in which USC student Stanley Kalu’s screenplay, The Obituary of Tunde Johnson won thegrand prize and was produced at the end of 2018, with Steven Silver, Nicola Peltz and Spencer Neville starring in the feature helmed by Emmy-Award winning director, Ali LeRoi. Emphasizing Green and Shuman’s dedication to promoting diversity, the production employed a cast and crew of over 100 people in the Los Angeles area and was comprised of over 50% people of color and/or women.

“Last year’s competition was incredible for so many reasons. We were blown away by the talent of the writers, and could not be more pleased to have The LAUNCH returning for 2019,” said Green. “We are excited to read more screenplays that give a voice to this generation and are looking forward to selecting the winner this year.”

The LAUNCH Million Dollar Screenplay Competition is proud to partner again this year with technology leader Coverfly, who will seamlessly manage screenplay submissions, professional readers, and the evaluation and scoring process to determine the finalists. The LAUNCH also counts ScreenCraft, Save the Cat!® and Final Draft as official partners for 2019.

In addition to Green and Shuman, the 2019 judges’ panel will consist of an array of respected industry professionals including: Barbara Fiorentino, Casting Director; Eduardo Cisneros, Writer/Producer; Ali LeRoi, Writer/Director/Producer; Caitlin Mehner, Actor/Producer; Dr. Madeleine Sherak, Producer/Author/Educator; Christopher Ridenhour, Agent (APA); Carlos Bobadilla, Co-Founding Partner & Principal at Valor Entertainment and Stanley Kalu, screenwriter and first Grand Prize winner of The LAUNCH Million Dollar Screenplay Competition.

Updated: 02/11/2019

Submit Report Card

You must login to read or submit report cards.

First-time user? Register now to receive FREE email contest updates, news, results, deadline reminders and more. Rest assured, information submitted here is held in strict confidence. MovieBytes never sells or in any way distributes email names or addresses. We promise!