A list of categorized screenplay contests, ranked and sorted by screenwriters. Find the best contest for your screenplay or television script.
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Final Deadline: 08/21/2019
OUR WINNERS GET RESULTS Over the years, our contest winners and finalists have been signed, optioned, put in development, staffed and secured high level meetings with some of the top executives and companies in the film industry. Our track record with the Search for New Blood has been off the charts. Now we’re back with this incredibly popular contest designed to give our horror and thriller writers the chance to have their work exposed to some of the top execs in the industry! Our top 3 winners will get exclusive meetings with executives.
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Final Deadline: 08/26/2019
From the start, the competition has leveraged our deep relationships with Hollywood’s top agents, managers, producers, and executives and consistently assembled a “who’s who” panel of 25 judges for each and every competition. This year is no exception, with judges participating from Paradigm, APA, Energy Entertainment, Circle of Confusion, Di Novi Pictures, Bellevue, and many more.
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Final Deadline: 08/26/2019
The Golden Script Competition is a yearly competition founded in Glasgow, UK, of short and feature screenplays from all around the world.
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Final Deadline: 08/27/2019
Through personalized feedback from experienced industry professionals and other writers in the program, Screenwriting Fellows will gain the tools to revise and refine their scripts for production. The Screenwriting Lab also helps to further the careers of its Fellows by introducing them to film industry veterans who can offer guidance on both the craft and business of screenwriting.
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Final Deadline: 08/28/2019
We have teamed up with several creative partners looking for Features and TV Pilots with unique voices and original stories. Our goal with this contest is to discover great writers then connect their authentic stories to those creative partners, and we are looking for the best writing in all of these genres: Action/Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Family/Holiday, Mystery/Crime, Historical/Biopic, Horror/Thriller, Sci-Fi/ Fantasy, Western and Young Adult (YA).
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Final Deadline: 08/30/2019
The objective of the Moondance International Film Festival is to inspire, motivate, promote and encourage the best writers & independent filmmakers, from every country in the world, and to inspire a greater understanding about the vital role of the arts in enhancing creativity, community spirit, and the preservation of our cultural heritage.
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Final Deadline: 08/30/2019
The screenplay award is organized and promoted by the RIFF. The intent is to offer new filmmakers a concrete opportunity to grow professionally by developing their films, and making them accessible to the public.
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Final Deadline: 08/31/2019
OUR FOCUS IS TO DISCOVER THE BEST NEW SCREENWRITING TALENT FROM AROUND THE WORLD How do we do that? 19 Oscar & BAFTA Winning Judges will read the final round of submissions. 75 Production Companies, Agents & Managers are signed up to read each year’s best scripts. 50+ Directors are on our roster to read the best Feature screenplays.
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Final Deadline: 08/31/2019
The Houston Comedy Film Festival opened for submissions in 2008 and we had our first event in 2009. We are looking for a diverse palette of comedy screenplays with the following categories. 1-40 pages is considered a short and 41-150 pages is considered a feature in our world. 1) Comedy Short & Comedy Features 2) Dark Comedy Short & Dark Comedy Feature 3) Comedy TV Episode, Sitcom, or Webisode: Short & Feature (commonly called a Teleplay) 4) Romantic Comedy Short and Romantic Comedy Feature 80% of the submissions go to the Comedy Short & Feature Categories, which are the most competitive.
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Final Deadline: 08/31/2019
Through screenings and associated events, the festival aims to present a wide spectrum of filmmaking - feature films, documentaries, animation, short films, experimental, student work, big budget, micro-budget, trailers and so on. The Illinois International Film Festival brings audiences and filmmakers together to better enjoy the art and fun of filmmaking.
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Final Deadline: 08/31/2019
The Austin Comedy Short Film Festival held our first event in 2015. This event has been bi-annual since the beginning. We are looking for a diverse palette of comedy screenplays with the following categories. 1-40 pages is considered a short and 41-150 pages is considered a feature in our world. 1) Comedy Short & Comedy Features Screenplays 2) Dark Comedy Short & Dark Comedy Feature Screenplays 3) Comedy TV Episode, Sitcom, or Webisode: Short & Feature (commonly called a Teleplay) 4) Romantic Comedy Short and Romantic Comedy Feature Screenplays 80% of the submissions go to the Comedy Short & Feature Categories, which are the most competitive.
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Final Deadline: 08/31/2019
Successful feature film dramas drive deep into the heart of what it means to be human, expressing universal themes with nuanced complexity. Our judges are looking for great stories with original voices and honest emotion. This competition celebrates great dramatic film writing. Whether you’re writing a sweeping period drama or a contained relationship movie, we want to read your script!
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Final Deadline: 08/31/2019
OUR FOCUS IS TO DISCOVER THE BEST NEW SCREENWRITING TALENT FROM AROUND THE WORLD How do we do that? 12 EMMY & Golden Globe Winning Judges will read the final round of submissions. 43 Production Companies, Agents & Managers are signed up to read each year’s best scripts. 50+ Directors are on our roster to read the best TV Pilot scripts.
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Final Deadline: 09/01/2019
The Athena List is an annual script competition that selects exceptional scripts with women leaders at the heart of the story. As the central program in the Athena Film Festival’s Parity Pipeline program, The Athena List’s goal is to raise the profile of the scripts and the writers within the industry with the purpose of getting these movies made and elevating their careers to the next level.
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Final Deadline: 09/01/2019
New York City's longest running horror film festival. Established by MooDude Films CEO / Producer / Director / Michael J. Hein in 2001. The NYCHFF is a four-day event that takes place each November in New York City. The NYCHFF has grown to be a world recognized event, with industry, filmmakers, and press attention from around the globe.The Hein Family is committed to keeping the festival alive in memory of the truly missed and loved founder Michael J Hein.
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Final Deadline: 09/05/2019
The mission of the American Zoetrope Screenplay Contest is to find and promote new and innovative voices in cinema. Every script is read closely by a select handful of professional readers, and Francis Ford Coppola selects a grand prize–winner from among the top ten finalists. The grand prize–winner receives a cash prize, and the scripts of all top ten finalists are sent by Zoetrope to leading production companies and talent agencies for consideration.
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Final Deadline: 09/06/2019
Breaking Walls is a contest for thriller screenplays with contacts at established Hollywood literary representation and production companies who have agreed to consider the full winning script and the top finalists' loglines. Well-written thrillers are always an excellent way for writers to show Hollywood pros a combination of commerciality, unique voice, and a clear understanding of effective feature film narrative.
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Final Deadline: 09/08/2019
The Cynosure Screenwriting Awards seek to expand the scope of mainstream cinema by recognizing and rewarding screenplays in two distinct categories: screenplays which feature compelling female protagonists; and screenplays that showcase diversity (ethnicity, race, gender, sexuality, disability, etc.).
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Final Deadline: 09/15/2019
The Script Lab and Coverfly are offering this FREE screenplay competition to help open talent-discovery to anyone and everyone, regardless of financial ability. This contest is open to feature, TV and short screenplays. Scripts must be in English and formatted with industry-standard screenwriting software. Only one entry per writer. Multiple submissions will be automatically eliminated.
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Final Deadline: 09/17/2019
The Vancouver International Women in Film Festival Screenplay Competition accepts English-language feature screenplays written by women. The festival is a forum for collaboration and networking with other screenwriters and filmmakers who contribute to the visibility of women through the ongoing practice of their craft. We encourage you to submit a feature film script of any genre, challenging the perceptions of what stories women write, and what we want to see.
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Final Deadline: 09/20/2019
The Filmmatic TV Pilot Awards were created to locate and expose up-and-coming TV and web-series writers, as well as to empower and educate passionate and talented screenwriters still waiting for their invitation into the mainstream industry. Competition is open to TV pilots, webisodes and inventive TV-series scripts of all genres. Season 4 results will post by November 15, 2019.
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Final Deadline: 09/21/2019
Welcome to the WRPN Women's International Film Festival, where distribution and feedback opportunities abound for films made by women, or films that carry subject matter relating to concerns particular to women's issues. WWIFF is a sister festival to the Depth of Field International Film Festival, a FilmFreeway “Top 100 Reviewed” festival alumni.
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Final Deadline: 09/29/2019
WriteMovies has been helping writers succeed since 1999! Now in our 20th anniversary year, we are currently accepting submissions for our Horror Award 2019! Following on from our highly successful Sci-Fi and Fantasy Award, we are continuing our series of genre prizes with an award for the Horror genre! The WriteMovies Horror Award is all about celebrating scripts that chill and scare us, tapping into our darkest and most primal fears… Whether your script features monsters and serial killers or just toys with our minds, we’d love to read it – and be terrified while doing so!
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Final Deadline: 09/30/2019
We are looking to find the next generation of great feature screenwriters by shining a spotlight on new, fresh voices. And we've enlisted a great industry judging panel from the feature world to help us. THE INDUSTRY PANEL: Brooklyn Weaver – Manager/Producer - Energy Entertainment Anna Culp – EVP – Imagine Jennifer Au – Lit Manager – Untitled Entertainment John Campbell – Creative Executive - Bruckheimer Films David Boxerbaum - Lit Agent/Partner - Verve Ken Freimann - Manager/Producer - Circle of Confusion Brin Lukens – Executive – AwesomenessTV Norm Todd – Creative Executive - Infinitum Nihil Erin Westerman - VP - Lionsgate Chris Sablan - Lit Manager/Producer - Avenue 220 Ava Jamshidi - Lit Manager - Industry Entertainment Tara Farney - Vice President - Vinson Films Janet Jeffries - Development Executive - Lawrence Bender Productions Lucas Carter - VP, Film - Intrigue Entertainment Josh Goldenberg - Lit Manager - Kaplan/Perrone Lucy Kitada - Executive - Michael De Luca Productions Ryan Cunningham - Lit Manager - Madhouse Entertainment John Swetnam - Writer/Producer - Mad Horse Films
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Final Deadline: 09/30/2019
Our panel of Hollywood industry professionals is looking for the next great drama and comedy TV pilots for network, cable and online platforms! Accepting web series and non-traditional series pilots as well. Three winners will receive cash awards and introductions to industry professionals. The Industry Jury: This year's jury is our best one yet! Our industry judges are looking for fresh voices in comedy and drama writing for television and web series! Our mission is to connect great TV writers with great TV producers, managers and development executives.
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Final Deadline: 09/30/2019
The Portland Comedy Film Festival, ranked in the Top 100 on FilmFreeway, is a unique forum for international independent comedy filmmakers to showcase their comedy films in Portland, Oregon. The Portland Comedy Film Festival is a bi-annual event, searching for funny and engaging films and screenplays to entertain a comedy loving audience.
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Final Deadline: 10/05/2019
The Middlebury Script Lab invites applications for its fellowships. Our tuition-free program provides emerging screenwriters a place to focus intensely on their craft with the support of accomplished industry professionals. Six emerging screenwriters — the Fellows — will be invited to spend one week at Middlebury, in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
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Final Deadline: 10/13/2019
WriteMovies has been helping writers succeed since 1999! Now in our 20th anniversary year, we are currently accepting entries to our Fall 2019 Screenwriting Contest! Grand Prize: $2000 A year of free script development worth up to $3200 Guaranteed pitching to industry Exclusive prizes from InkTip Get free entry to the contest when you commission a script report, with Judging Feedback from just $89 Through our exclusive arrangement with TALENTSCOUT INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT (TSIM) we can guarantee the contest winner representation.
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Final Deadline: 10/15/2019
Our intention is to help open doors for the aspiring television writer. There are four categories you can submit to, which include 1 hour existing spec scripts, 1/2 hour existing sitcom spec scripts, original pilots, and reality programs. This competition is designed with the TV writer and crossover screenwriter in mind. The participants we have chosen to read the winning scripts are individuals from established production companies.
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Final Deadline: 10/15/2019
Diverse Voices is a screenplay contest and lab that strives to encourage stories that are told from perspectives that are often underrepresented in Hollywood today. This includes writers of color, women writers, writers with disabilities, writers over 40, writers in the LGBTQ+ community, and any other voices that have historically been ignored by Hollywood.
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Final Deadline: 10/28/2019
The CineStory Foundation has always believed in helping writers find their voice. We’re entering a world in which the ways to tell stories are limitless. Those stories always begin with a blank page. Our goal with the TV/Digital Series Retreat is to assist writers, whether they long for the collaborative nature of Television or they dream of going out on their own to create their own web series.
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Final Deadline: 10/30/2019
To discover innovative, marketable, high-concept projects for studio-level development, including feature screenplays, TV material, and media content.
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Final Deadline: 10/31/2019
Created by Dr. Ted Baehr, founder, publisher and executive producer of MOVIEGUIDE® and founder and chairman of the Christian Film & Television Commission, and Dr. Jack Templeton, the primary purpose of the prize is to further the influence of moral and spiritual values within the film and television industries. Seeking to promote a spiritually uplifting, redemptive worldview, MOVIEGUIDE® announces the Kairos Prize that will help inspire first-time and beginning screenwriters to produce compelling, entertaining, spiritually uplifting scripts that result in a greater increase in either man’s love or understanding of God.
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Final Deadline: 10/31/2019
Open to writers of all levels and backgrounds, the StoryPros International's objective is to recognize, support and promote your work with financial rewards, software and services -- as well as providing an open door to industry professionals with guaranteed reads and promotion to our network of contacts. Past entrants and winners have gone on to representation, options, assignments and sales.
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Final Deadline: 10/31/2019
Top scripts will be considered by our industry jury of executives, writers, and managers who focus on the action and thriller genres: Jenny Wood, Elevate Entertainment Manager of Taylor Sheridan, writer of Hell or High Water, Sicario and Sicario: Day of the Soledado. Belle Avery, Appelles Entertainment Producer of The Meg, a big budget action adventure starring Jason Statham in theaters August 10th.
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Final Deadline: 10/31/2019
Filmmatic coined a slogan, "Hidden screenplays never get produced". As writers, we spend a lot of our precious time crafting unique scripts, yet we hardly ever employ an equal level of passion when attempting to get our work into the "right hands". The exposure and prestige one can gain from placing or winning a screenplay competition is invaluable, but what do you say this time around we also get you PITCHING! Let's get proactive, let's pick a production company that makes sense for our project, tell them we were a Pitch Now Finalist or Winner, and get them to review our work, now not later ;) All 100 finalists will be able to pitch to a studio or production company of their choice via Virtual Pitch Fest! The competition is open to feature-length and short works, screenplays and teleplays.
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Final Deadline: 10/31/2019
LA LIVE FILM FESTIVAL's mission is to provide a festival where filmmakers are treated with respect and given opportunities that empower the filmmaker’s career while being showcased at the most prestigious location in Los Angeles, Regal Cinemas at LA LIVE. We strive to do things differently than other festivals and part of how we do this is the way we market the selected films.
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Final Deadline: 10/31/2019
The Atlanta Comedy Film Festival is a unique forum for comedy filmmakers and screenwriters from all over the world to showcase their creative works in Georgia. This bi-annual event opened in 2016 and is growing with every event. Television shows and films like Stranger Things, Coming to America 2, The Walking Dead and many others of all genres are shot on location in the state of Georgia, making it one of the busiest production hubs in the US.
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Final Deadline: 10/31/2019
Wanted! The Best Films And Screenplays In The Horror Film Genre Do you have a horror film, horror comedy film or experimental horror that you are submitting to festivals? Have you written a horror screenplay with scary situations, evil villains, creepy concepts and great characters? Our judges can't wait to watch your videos and read your stories.
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Final Deadline: 11/01/2019
We are all about giving agents, showrunners, and executives exactly what they now are looking for: Spec pilot teleplays that showcase you, the new writer operating at your very best. If the suits love the writing of a spec pilot, they have the best reason in the world to trust the writer to come through in the development process. A strongly-written spec pilot shows you’re ready for the gig.
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Final Deadline: 11/01/2019
Cinequest voted Best Film Festival by USA Today Readers. Cinequest voted Best Film Festival by USA Today Readers. The Cinequest Screenplay Competition empowers global screenwriters through discovery, recognition, and opportunity. Cinequest loves writers, and we welcome you to submit your screenplay or teleplay to our renowned competition.
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Final Deadline: 11/01/2019
The 8th annual Richmond International Film Festival (RIFF) is a competitive festival that accepts feature and short screenplays, teleplays, and screens more than 120 international cutting edge film premiers making it one of the Mid-Atlantic's largest international competitive festivals. RIFF provides six days of industry panels, Q&As, industry mixers, live music performances, the FLOW Creative & Pitch Conference, and entertainment mixers that bring the spirit of Hollywood to beautiful Richmond, Virginia at the Bowtie Criterion/Movieland and the historic Byrd Theatre.
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Final Deadline: 11/03/2019
Our Manager Panel. Your Script. Coverage Ink's Get Repped Now is not actually a contest - it's a promotion. From Sept. 3 through Oct. 20, 2019, all scripts submitted to www.coverageink.com or www.getreppednow.com for coverage which score a 'consider' (or better) for script are elevated to our manager panel (appx. the top 5%.) We work with the top literary managers in town, and they are looking for the best writers around.
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Final Deadline: 11/07/2019
Since 2009, Fresh Voices has been proud to provide a microphone to exciting new voices that deserve to be heard and memorable stories that must be told. Now celebrating our big 10th Annual Screenplay Competition, we are grateful to have had the opportunity to help guide dozens of talented writers to secure literary representation, option agreements and other writing assignments, providing the stepping stones and advancing the careers of many of our winning writers.
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Final Deadline: 11/08/2019
The Destiny City Film Festival was founded in part because we want to show great movies. And we know that at the heart of every great movie is a great story – one that is destined to inspire and entertain. Screenplays are the foundation of every memorable film, and we are dedicated to supporting the writing community and the stories they create. Thus, we are thrilled to host Tacoma’s first short screenplay competition! We know that the Northwest film community is chock full of talented writers, thinkers, and artists.
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Final Deadline: 11/11/2019
In 2019, the Omaha Film Festival was recognized as one of the 50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee by MovieMaker Magazine. The Omaha Film Festival celebrates the artistic, educational, and historical importance of motion pictures. It gives independent film artists a platform for sharing their work and creating a dialogue with the community.
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Final Deadline: 11/14/2019
We are looking for innovative and compelling storytelling, for characters that surprise and challenge you, for words that pop off the page, and for narratives that twist and turn like a country back road. This year we’re accepting both feature scripts and pilot scripts; you’re more than welcome to submit in both categories.
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Final Deadline: 11/18/2019
The fellowship program was developed to honor dedicated writers and to help further their creative process and skills. Writing in itself is a journey and we would like to facilitate the process by giving the fellows the opportunity to be surrounded by like-minded professionals and individuals. Application Requirements: Completed application and fee.
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Final Deadline: 11/30/2019
SUCCESS! We say we are looking for a film to produce and we mean it. Our 2017 winner completed principal photography in May 2018 and is in post-production! "Becoming" by Omar Naim won our Grand Prize and is going to hit the screens with Omar himself directing! We will keep sharing updates on "Becoming" as it progresses.. Circus Road wants to find a great project to produce.
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Final Deadline: 12/01/2019
For 21 years the San Francisco Independent Film Festival has developed a great reputation for filling theaters, getting press, and throwing great parties. Films at our fest regularly get Variety reviews, picked up at other fests, and find rabid groupies following the makers around town demanded autographs and buying them drinks. This is our third year hosting a screenplay contest with the goal of expanding our filmmaker reach.
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