Screenwriting
Below is a list of just some of the wonderful contests available for you to submit your screenplays to! You may or may not be interested in those listed, or find that they do not pertain to your specific work. Always remember that there are many, many more publications/contests out there!
Entry fees and why they're necessary:
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The people who read your scripts put a lot of time and energy into it, and they need to be paid.
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Some of the fee is probably going towards the cash prize, if there is one.
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Entry fees discourage people from submitting bad scripts (typos, undeveloped concept, etc.) You shouldn't enter unless you're extremely confident in and proud of what you've written.
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Submitting late is more expensive because contests don't want people to submit late. Submitting last-minute puts more stress on the script-readers, and anyway, you shouldn't submit late. The more last-minute it is the more likely the readers have already picked their favorites, and the more likely they'll be too exhausted to give your script the attention it deserves.
Intellectual Property Rights:
Unless otherwise stated, it's usually safe to assume that you retain the property rights to your script. The end result of these competitions is not production (which would mean selling your script), it's publicity and recognition. When looking for contests on your own make sure you scan through the rules.
Moreover, all of these competitions recommend that you protect yourself and your script by registering it at The Writers' Guild of America, which you can do here if you live east of the Mississippi River and here if you live west of it. It's $17 for students with ID and $20 for non-students. It might seem like an annoying hassle, but it's worth it to protect work that you've poured hours and hours of your life into.
Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting
The Gist: Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting is a hugely competitive event that is run by the same people who organize the Oscars. It might be a reach, but nobody who has made more than $25,000 via screenwriting is allowed to enter – so while you will be up against thousands of scripts, you won't be up against any established writers. It's a yearly competition that takes online submissions from all genres, so long as they're feature-length.
Awards:
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Five fellowships of $35,000. Each fellowship recipient is expected to produce a full-length script in the following fellowship year.
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Everyone in the Industry has heard of this competition. Semifinalists don't receive official prizes, but agents and producers will absolutely be interested in your script.
Deadlines:
Early Bird (Feb. 28) - $35 per script
Regular (April 10) - $50 per script
Late (May 1) - $65 per script
Austin Film Festival Screenplay and Teleplay Contest
The Gist: Austin Film Festival's Screenplay and Teleplay Contest is a widely respected competition that provides a valuable platform for writers to launch their careers. While the teleplay competition is open to writers of all levels, the screenplay competition is only open to writers who do not make a living writing for television or film. They accept both online and mail-in submissions.
Awards:
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Awards vary, but all include some sort of cash prize, reimbursement for hotel and airfare costs, and the prestigious AFF Bronze Typewriter Award.
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Finalists in all categories are able to attend the Austin Film Festival and Conference with a Producer's Badge, and Semifinalists are able to purchase this badge at a discounted price.
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The top 10% of entries have the option to attend workshops and panel discussions that are full of seasoned writers and people with serious connections.
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Finalists and semifinalists have their names and contact information mailed to over 400 industry professionals.
Deadlines:
Regular Screenplay (April 30) - $40 per script
Regular Teleplay (April 30) - $30 per script
Late Screenplay (May 31) - $50 per script
Late Teleplay (May 31) - $40 per script
American Black Film Festival
The Gist: The Up Faith & Family Screenplay Competition is a contest hosted by the American Black Film Festival that is designed to highlight talented black American writers and showcase inspirational, family-friendly scripts that provide enlightening takes on the “black American cultural experience.”Submissions must be written for a two-hour TV movie (88-100 pages), and mailed with requiredpaperwork.
Awards:
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Grand prize of $5,000.
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Top three writers will be invited to the American Black Film Festival, hotel and flight paid for, andwill have a scene from their script read on stage.
Deadlines:
Regular (April 18) - No entry fee.
Page International Screenwriting Awards
The Gist: The Page International Screenwriting Awards is a giant, career-changing yearly competition. Unlike alot of other contests, Page judges screenplays/teleplays/short films/etc. in every popular genre category. There are thirty-one prizes up for grabs, writers who have made more than $25,000 from entertainment writing are not allowed to compete, and the entertainment industry actively pays attention to winners. You can submit either online or through mail.
Awards:
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Grand prize of $25,000 + publicity packages
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Cash prizes for all other winners + publicity packages
Deadlines:
Early Bird (Jan. 15) - $39 per script
Regular (Feb. 15) - $49 per script
Late (March 15) - $59 per script
Last Minute (April 15) - $69 per script
Women's Words
The Gist: The Women's Words screenplay contest is a competition that focuses on screenplays written by women that utilize lesbian protagonists and/or themes. This sort of representation is monumentally important, especially in such a male-dominated industry. Short scripts (45 pages, max) as well as feature-length scripts are accepted via online submission. You are expected to do nothing else with your script until one month after the contest has ended.
Awards:
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Feature-length screenplay winners receive $400 and a live reading
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Short screenplay winners receive $100 and a live reading
Deadlines:
Early Bird (March 31) - $10 per script
Regular ( April 15) - $20 per script
Late (May 1) - $30 per script
Movie Poet
The Gist: Movie Poet hosts a small, independently run short script (five page max, usually) contest that accepts submissions and announces winners on a monthly basis. Each month has a different prompt – a script that can be filmed in one shot, a script that has a kiss in it, etc. – so you'll likely have to write something for this contest. This is a good contest for someone who wants practice with screenwriting. They take online submissions, and you retain all the rights to your work but Movie Poet is allowed to display your script on their website for all-time if you win.
Awards:
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Your work is displayed on the Movie Poet website.
Deadlines:
Rolling submissions; there is no entry fee.
Nickelodeon Writing Program
The Gist: The Nickelodeon Writing Program is a little bit different from most other screenwriting competitions.In order to apply, you need to submit a spec script based on a currently airing Nickelodeon show (animated or not, it doesn't matter). More than that, instead of competing for a cash prize or publicity,participants in this contest are competing for potential employment, priceless experiences, and hands-on experience in TV production.
Awards:
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Finalists are rewarded with a salaried position at Nickelodeon for up to one year.
Deadlines:
Submissions are accepted (usually) between January 2nd and February 28th. There is no entry fee.
Moondance International Film Festival
The Gist: The Moondance International Film Festival hosts a well-known, yearly screenwriting competition that is largely concerned with works that address complex social issues, especially from unique perspectives. This festival is particularly interested in promoting the work of female screenwriters, but absolutely everyone is invited to submit. Feature-length scripts, musical scripts, short scripts, and original TV pilots are all welcome via online submission.
Awards:
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While there are no cash prizes, there are a plethora of award titles given annually. These awards lead to industry interest, which is immeasurably valuable.
Deadlines:
Early Bird (Dec. 31) - $55 per script
Regular (April 30) - $80 per script
Late (May 31) - $100 per script
Extended Postmark ( June 31) - $100 per script