16 Screenwriting Contests Every Writer Should Know Of

Important deadlines

The last deadline was Feature Screenplay ($80) and Short Screenplay & Teleplay ($65) ended June 1, 2022. All your FAQs regarding the contests are answered here.

Recently renamed WarnerMedia Access Writers Program, this platform aims to provide guidance to creative minds from different backgrounds by connecting them with industry leaders. They usually happen once every two years.

HOW TO APPLY

Applications for this year are currently closed. The next call for submissions will be announced at a later date. The 2021-22 class was announced in July 2021, with 21 participants selected through a rigorous interview and evaluation process. Unlike some of the other competitions on this list, they do accept entries from writers who’ve previously worked on a TV show. The caveat is that they cannot have worked for more than one season.

This is the official contest of the Sundance Film Festival, touted to be the biggest of its kind. It’s not a screenwriting competition per se, rather an incubator course that’s catapulted multiple creators to fame. Some of the films that were made under the support of the Feature Film Program are Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash, Ritesh Batra’s The Lunchbox, Taika Waititi’s Boy, and Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs.

The fellowships or grants that come under the Feature Film Program (FFP) are:

• Screenwriting Lab: A 5-day writer’s workshop, currently slated for January 2023. There is no entry fee.
• Screenwriters Intensive Program: The program supports 10-12 writers or writer/directors from underrepresented communities who are developing a fiction feature screenplay. Beyond the application fee, there is no fee to participate in the Screenwriters Intensive.
• Sundance Institute Comedy Fellowship: Hopes to provide a stage for the next generation of comedic voices to voice out their opinions. It comes with an opportunity to participate in the Screenwriters Lab and includes customized mentorship from the FFP team.

Save the Cat! screenplay challenge now accepts both feature films plus 60-minute and 30-minute TV pilots. The winner gets an all-expense paid 3-day trip to LA and you get to pitch your script to a production company. The perks also include a one-year subscription to the latest version of Save the Cat! software and a listing in INKTIP magazine.

The top 5 finalists also win the subscription to the proprietary software and get to interact with one of the judges. All entries will be read and entrants will receive detailed analysis in return.

Entries for this year are now closed. Results for this year’s contest will be announced on August 31, 2022 and the event will take place on August 26-28, 2022.

Besides episodic pilots and features, BlueCat screenplay competition also accepts short film scripts. Each entry can be resubmitted twice. The page count limit for the different events are:

• Feature screenplays: 65-125 pages
• Pilot scripts: 20-75 pages
• Short screenplays: 1-29 pages

All entries are read and will receive a written analysis as part of the entry fee. The grand prize is a whopping $5000, while the winners in Feature Screenplay, Pilot, and Short Script categories receive $2000. For writers residing outside the States, a special Fellini Award was instituted, the winner of which will receive $1000.

With an excellent track record, The Cinestory Foundation Fellowship has launched the careers of a number of writers. Popular companies like Paradigm, Energy Entertainment, and the Lisa Callamaro agency seek out the services of the winners. Winners get a cash prize of $10,000 and a year-long fellowship program where they’ll be paired with a Hollywood professional. They’re also entitled to three 90-minute one-on-one sessions with agents, managers, producers, and development executives.

One of the most popular screenwriting contests out there, Scriptapalooza Fellowship accepts feature film and short film scripts across multiple genres — action, comedy, drama, sci-fi, thriller. The winner gets $10,000 besides exclusive access to more than 150 producers through Scriptapalooza’s extensive network and 1-year membership to the International Screenwriters’ Association. The judges also pick winners from each genre, each of who is awarded $500.

But, it isn’t just the winners who enjoy all the benefits. The scripts of all semi-finalists too are promoted among Scriptapalooza’s tightly-knit community of producers, managers, and agents. You can get extra feedback on your script at an additional cost of $120.

The PAGE Screenwriting Awards were instituted with the aim of introducing the up-and-coming talent to Hollywood executives. With a proven track record, this competition has been the gateway to success for multiple up-and-coming screenwriters like Michael Kogge and Brooke Roberts. This competition only accepts original screenplays of 80-120 pages and teleplays of 30-75 pages. Adaptations of any kind are not eligible and editing is not allowed once a script has been submitted.

Winners across the ten different genre categories win over $50,000 in cash and prizes. In addition, their work will also be publicized with the help of their co-sponsors.

Submissions were accepted between January-April this year and the results are likely to be announced by July 15, 2021. PAGE Awards will be accepting submissions for next year in December. Bookmark this link to stay abreast of the latest deadlines.

This one-of-a-kind screenwriting competition allows you to rework your script based on the notes you receive. The grand prize is $1500 in cash, an opportunity to interact with market leaders, a free consultation from experts, and a brand new copy of Final Draft. The runner-up and second runner-up are awarded $500 and $250 respectively.

• Early bird deadline: February 16, 2022 – $35 entry fee
• Regular deadline: April 13, 2022 – $40 entry fee
• Latecomers deadline: June 22, 2022 – $40 entry fee

It’ll cost you $70 more to get comprehensive feedback from the judges. This will also include free resubmission of drafts.

This is the official contest of the well-known screenwriting software, Final Draft. The winners of the Final Draft Big Break Contest have gone on to strike deals with several reputed production companies like Paramount Studios and 3PAS Studios. Full-length screenplays should be approximately 80-120 pages, teleplays around 40-70 pages. Remember not to include your personal information in any part of the script since all the necessary details are collected upon submission of entries.

See Also

‘The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford’ Cinematography

HOW TO APPLY

Entries for this year are now open.

• Regular deadline: June 21, 2022: $59 entry fee
• Extended deadline: July 12, 2022: $69
• Last Chance: August 2, 2022 – $79

Script Pipeline has helped uncover and develop writers for film and television since 1999. Some of the talents that found their start from Script Pipeline were Tripper Clancy, writer of Stuber and Evan Daugherty turned his winning script into a movie starring Robert de Niro and John Travolta. The winner of the Screenwriting competition receives a whopping $25,000 and access to a dozen production companies, agencies, and managers. Judging takes into consideration the overall quality of the script along with the originality of the concept and market viability.

Their upcoming contest opens August 15, 2022. Multiple entries are allowed but will require a separate payment. Writers can apply for a written analysis at an additional cost. For details, visit here.

ScreenCraft‘s feature writing competition offers a wide array of genres to choose from. The Grand Prize winner is drafted to the ScreenCraft Writer Development Program and gets a cool $1000 in cash prize. In addition, their work is circulated among writers, producers, development executives, and managers. Meanwhile, feature winners are awarded a $500 cash prize and a lifetime subscription to Arc Studio Pro.

HOW TO APPLY

The guidelines and the key deadlines may vary across competitions, so go through the rules before you apply. Some of the competitions that are open right now:

• Action and Adventure Screenplay Competition – Final deadline – June 30, 2022
• Animation Screenplay Competition – Regular Deadline – June 30, 2022
• Drama Screenplay Competition – early Deadline – June 30, 2022
• Film Fund – Final Deadline – June 30, 2022

For details across contests, visit here.

As the name suggests, this esteemed competition serves to provide a launching pad for the careers of upcoming writers.They run contests in 3 categories: Television plots, feature films and prose writing. Your work can potentially be recognized by a large group of managers, producers, and executives. To add to that, the top 25 winners are announced on the Tracking Board website and to thousands of industry folk via press releases.

The Feature film script writing and TV pilot script writing will open soon for the next season. are currently closed. Prose writing is now open for submissions. Follow this space for further updates.

The UK-based scriptwriting competition like others on this list could help you get one step closer towards pitching your script to a Hollywood executive. In addition to a prize fund valued over $10k, winners stand a chance to secure a sponsored writing internship. The different award categories are:

• Writing Award – for unpublished, completed manuscripts
• Young Writer Award – for writers between the ages of 18 and 25
• Writing Mentorship Award – for uncompleted manuscripts
• Screenplay Award – for scriptwriters with a completed screenplay

In what was their inaugural year, the 2020 Page Turner Awards garnered a lot of interest with at least three writers winning a literary agency presentation. In addition, five authors received a writing mentorship. The 2022 Page Turner Awards are now open across categories, deadline ends June 5, 2022.

In the running for 7 years now, this contest accepts adapted feature film screenplays, TV scripts and shorts, in all genres.

Feature screenplays should be between 85 – 120 pages, television pilot scripts 22 – 60 pages and shorts between 5 – 25 pages. For more information on the eligibility, requirements and awards, visit here.

Conclusion

So there you have it! These are some of the best screenwriting competitions across the globe. Be sure to read all the rules and guidelines before submitting your script. The page count may vary from one to another, but they all need to be original. Most competitions insist that your work is in a 12-point courier font and submitted in a PDF format. Remember that the judges are looking for your distinct voice to come through when they read your work. This is a life-changing opportunity, so make sure you put it to good use.