The Best Online Script Competitions To Get Your Script Noticed
Hi All,
With social distancing still in place, online screenwriting contests can be a great way to get noticed in 2020.
Whether you’re a seasoned screenwriter or a newbie looking to break in - they can connect you with potential reps, give you valuable feedback on your work, and sometimes even help sell your script.
That being said, those big payoffs don’t come easy: Most of the prestigious contests receive thousands of entries, the entry fees can be high (and add up fast if you’re submitting to multiple competitions) and usually you won’t hear back from the competition unless you win.
But, if your script does manage to shine through the mountain of entries, script contests can be your big break (for some of these competitions, even being a runner up, or making it to the second round of judging can come with its own bit of clout).
So which competitions are worth your time and money?
Here are 8 online script competitions that I think are worth checking out:
*Some of these deadlines have passed for this year, but put the entry date on your calendar for next year - lead time to perfect your script is never a bad thing. And don’t wait until the last minute. I talked to three different writers who waited until the very last minute to apply to my CBS Program and they ended up missing the deadline. It was heartbreaking. Please don’t be one of them!
1. Austin Screenwriting Competition
Connected to the Austin Film Festival, this screenplay competition has categories for almost any genre you can think of, and winners have been known to sell their scripts as well as get some great reps out of it. This past year Austin had over 13,000 entries and only 15% of those writers made it to the second round - competition is stiff. But they make a point to create opportunities for their ‘Second Rounders’ during the festival - so the “rewards” are not only reserved for the winners.
2. SlamDance
SlamDance prides itself on finding ‘new, bold, and raw voices’. Over 25 years old, this competition has a great track record for connecting screenwriters to Hollywood ‘movers and shakers’ who go on to rep, produce and option some of the lucky screenplays. This is also one of the rare competitions that offer feedback from the judges.
3. Sundance Lab
This one’s more of a development course than a traditional screenwriting competition, but, with its notable reputation for skyrocketing writers careers, it’s more than earned its place on this list. The Sundance Lab has a few different “tracks” you can submit to and competition for each track is fierce, but the creative and networking opportunities for the winners are so good, it’s worth the entry fee.
4. Final Draft’s Big Break Screenwriting Contest
This is a contest hosted by, you guessed it, the most well-used screenwriting software. Some winners of this competition have signed with top level agents, and have signed deals for their work with notable production companies.
5. Academy Nicholl Fellowship
One of the most prestigious on this list, the Academy Nicholl Fellowship is the official screenwriting competition of the Academy Awards. It’s highly competitive, but, like most where the competition is stiff, the potential reward is very high.
6. Page International Screenwriting Awards
Do the shows Justified and Ozark sound familiar? Well, if it weren’t for this internationally recognized competition proclaiming those scripts winners, they might never have been produced. Clearly one with major potential to propel a writer’s career.
7. Script Pipeline
Script Pipeline has facilitated over $6 million in TV pilot spec and screenplay sales. Some screenplay competitions find a winner, dole out the reward money, and that’s it. Script Pipeline is invested in fostering talent over the long term. Contest finalists (and a few lucky handpicked screenwriters) work with executives at Script Pipeline year-round. If a mentorship-type guided experience is what you’re craving, this might be the one for you.
8. Series Fest
Specifically for all you episodic writers out there, Series Fest is currently accepting submissions for a bunch of competitions, including their Independent Pilot competition, a Digital Short Series competition, as well as their Storytellers Initiative. The Storytellers Initiative is all about creating relationships between emerging writers and industry execs. Finalists in this program will get to be a part of a writers workshop, a live read of their script with professional actors, and a year-long development deal - plus it’s “COVID proof” (the workshop will take place either in Los Angeles or virtually depending on the state of Covid-19).
Good luck!
What screenwriting competitions do you think are worth it? Let me know @CaroleKirsch!