Screenwriting Contests Calendar Dates and Prizes

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Screenwriting contests winners can have an advantage when pursuing a screenwriting career. Even acing high in one can help. But which screenwriting contest fits your specific needs? Below is a breakdown of screenwriting contests calendar dates and prizes to help you create a strategy for entering writing contests.

We all can use some extra money, but if you’re looking for a real shot at a career as a screenwriter, you need exposure in the filmmaking industry too. But not all screenwriting contests can get your script read by Hollywood executives, agents and managers.

What if you’re just starting out and looking for validation or a mentor? Then you might want to look for screenwriting contests that have some sort of learning aspect to them.

If you’re an aspiring TV writer, then a fellowship is a valuable feather in your cap to get a regular writing gig on a TV show.

Let’s break down a screenwriting contests list based on prizes to help you decide which is worth your time and money. You’ll see writing contests listed in the category that’s the most appropriate, although they might also apply to multiple categories.

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*NOTE: Submissions are open for a range of time, but the longer you wait to submit, the more it will cost you. Plus, the more tired readers will be. A good tip is to submit early!

Who doesn’t want a big, fat check for their efforts? Some of the contests listed below offer more than just money, so read on…

Script Pipeline: Prizes range from special invitations to private networking events to $25,000. They have separate features and TV contests that run at the same time. They also have a Book Pipeline contest for authors!

Submissions Open: March to May – check the site for exact dates and costs.

Final Draft Big Break: 11 Feature Genre and TV Format Winners share over $80,000 in cash and prizes, including The Final Draft/New York Film Academy Fellowship in Writing for Film & Television. The two Grand Prize winners are flown to L.A. for meetings.

Submissions Open: February to July – check the site for exact dates and costs.

PAGE International Screenwriting Awards: This contest offers 31 awards, breaking them down to Gold, Silver and Bronze winners in 10 different genre categories. The prizes range from $250 to $25,000, including smaller prizes of promotional services and gift certificates. Features, short films, and original TV pilots are all eligible for submission.

Submissions Open: Mid-January to Mid-April – check the site for exact dates and costs.

ScreenCraft Contests: ScreenCraft has writing contests for a wide variety of genres for cash prizes. Note above that ScreenCraft also has a fellowship.

Submissions Open: Their site has a full list of contests and deadlines.

Scriptapalooza: Prizes range from $500 to $10,000 including smaller prizes of subscriptions and software. Scriptapalooza also will “promote, pitch and push” their Semifinalists and above for an entire year to their network of executives, producers, managers and agents.

Submissions Open: January to April – check the site for exact dates and costs.

BlueCat Screenplay Competition: This screenwriting contest is open to TV pilots, features and short film scripts. Prizes range from $2,000 to $15,000. One unique aspect of BlueCat is you can resubmit your script after addressing feedback notes from their readers.

Submissions Open: September to December – check the site for exact dates and costs.

Slamdance: Prizes range from merchandise to $5,000. The contest is open for feature screenplays, short film scripts, and original TV pilots.

Submissions Open: February to July – check the site for exact date and costs.

A high placement in the following screenwriting contests will guarantee your script hits the desks of screenwriting agents and managers. You can’t get a script optioned unless you can get it read. Prize money can’t buy.

Academy Nicholl Fellowships: Up to five fellowships are offered, valued at $35,000 each. “Fellowship winners are invited to participate in awards week ceremonies and seminars and expected to complete at least one original feature film screenplay during the Fellowship year.”

Submissions Open: March to early May – check the site for exact dates and costs.

Austin Film Festival: AFF is a popular screenwriters’ conference. All contest Second Rounders, Semifinalists, and Finalists get a discount to the annual conference with a badge clearly marking their status in the writing contest, plus exclusive access to special panels and events. AFF is the networking event for screenwriters and independent filmmakers alike.

Submissions Open: Mid-April to Mid-May – check the site for exact dates and costs.

Finish Line Script Competition: This competition has a new angle it’s taking is worth mentioning. “The Grand Prize winner will have their script sent to any actor, director, producer or studio of their choice. Anyone at all. We guarantee that person will receive your script for consideration but we cannot guarantee they will pursue it further. We want to help you get access and we will back the winner to that degree. The Grand Prize winner will either meet in person, Skype or speak via phone to up to 15 industry professionals ranging from literary managers, agents, development execs and producers.” Other prizes for this inaugural screenwriting contest are listed on their site too, including $1500 to the Grand Prize Winner.

Submissions Open: February to Mid-May with a chance to resubmit your script after
addressing feedback notes from their readers. – Check the site for exact dates and costs.

Tracking Board’s Feature and Pilot Launch Pad Competitions: The Tracking Board competition focuses on launching a writer’s career in that they match the scripts of their screenwriting competition’s semifinalist and finalist writers with executives looking for similar material. They also take it a step farther and share not just the project you submitted but also loglines of other scripts you have in the works. This is not one of those meaningless contests that simply ends up on your resume and then dies on the vine. Your work will get in the hands of all the top executives, agents and managers in the business. Stay tuned for a Manuscript Launch Pad too!

Submissions Open for Pilot Competition: January to early April
Submissions Open for Features Competition: June to August
Check the site for exact dates and costs.

TrackingB.com: Another exposure contest is TrackingB. Described on their site: “Five finalists will be promoted on trackingb.com to our community of entertainment industry insiders AND will also be read by each member of our esteemed judging panel who will pick an overall winner.” That’s a lot of eyes on a script.

Submissions Open: January to August – check the site for exact dates and costs.

Write LA: Another unique contest is Write LA. They judge both feature and TV scripts together, putting an emphasis more on the writer than the medium. Check our reviews on FilmFreeway and Moviebytes. (Moviebytes selected Write LA as a Top Contest to Enter in 2020 & 2021, and 2022!)

Submissions Open: February to June - check the site for exact dates and costs.

Dallas International Film Festival: DIFF supports the beginning and end of the creative filmmaking process from script to screen. Every script is reviewed and scored by readers a top talent agencies and literary management companies with the potential to get signed at any time. The winning scripts receive a 15-frame storyboard for their pitch deck, feedback from high profile screenwriters, networking/pitching opportunities and a table read of their screenplay performed during DIFF by qualified actors. New this year, every submission also receives an illustration of the script’s first scene to give writers a sample of how effectively their words shape the visual look and feel of their scene. 

Submissions Open: February to Mid-March – check the site for exact dates and costs.

Contests that offer fellowships and labs are a great way to not only get attention but also to learn. Beyond learning, the connections you make with the other fellowship winners will grow your network even wider.

WGA site has a great list of programs to check out further:
Industry Diversity Writing Programs, Conferences and Festivals

The following are fellowships and labs broken up into Features and TV.

Academy Nicholl Fellowships: No question, this screenwriting fellowship is the brass ring, which is why we’re listing it again. During your year-long fellowship, you are required to complete at least one original feature film screenplay.

Submissions Open: March to early May – check the site for exact dates and costs.

Film Independent Screenwriting Lab: “An intensive four-week workshop that meets two to three evenings a week in Los Angeles every September, the Film Independent Screenwriting Lab is designed to facilitate each writer’s unique voice through the development of a single feature project.”

Submissions Open: July to September – check the site for exact dates and costs.

ScreenCraft Fellowship: The recipients receive ongoing professional support and a trip to L.A. for meetings with key entertainment executives, producers and representatives.

Submission Deadline is late January – check the site for details and costs.

Sundance Screenwriting Lab: 12 screenwriters are chosen to participate in this prestigious lab in Utah. The relationships built during this intense week can be life-changing.

Submission Deadline is Mid-May – check the site for details of eligibility and costs.

Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment New Writers Fellowship: The CAPE New Writers Fellowship discovers and nurtures emerging writers launching their careers in television and film. This unique, immersive Fellowship arms each participant with the practical and business knowledge they need to succeed as a professional writer in the entertainment industry. 

Submissions Open on October 16 – check the site for details and costs.

Humanitas New Voices: The New Voices Fellowship is a four-month mentorship program for emerging television and screenwriters. The program is committed to identifying and empowering five writers each year who are unrepresented and are currently working on a 30- or 60-minute pilot or feature film screenplay that upholds the mission of Humanitas.

Submission Deadline is Mid-April – check the site for details and costs.

The Accelerate Fellowship: The Accelerate Fellowship is a year-long program that gives mid-level disabled screenwriters $40,000 in funding, and the bespoke mentorship, industry connections, and community they need to become industry-leading creators.

Check the site for details.

ISA Fast Track Fellowship: For eighteen seasons, the ISA Fast Track Fellowship has been the premier screenwriting fellowship for writers on the rise. Fast Track Fellows have signed with major agencies like CAA, Paradigm and ICM. Many have been introduced to and then signed with management companies or had their scripts optioned, leading to development deals.

Submission Deadline is Mid-February – check the site for details and costs.

Sesame Workshop Writers’ Room: Sesame Workshop Writers’ Room is a writing fellowship from the creators of Sesame Street. Up to 8 writers with diverse racial, ethnic, and cultural identities are selected to join the Writers’ Room, where they’ll receive hands-on writing experience guided by Sesame Street veterans and other media industry leaders.

Submissions Open: May through June – check the site for exact dates and costs.

The Disruptors Fellowship: An unprecedented fellowship supporting emerging television writers of color who identify as transgender, non-binary, disabled, or undocumented/formerly undocumented. During this 3-month program, fellows are provided with mentorship, professional development, master classes and opportunities to build community with other writers of color. This year we’ve increased the stipend to $10,000!

Submissions Open: May through June– check the site for exact dates and costs.

The Writers Lab NYC: The Writers Lab is presented by New York Women in Film & Television. The Lab is a four-day writers workshop that gives women screenwriters over the age of 40 the opportunity to work intensively on their feature film scripts with the support of established film professionals. The Lab only accepts female writers over the age of 40.

Submissions Open: Mid-February through March 28th – check the site for exact dates and costs.

Universal Writers Lab: Identifies up-and-coming and experienced screenwriters with unique points of view that build upon the Studio’s commitment to telling stories and creating films that reflect the vast diversity of our audiences. The only feature film lab sanctioned by the Writers Guild of America West (WGAW), the Lab develops storytellers who organically incorporate multicultural and global perspectives in screenwriting.

Check the site for details.

1497 Features Lab: The 1497 Features Lab is designed to elevate and develop screenplays by writers of South Asian descent, while providing career support. They believe in a holistic approach to foster writers' creative and career journeys. As a result, each selected Mentee will move through a multi-tiered process: Script Development, Mentorship, and Connect with the Industry.

Check the site for details.

Black List / Women in Film Episodic Lab: The Black List and WIF will invite six promising non-professional television writers who are of an underrepresented gender (women, NB/GNC, and/or trans, and others) to the Lab. The Lab will run twice weekly for four and will consist of script development, pitching, peer workshopping sessions, and master classes with established writers and industry executives.

Submission Deadline is Mid-December - check the site for exact dates and costs.

The Annual Labs: The Labs support writers on two distinct career tracks: those who are interested in being a career writer, with a focus on working within the studio system, and those who are interested in writing and directing their own work in the independent space. The Labs will remain exclusively writing-focused programs in which each participating writer workshops the script that gets them into the Lab.

Submission Deadline is July 1st - check the site for exact dates and costs.

Sundance Institute Episodic Program: Povides artists with the tools and training to develop their original series and pilot script. Offering one of the few training grounds for independent voices, the program is designed to help creators move their projects and careers forward.

Submissions Open February 9 – March 9, 2024 - check the site for exact dates and costs.

Roadmap Writers 2024 GPS Fellowship: We focus on the quality of education rather than the quantity of numbers in our programming. We pride ourselves on getting to know each writer individually and doing our best to cater to their individual needs. Because it takes so much investment, time, and care to champion and launch a writer’s professional career, we focus work on Career Writers over hobbyists. Each program is taught by passionate working executives with a proven track record. Roadmap is the only screenwriting organization that has a fully guided tiered program that will help you build an incredibly strong foundation for lasting career success. That is why we developed the GPS Fellowship Program.

Submissions Open March 1 – May 1, 2024 - check the site for exact dates and costs.

Click the links below to find the submission details.

(*Contests listed on this page are not endorsed by Script magazine.
It’s up to writers to do their own research and decide which contest fits their needs and budget.)