Update: BOTH of our top two 2016 contest winners now have literary managers! In a fun stroke of coincidence, both Samuel Laskey and David Aslan are now represented at Circle of Confusion (the management company with such clients at the Wachowski Siblings, Benjamin Bratt, Willem Dafoe and many other talented Hollywood actors and writers)!
We have come to a consensus and are excited to announce that The Fake by Samuel Laskey has been selected as the Grand Prize Winner of the 2016 ScreenCraft Comedy Screenplay Contest. It's a sharp, high-concept action comedy with a fantastic logline:
On the night before her Princeton admissions interview and at the prodding of her wild child best friend, 17-year-old straight arrow Cassie Macintosh buys a fake ID to get into a club, unwittingly assuming the identity of a hacker wanted by both a terrorist cabal and the CIA.
We’re also proud to highlight Not A Chance In Hell by David Aslan as the runner-up. Also an original, high-concept script, the narrative centers on a couple of high school seniors who, after being hit by a meteor on prom night, find themselves traveling through the 9 circles of Hell in order to change their destiny.
Both of these consistently fun scripts exude voice and command of the craft, as do the following finalists that comprise the top ten submissions:
3. Hoosier Daddy by Jeffrey Field
4. Test of Strength by Danny Baram
5. Would You Like An Extra Shot? by Johnny Griffith
6. Billy & Ray by Mike Bencivenga
7. In Search Of An Ending by Paul Bissett
8. Lies Jake Ryan Told Me by Jennifer Jackson
9. The Fixer-Upper by Fia Perera and Dava Krause
10. Pale Blue Dot by Alex Shifman
In addition to the ScreenCraft team, the judges included: Steve Stabler, Producer of Dumb & Dumber, Kingpin, Beverly Hills Ninja, and over 60 more movie and TV credits, and former Co-Chairman and CEO of Motion Picture Corporation of America; Becca Gleason, Director of Development at Smart Girls (production company of Amy Poehler); Olivia Gerke, Manager at 3 Arts Entertainment, the literary and talent management company behind such comedy greats as Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Aziz Ansari, Louis CK, Maya Rudolph, Kevin Hart, Mindy Kaling, George Lopez, Matt LeBlanc, BJ Novak, James Franco, Charlie Day, Ray William Johnson and more; and Taylor Benzie, manager at Kaplan/Perrone Entertainment.
Grand Prize Winner Laskey will receive a $1,500 cash prize and hand-picked industry consultations, Runner-up Aslan will receive $200 and judge feedback, while the top five finalists will each receive $100 and reader feedback.
Congratulations to these winning writers and finalists, and thank you to our judges and to everyone who submitted projects. View the quarter-finalists and semifinalists here.
