Action & Adventure films create an active experience for the audience. Whether it’s a pressure cooker moment, a ticking clock, or saving the world from destruction, the high stakes usually have an audience on the edge of their seats and are a common box office draw. Kicking open Hollywood’s doors for talented action writers with a jury looking for great film and television scripts in the action & adventure genre.
Judges
Get in front of Hollywood judges who love great action & adventure stories.
Emily Carmichael
Screenwriter and Director (JURASSIC WORLD 3, Sundance, SXSW)
Emily most recently wrote JURASSIC WORLD 3 for Universal and Amblin. Her other credits include PACIFIC RIM: UPRISING and Disney's reboot of the 1979 sci-fi film THE BLACK HOLE. Both a writer and director, her short films have screened at Sundance, Slamdance, SXSW, Tribeca, and numerous other top festivals all around the world.
Joey Dizon
Creative Executive, Agbo Films
Joey Dizon is a Creative Executive at Agbo Films, founded by Joe and Anthony Russo. After working on AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON, INFINITY WAR, ENDGAME, etc he joined the Russo Brothers and writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeeley at Agbo Films. Joey recently worked on acclaimed horror film, RELIC, and Netflix’s hit action film, EXTRACTION. He is currently developing Disney’s HERCULES, GRIMJACK, and BATTLE OF THE PLANETS among others.
Sandino Moya-Smith
Director of Development, MGM Studios
After working for Gary Ross on all HUNGER GAMES films, Moya-Smith became Director of Development at MGM Studios, the iconic film studio behind such film franchises as JAMES BOND, TOMB RAIDER, G.I. JOE, ROBOCOP, and CREED.
Janet Jeffries
Development & Production Executive, Lawrence Bender Productions
Lawrence Bender Productions is the production company behind global action/adventure blockbusters including INGLORIOUS BASTERDS, HACKSAW RIDGE, the Tom Hardy-starring CAPONE as well as 2019’s GRETA and Martin Scorsese’s SILENCE. Through TV Division Bender/Brown TV they have produced the Netflix series SEVEN SECONDS, FLESH AND BONE on Starz, and ROSWELL, NEW MEXICO on CW.
Jason Lubin
Manager-Producer and Founder, First Story Entertainment
First Story Entertainment represents a diverse roster of writers and directors with fresh voices in all genres. Prior to starting First Story, Jason was Head of Production & Development at Lynda Obst Productions, credits include INTERSTELLAR, CONTACT and TV GOOD GIRLS REVOLT and THE HOT ZONE.
PRIZES
Grand Prize Winner
The overall grand prize winner in either feature or TV category will be welcomed to the ScreenCraft Writer Development Program and receive personal introductions and phone calls with one or more top Hollywood literary managers who are looking for talented emerging Film & TV screenwriters.
All winners’ project info and log lines will be circulated and recommended to our network of over 60 Hollywood managers, agents, producers and development executives.
ScreenCraft has a proven track record for getting writers signed with managers, agents, and staffed in writing rooms.
Personal Introduction to top literary managers
Accepted into the ScreenCraft Writer Development Program
$1,000 cash
Complimentary Badge for the 2022 ScreenCraft Virtual Summit
Complimentary Badge for the 2022 ScreenCraft Virtual Summit
Lifetime subscription to Arc Studio Pro
Runner-Up Prizes
Feature
$500 cash award
Accepted into ScreenCraft Development Program
50% off 2022 ScreenCraft Virtual Summit
Lifetime subscription to Arc Studio Pro
Pilot
$500 cash award
Accepted into ScreenCraft Development Program
50% off 2022 ScreenCraft Virtual Summit
Lifetime subscription to Arc Studio Pro
Previous Successes
Placing in a ScreenCraft competition can launch your career.
Rich Van Tine
Signed with rep & sold his spec!
ScreenCraft Action & Adventure Screenplay Competition finalist, Rich Van Tine, has optioned his thriller spec STUCK to Steel Springs Pictures, the company of producer Peter Lawson (John Wick, Spotlight, Snowden). Rich previously signed with Housefire Management after ScreenCraft introduced them. Rich was previously a 2017 ScreenCraft Fellowship Semifinalist with his twin detective thriller, UNTIL THE CANDLE BURNS OUT.
"ScreenCraft helped get my work out there. My feature was a Top 5 Finalist in the ScreenCraft Action contest last year and they worked with me to get it out to agents, managers and producers. They kept pushing the script forward and were super involved in the entire process. It was a great experience and I highly recommend any and all ScreenCraft competitions."
Colin Dalvit & Andrew Lahmann
Signed with Manager
Colin Dalvit & Andrew Lahmann won the ScreenCraft Action & Thriller Screenplay Contest in 2016, and they were recently discovered via Coverfly and signed by literary manager Josh Dove at Intellectual Property Group who discovered and read their script The Timbermen. Intellectual Property Group is the literary management company behind such clients as Oscar-winner Paul Haggis (Crash and Million Dollar Baby) and Dennis Lehane (writer of cinematically adapted novels including Mystic River, Shutter Island and Gone Baby Gone).
Sarah Hopkins
Signed with Manager
After winning ScreenCraft’s 2015 Action-Thriller Screenplay Contest, Sarah had a call with literary manager Jeff Portnoy at Bellevue Productions, and after 6 months of development conversations about her project, Jeff offered to represent her. Congrats to Sarah for signing with with a great manager at Bellevue Productions!
Kevin Bachar
Signed with Manager
ScreenCraft winner Kevin Bachar has signed with literary manager Matthew Koss of Zero Gravity Management. Kevin won the 2018 Action Screenplay Competition with his feature EDISON’S GHOST.
"Winning ScreenCraft’s Action/Thriller genre was amazing and set me on a pretty wild ride that led to meetings at Bad Robot and Donner Productions, and gaining a literary manager at Zero Gravity. But the coolest thing was that one of the judges for the contest was Steven De Souza, the writer of DIE HARD. That means he read my work and liked it!! That’s why you enter a contest – Yippy-ki-yay mother%&*#er"
Danny Matier
Film optioned & produced
Danny Matier was a finalist in the 2016 ScreenCraft Action & Thriller Screenplay Competition. ScreenCraft connected him with production company, MiLa Media, who purchased and produced his feature screenplay The Unborn in the spring of 2019. It is currently in post-production.
"Last year, a ScreenCraft producer contact was looking to read thrillers/horror from competition finalists. ScreenCraft connected me with the production company. Within the next couple of weeks – I had sold my script and it went into production this year. To have people like ScreenCraft actively getting my work into the hands of the right people is a testament to ScreenCraft wanting writers to succeed."
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Action & Adventure Articles
75 Free Action-Adventure Scripts You Can Download Right NowOct 29by Ken Miyamoto-The best way to write a great action screenplay is to read great action screenplays. As you read more scripts, you'll quickly see that there's no single way to write a screenplay. Yes, there's a general… ...
Submissions are accepted via electronic submission only, between April 1, 2021 and June 30, 2021.
Entry fees and deadlines:
$49.50 until the early deadline on April 30, 2021
$69.50 until the regular deadline on May 31, 2021
$79.50 until the final deadline on June 30, 2021
Optional feedback from a professional reader may be requested at the time of entry. Requests for feedback after an entry is submitted will not be accepted.
Feature screenplays must be a minimum of 75 pages and a maximum of 150 pages. TV pilots must be between 25 and 75 pages. Any submission longer than 120 pages will incur a $1 per page overage fee for each page over 120.
There is no limit to the number of projects you may submit.
Entries must be received on or before the deadline dates by 11:59PM Pacific Time, and submission fee payment must be made in full at time of the submission. All entry fees are non-refundable.
All submitted material must be original, and all rights must be wholly owned by the writer(s).
Material must be submitted by the writer. Material written by writing teams must be submitted by one of the writers, with consent of the other(s). All writers must be credited on the title page.
If a writing team is chosen as a winner, prizes will be given to the person who submits the project. Each team is responsible for dividing or sharing the prize money.
Substitutions of either corrected pages or new drafts of the entered material will be allowed for a limited time with a $5 reentry fee through Coverfly. Please proofread your script carefully before submitting.
It is recommended that original material be registered with the WGA or The Library of Congress before submitting to any competition, however we do not require registration.
Contact info may be included on the cover page of the screenplay, however it is not required.
ScreenCraft claims no ownership nor option on your work. All ownership and rights to the scripts submitted to this contest remains with the original rights holders.
All writers at least 18 years of age are eligible. However, a writer who has earned more than $50,000 (or equivalent currency) from professional writing services for film or TV in the preceding year is not. (Contest winnings not included.)
All persons from anywhere in the world are eligible; however the material submitted must be in English (occasional dialogue in other languages is acceptable, if subtitle translation is provided).
All material submitted to other competitions or contests are eligible for this contest.
There are no requirements as to when the material was written.
Screenplay and intellectual property must be wholly owned and submitted by the writer(s).
Material should be submitted in standard screenplay format, font, spacing and margin.
We have no preferences regarding title page content. Title and name of writer would suffice.
Entries for this competition are managed on the submission platform Coverfly.
Adaptations are ineligible unless the underlying rights are owned by the writer or the work is in the public domain.
Feature screenplays longer than 150 pages will not be eligible.
All material must be submitted electronically as a PDF or it will not be eligible.
Entries for this competition are managed on the submission platform Coverfly.
The winners will be chosen based on the following criteria:
Voice
Concept
Story
Structure
Characters
Dialogues
Genre Conventions
Criteria for Winners and Finalists:
The winners and top finalists may be contacted by interested industry representatives, such as managers, agents or producers.
Entrants may be required to submit further information to assist in the judges’ verification of eligibility.
Any entrant may be deemed ineligible as a Finalist or Winner at the sole discretion of ScreenCraft.
Finalists may be required to sign and return within seven (7) business days of receipt a notarized Affidavit of Eligibility and a Release and Indemnification and proof of valid passport and any other documents that ScreenCraft or any other partner may require before receiving prize payment. Failure to respond to the initial notification within ten (10) days or return of notification will result in disqualification.
We reserve the right to amend these rules at any time.
COPYRIGHT AND OWNERSHIP: ScreenCraft or any other partner, employee or agent associated with this contest claims no ownership nor first right of option to any original screenplay submitted to this contest. All ownership and rights to the scripts submitted to this contest remains with the original rights holders until and unless other agreements are made.
PUBLICITY: Except where prohibited by law, participation in the contest constitutes each entrant’s consent to ScreenCraft and its agents’ and contest sponsor’s use of entrants’ names, likenesses, photographs, and/or personal information for promotional purposes in any media, worldwide, without further payment or consideration. All uses of a entrants’ information are in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
REFUND POLICY: All entries are non-refundable.
ENTRY CONDITIONS AND RELEASE: BY ENTERING THE CONTEST YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU HAVE READ AND AGREE TO THESE CONDITIONS. You agree to release and hold harmless ScreenCraft, ScreenCraft.org, its subsidiary, parent and affiliated companies, Prize contributors, judges, screenplay readers, Sponsors, and any other organizations responsible for administering, advertising or promoting the Contest, and every one of their respective members, directors, employees, agents and representatives (collectively, the “Released Parties”) past and present from and against any and all claims, expenses, and liability, including but not limited to damages and negligence to property and persons, including but not limited to invasion of privacy, defamation, slander, libel, violation of right of publicity, copyright, infringement of trademark or other intellectual property rights relating to a participant’s Entry, participation in the Contest and/or acceptance or use or misuse of Prize; provided however, that such release will not apply to any commercial exploitation of the script by a Released Party in violation of your rights under applicable copyright law; and (c) indemnify, defend and hold harmless the ScreenCraft.org and its Sponsor, agents and employees from and against any and all claims, expenses, and liabilities (including reasonable attorneys fees) relating to an entrant’s participation in the Contest and/or entrant’s use or misuse of Prize. Employees of ScreenCraft and their immediate families are ineligible to participate in this contest. Any such submission will be immediately disqualified. ENTRY TO THIS CONTEST IS VOID WHERE PROHIBITED or restricted by any Federal, State or Local law. Voided entries will be refunded. Recipients’ eligibility will be verified before the grant is awarded and the winner may be required to sign an affidavit of eligibility. By entering the contest, you authorize us to use any trusted third-party online and cloud-based services and databases for hosting, managing and/or transmitting your submission file(s).
Scripts with Adrenaline
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