Resources
We welcome FAMILY GUY showrunners Richard Appel and Alec Sulkin as Grand Jurors! Past finalists and winners have signed with literary managers and secured shopping agreements for their scripts! 

More info coming soon

Accepting TV, Feature, and Short Scripts

This year's jury features FAMILY GUY showrunners Richard Appel and Alec Sulkin, as well as managers and execs from companies that include Gotham Group, Writ-Large, 20th Century TV Animation (THE SIMPSONS, BOB'S BURGERS), Moonbug Entertainment (COCOMELON), and ShadowMachine (Guillermo del Toro's PINOCCHIO).

ScreenCraft has relationships with top animation companies and has generated meetings for writers with Pixar, Disney Animation Studios, Fox Animation, Rooster Teeth, and Titmouse to name a few.

Winners and finalists are highly sought after by managers and agents. Hundreds of ScreenCraft writers have signed with top management companies and agencies like CAA, Anonymous Content, Bellevue Productions, WME, UTA, and many more.

So whether you’re writing a family-friendly animated movie or an adult-oriented animated series, our jury is ready to read great material with fresh voices!

Grand Jurors

Our Grand Prize Winner will be selected by our jury which includes Grand Juror's Richard Appel and Alec Sulkin, the Emmy-nominated writers and producers, and current FAMILY GUY showrunners.

Notes

Receive feedback notes to strengthen your script

Meeting

Virtual meeting to discuss feedback and ask questions

Insight

Learn and gain perspective on next steps to take with your project

Jury

Siobhan Murphy

Literary Manager, Gotham Group
Siobhan Murphy (she/her) joined leading management/production company The Gotham Group in 2019 as an assistant and rose through the ranks to become a literary manager. She thinks of herself as a career builder and industry matchmaker for her diverse artist, director, writer, and producer clients. Siobhan admires animation as an enthralling and innovative medium for stories across genres and demographics. Previously she was at CAA and she studied animation and screenwriting at DePaul University in Chicago.

Richard Hickey

Chief Creative Officer, Moonbug Entertainment
Richard Hickey is the global Chief Creative Officer for Moonbug Entertainment, an international entertainment company that has garnered 90b+ views by specializing in acquiring digital IP and developing it into global entertainment franchises. Richard currently oversees creative for all 18 Moonbug core and premium original IP including Moonbug’s most popular IP: CoComelon, Blippi, Little Angel, Little Baby Bum, Morphle, and its most recent acquisition, Oddbods. In his role, he’s responsible for creative oversight from development through delivery on all streams of Moonbug content for YouTube and premium broadcasters such as Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu and many more. 

Nadya Panfilov

Literary Manager, Writ-Large
Nadya Panfilov works in development and management for Writ Large, whose roster of writers + directors have worked on major animation projects like Bob’s Burgers, Star Wars: Rebels, Central Park, and Duck Tales.

George Collins

Literary Manager
George Collins is a Los Angeles native who has been a Literary Manager in TV & Film for 20 years. In the past he’s worked at companies like The Firm and Infinity Management and now has his own business focused primarily on writers for animated series. He is always encouraging his clients to lean into storytelling that will make their voices shine and works tirelessly to find creative situations that are a good fit for what they do.

Samanda Wasson

Director of Development, ShadowMachine
Samanda Wasson is a development executive with a background in CG animation production for both features and television. Since joining the team at ShadowMachine, Samanda has helped develop a full slate of projects ranging from preschool to adult with the goal of continuing to push the creative slate with new, always unique projects, working alongside some of the best creative talent in the world.

Jazmine Hill

Manager of Development & Current, 20th Century Animation TV
LA born and raised, Jazmine Hill got her start in the film industry as an intern and assistant at the indie production and finance film company Bold Films. Then made the jump over at the indie production and finance studio, BRON Studios in development. After realizing how much she loved comedy, she next worked on the management side at Avalon (known for representing comedic talent and producing LAST WEEK TONIGHT WITH JOHN OLIVER). Currently, she is a Manager of development and current at 20th TV Animation (THE SIMPSONS, BOB’S BURGERS, FAMILY GUY), where she’s never been happier working in the world of cartoons all day.

Prizes

Grand Prize

The overall grand prize winner in either feature, TV or short category will be welcomed to the ScreenCraft Writer Development Program and receive personal introductions and phone calls with one or more top industry professionals who are looking for talented emerging Film & TV screenwriters.

The top 3 winners’ project info and log lines will be extensively circulated and recommended to Screencraft's genre specific relationships at top animation companies, as well as to our network of over 150 other 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 industry professionals
Accepted into the ScreenCraft Writer Development Program
$1,000 Cash
An exclusive invitation to a Finalist+ workshop to position yourself and your writing to the industry

Runner-Up Prizes

Feature Winner

$500 cash award

Accepted into ScreenCraft Development Program

An exclusive invitation to a Finalist+ workshop to position yourself and your writing to the industry

TV PILOT WINNER

$500 cash award

Accepted into ScreenCraft Development Program

An exclusive invitation to a Finalist+ workshop to position yourself and your writing to the industry

SHORT WINNER

$500 cash award

An exclusive invitation to a Finalist+ workshop to position yourself and your writing to the industry

FINALISTS

An exclusive invitation to a Finalist+ workshop to position yourself and your writing to the industry

More info coming soon

Previous Success Stories

See More Successes

Erik Cardona & Anthony Gaudioso

Signed an option agreement

"The biggest obstacle ScreenCraft helped us overcome was getting eyes on our story. Many scripts as good and even better than ours take a similar journey from the printer to the shelf... where they go to die. ScreenCraft provided a platform for our script to be read. To be enjoyed. And to compete! After winning our competition, we were contacted within weeks by Story Warrior producers and development executives. A humbling experience we're beyond grateful for, and curious to see where this momentum goes! ScreenCraft's growing authority among the best screenplay competitions in the country is what really excited my partner Anthony and I to submit our animated script. The organization has done so much for writers, and its platform garners a ton of respect online and among the film industry. When you win a competition with ScreenCraft, you're vaulted into the upper echelon of the Nicholl, Save the Cat! and Austin competitions of the world. "

Charlie Fellows

Signed an option agreement

"Like many other screenwriters, my first introduction to the craft was in the classroom setting. However, once I left that safe productive haven of writing and peer discussion, the real world of screenwriting felt like the wild west. The difficulty of finding the right people to read your script and give you feedback can’t be understated, but the genre-based competitions at Screencraft were the best chance I could find to get my material in the right hands and they did not disappoint. Thankfully, once I placed in Screencraft’s animation contest, they were able to send my scripts to production companies both big and small that were specifically interested in the niche that represented my script. With constant support from their staff, Screencraft helped me craft successful cover letters and forge relationships with some of their judges to create further networking opportunities in the industry as well as job opportunities."

Tracy Nicoletti

Signed with a Literary Manager

"When I first entered the industry, I thought I wanted to work in scripted development. It was a stable, creative job that allowed me to express my passion for film and television, but was free from the constant rejections that often accompany a writing career. I worked as a development assistant for a couple of years, ultimately landing at DreamWorks, and I was happy enough. But when the studio merged with Comcast, I was laid off. The "stable" job I'd chosen ended up being the one that flipped my whole world upside down. I struggled for months to land another development job, at which point I questioned if I was meant to work in entertainment at all. But it was at that low point that I rediscovered my love of writing. Remembered why I chose to work in this field. I don't think I would have had the courage to pursue writing if it wasn't for that shake-up.  Screencraft is one of the only script competitions that have Animation and Kids & Family categories, which don't get nearly enough love and respect from the greater industry. Having that "finalist" stamp of approval helped me feel like my script was in a good enough place to distribute for staffing and representation purposes. With that confidence, I was able to get it in front of a showrunner I know, and he in turn tweeted about how much he loved it. My manager reached out on Twitter, after having seen that post, and the rest is history. So in a way, one thing led to another and it started with this competition. "

Brandon Feldman

Signed an option agreement

"The main reason we picked ScreenCraft over various other competitions is because of the name recognition and the ability to submit your work to a specific genre. We wrote a really fun animated family-comedy and being able to find both a Family and Animation focused competition was important to us. It was also helpful to have the judges work for companies that make those types of movies. Working with Screencraft helped open numerous doors for us including getting our script optioned by Story Warrior. We would have never had the opportunity to meet with them and then eventually sign an option without the help of Screencraft."

Lindz Amer

Signed with a Literary Manager at Five Successes

"I had a hard time standing out in general script competitions (even ones that were specific to LGBTQ+ stories!) with an animated family feature so I was drawn to the genre competitions. I wasn't expecting the script to go as far as it did, but was so happy that the folks at Screencraft saw the potential in my queer animated story. The folks at Screencraft have been fantastic to work with and incredibly supportive during what was a difficult process with lots of rejection along the way. My advice to emerging writers is perseverance! I wouldn't be where I am today if I wasn't stubborn enough and believed in myself enough to just keep on going despite the huge pile of rejections in my wake. As a queer and trans nonbinary Jewish person trying to break into the kid's and family space, the search for representation seemed to have very little to do with whether my writing and ideas were good, and everything to do with whether a rep was convinced that I could make them money, if they bought into my overall mission, and understood how they could fit into the ecosystem of my work. It was a real needle in a haystack situation and it took a lot of patience and perseverance and constantly reminding myself that it honestly had very little to do with my capabilities as a writer. I needed to find someone to work with who can dream as big as I can and knows how to make those dreams a reality, and I think I found that with Kate and Andrew at Five Successes!"

Jackson DeLoach

Signed with Manager at Epicenter Management

"When I submitted to Screencraft, I was really hoping to get my work in front of people who would actually respond positively to it. My style and taste are quite specific, so I like that Screencraft separates their contests by genre instead of just one big free-for-all. It’s hard for an animated script to stand out against live-action stuff when animation generally has this weird stigma attached to it. After being a finalist in the ScreenCraft Animation competition, I connected with Allard and the Epicenter team and they loved my script."

As Featured In

ADD-ON PRIZE OPPORTUNITY

ScreenCraft is excited to present this optional add-on prize category that will grant one eligible writer/writing team the opportunity to receive an option from Story Warrior. This will be an invaluable opportunity to learn, develop, and strengthen your project with guidance from industry Producers. This unique add-on benefit is separate from the ScreenCraft Animation Competition prizes and placements.

STORY WARRIOR
Amy Taylor is a partner at Story Warrior, a production company focusing on high concept kids animation content with an emphasis on rich character development. Story Warrior has a vast network of capital partners they work with. The team's past projects include movies like HOLES, DESIGNED WITH LOVE, and more. They are currently working with production companies to find the next IP like Lord of the Rings or Ducktales.

Only projects submitted to the ScreenCraft Animation Competition AND that select this add-on are eligible for consideration in this category. Additionally, all projects that place in the Top 10 of the competition will automatically be considered.

Animation Articles

Read More Articles
The Screenwriter's Approach to Adult Animation

The Screenwriter's Approach to Adult Animation

January 30 | by Kevin Nelson

Since the dawn of time, humans have captured their place in the world by drawing stories on walls of stone. Before we had an alphabet...

ScreenCraft Exclusive: One-On-One with Disney Animation Producer Kristina Reed

ScreenCraft Exclusive: One-On-One with Disney Animation Producer Kristina Reed

November 12 | by Ken Miyamoto

Kristina Reed has been a producer for more than 20 years in animation and visual effects for feature films, shorts, commercials, and theme park attractions....

Pixar's 22 Rules of Storytelling (with movie stills)!

Pixar's 22 Rules of Storytelling (with movie stills)!

June 30 | by ScreenCraft Staff

Former Pixar story artist Emma Coats tweeted a series of story guidelines in 2011 which she learned from her colleagues at Pixar. Recently, Imgur artist DinoIgnacio superimposed all 22 rules...

More info coming soon

Rules
Eligibility
Selection Criteria
Additional Legal
  1. Submissions are accepted via electronic submission only.
  2. Entry fees are as listed on the site and checkout form. No coupon or discount is applicable on a previous entry.
  3. Optional feedback from a professional reader may be requested at the time of entry. Requests for feedback can be done through Coverfly.
  4. Entries may be any length -- the standard 1/2 hour is between 20 - 40 pages, and the standard hour long is between 40 - 70 pages, and the standard feature is between 85 - 120 pages. Any script submission longer than 120 pages will incur a $.50 per page overage fee for each page over 120 if it does not include feedback and $1 per page if the entry does include feedback.
  5. There is no limit to the number of projects you may submit.
  6. 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.
  7. All submitted material must be owned by the writer(s), however the material may be based on other works not owned by the writers.
  8. 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).
  9. 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 any prizes awarded as they deem fair (whether there is a cash value or not).
  10. Substitutions of either corrected pages or new drafts of the entered material will be allowed for a limited time with a $6 reentry fee through Coverfly. Please proofread your script carefully before submitting.
  11. 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.
  12. Contact info may be included on the cover page of the screenplay, however it is not required.
  13. 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.
  14. The decision of the judges will be final and cannot be contested in any manner. There is no score on a scorecard that guarantees advancement to the next level as advancement will be based on all scores in the competition.
  15. In the event a juror, partner organization, mentor, or prize partner is no longer able to serve in their specified capacity, ScreenCraft will make its best effort to secure a replacement.
  16. ScreenCraft reserves the right to change deadline and announcement dates at any time.
  17. ScreenCraft reserves the right to amend these rules at any time.
  1. 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 12 months or $500,000 (or equivalent currency) from professional film or TV in the proceeding 10 years is not eligible. (Contest winnings not included.)
  2. 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).
  3. All material submitted to other competitions or contests are eligible for this contest.
  4. There are no requirements as to when the material was written.
  5. Material should be submitted in standard screenplay format, font, spacing and margin.
  6. We have no preferences regarding title page content. Title and name of writer would suffice.
  7. All material must be submitted electronically as a PDF. Broken files or non-PDF files may be accepted, but if the file cannot be read ScreenCraft will not judge the submission.
  8. Prize winners may be required to sign an affidavit of eligibility and proper tax documentation before prizes are released.
  9. By entering the competition, user acknowledges their eligibility for the competition. ScreenCraft will verify all eligibility requirements at the finalist stage of the competition and before distributing any prizes.
  10. Scripts or projects based on underlying material not owned by the writer are accepted as samples, so long as the script itself is indisputably written by the writer and that the script does not contain any plagiarism.
  11. ScreenCraft reserves the right to amend these rules at any time.

The winners will be chosen based on the following criteria: 

  • Voice
  • Concept
  • Story
  • Structure
  • Characters
  • Dialogues
  • Genre Conventions

In addition to the scoring criteria for the script, ScreenCraft may conduct interviews and send questionnaires to learn more about the entrant, their voice, perspective, and goals to help identify the winning projects. Top scripts are read by the industry jury who votes for their favorite scripts at their sole discretion.

Add-on Prize Selection:

  1. Only writers who submit to the competition and include this add-on at the time of entry or who make it to the Top 10 of the competition, are eligible to be considered for this prize opportunity.
  2. The winner of this prize will be selected solely by the specified industry professional(s). The selected winner of this prize will engage with the specified industry professional(s) in an educational development capacity.
  3. The approach and manner in which the industry professional(s) and winner interact is at their discretion. ScreenCraft will have no involvement in the process beyond facilitating an introduction.

Criteria for Winners and Finalists:

  1. The winners and top finalists may be contacted by interested industry representatives, such as managers, agents or producers. 
  2. Entrants may be required to submit further information to assist in the judges’ verification of eligibility. 
  3. Any entrant may be deemed ineligible as a Finalist or Winner at the sole discretion of ScreenCraft. 
  4. All recognition, placements, and winners are chosen at the sole discretion of ScreenCraft.
  5. 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. 
  6. We reserve the right to amend these rules at any time.
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. REFUND POLICY: All entries are non-refundable.
  4. SITE TERMS OF SERVICE. By entering this competition, the user agrees to all ScreenCraft Terms of Service in addition to these rules and eligibility criteria.
  5. DATA MANAGEMENT AND PRIVACY. Entries for this competition are managed on the submission platform Coverfly, and ScreenCraft (a d/b/a of Red Ampersand, Inc) uses other data management tools, including but not limited to, Google Services and Amazon Web Services, to securely manage your data. ScreenCraft is not accountable for any data hacks (internal or external) or user errors that may release scripts or writer data unintentionally.
  6. 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).
  7. ScreenCraft reserves the right to amend these rules at any time.

THRILLS AND SCARES

The Haunting of Hill House
It
The Shining
Lovecraft Country
Scream
Get Out
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WRITER RECOMMENDED FEEDBACK

Joanne Bellew

I have just received very constructive and helpful feedback from ScreenCraft. A reader who had actually read the script properly. Very grateful! Thank you ScreenCraft.
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