After extended deliberations we’re thrilled to announce Buddy, A Dog Of New Orleans by Lynn Esta Goldman as the winner of the 2015 ScreenCraft Family-Friendly Screenplay Contest. It’s a deeply affecting story about a nine-year-old boy who refuses to give up on seeing his golden retriever again after they are separated during a Hurricane Katrina evacuation, and the extraordinary people who work to reunite them. Though animal-centric screenplays have long been a hallmark of the family-friendly genre, Buddy carves out its own territory via Goldman's evocative rendering of setting and texture, and the authentic portrayal of hope and goodwill set against a backdrop of utter devastation.

We’re also excited to highlight Big Red by Brennig Hayden as our runner-up. The imaginative and cinematic script takes place in a Victorian world in which worker robots have been banned after social revolt, and centers on a young orphaned girl and the bond she forms with a timid, masterless robot trying to find its place in the world and avoid decommissioning.

Both of these screenplays have four-quadrant appeal and voice that consistently jumps off the page.

Here are the well-crafted finalists that comprise our top ten submissions:

• Werepups! by Allison Moon
• Rainbow Unicorn Heart Power by Vicki Peterson
• Socks (AKA Sockpocalypse!) by Pat Carey, Duncan McIntosh, and Tyler Theofilos
• Awkworld by Colin Costello
• Dee by Hugh Brownstone
• Flipped by Abe Frank
• Nuts! by Kevan C. Peterson
• On The Track Of Unknown Animals And Other Curiosities by Rick Mitchell and Matt Quinn

In addition to the ScreenCraft team, the judges included: James V. Hart, screenwriter of HOOK, the beloved adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg, and 20th Century Fox’s animated blockbuster EPIC; Kristina Reed, the Oscar-winning producer of Disney’s short film FEAST,  BIG HERO 6 and KUNG FU PANDA; and Kyle Benn, development executive at Lionsgate, the studio behind THE HUNGER GAMES, ALPHA & OMEGA, ENDER’S GAME and more beloved family films!

Congratulations to all of the finalists and thanks to everyone who submitted. Keep writing! View the quarter-finalists and semi-finalists here.

The top two winners will receive cash prizes and consultations with literary managers, while the top ten finalists will receive a lifetime copy of the Hart Chart and a one-year subscription to WriterDuet Pro.