We welcome author/screenwriter Gillian Flynn (GONE GIRL, SHARP OBJECTS) as an Official Industry Expert! Plus, writer/producer Richard Kahan (OUTLANDER) will select one writer from this year's competition to receive a one-of-a-kind mentorship opportunity!

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More info coming soon

Our Jury is looking for great stories with potential to be adapted for the screen. We’re looking for novels, novellas, true stories and biographies. Add feedback notes to your entry, and receive insight into the story, characters, and commercial potential showcased in the first 50 pages and synopsis of your project.

Official Industry Expert

ScreenCraft is honored to welcome Gillian Flynn as an Official Industry Expert, advising ScreenCraft on this year's Cinematic Book Competition! Gillian is the the author of the New York Times bestseller GONE GIRL, for which she also wrote the Golden Globe-nominated screenplay. Her other bestsellers include SHARP OBJECTS which received eight Emmy-nominations.

Grand Prize Mentorship

The ScreenCraft Cinematic Book Competition is excited to bring you the opportunity to win a mentorship with writer and producer Richard Kahan as part of this year's Grand Prize. Richard will select at least one writer who will receive: quarterly feedback over the course of one-year, two 30-minute phone or zoom calls, and project development insight.

Richard Kahan has worked in film and television for over 25 years. Notably, he wrote on Sony Television/Starz multi-Emmy and Golden Globe nominated television series OUTLANDER. Richard is currently writing on AMC and Spectrum’s highly anticipated television series BEACON 23, based on the novel by Hugh Howey and set to star GAME OF THRONES’ Lena Headey.

In addition to being accepted to ScreenCraft’s results driven Writer Development Program, we're excited to welcome Gravity Squared Entertainment who will also be supporting our Finalists with additional benefits.

Finalists

Virtual workshop with writer/producer Richard Kahan + Q&A

Finalists

Select finalists will receive an individual meeting to discuss their manuscript and offer advice

Finalists

Will be considered by producers & agents as part of ScreenCraft's outreach

Previous Season Jury

Get in front of Hollywood judges who love great books.

Drew Brennann

Creative Executive, Aggregate Films

Drew Brennann is the creative executive for Aggregate Films, a production company principled by Jason Bateman and most recently produced the multifaceted adaptation UNDER THE BANNER OF HEAVEN on Hulu.

Carly Watters

SVP and Senior Literary Agent, P.S. Literary

Carly Watters is a SVP and Senior Literary Agent at P.S. Literary and the sitting VP of PACLA, the Professional Association of Canadian Literary Agents. Her clients’ books have been translated into 40 languages, optioned for TV and film, adapted into podcasts, and have been on every bestseller list from coast to coast, including the New York Times, USA Today, the LA Times, the Washington Post, the Toronto Star, and the Globe and Mail.

Emily Forney

Literary Agent, BookEnds Literary

Emily Forney is a literary agent at BookEnds Literary, specializing in children's literature and adult fantasy. She has a diverse list of authors who seek to write stories about identity and community, and celebrate joy and messiness in marginalized communities who haven't gotten to see themselves flourish in traditional publishing. She's been on the young leaders council for Feminist Press and was a Publishing fellow for the LA Review of Books.

Nelson Cole

Jr. Literary Manager, Bellevue Productions

Nelson Cole is a Junior Literary Manager at Bellevue Productions, a management and production company that produced literary adapted films like INFINITE and ELI. Prior to joining Bellevue, Nelson worked for One Community LLC, City of Los Angeles and Energy Entertainment.

Kimberley Cameron

President, Kimberley Cameron & Associates Literary Agency

Kimberley is the president of Kimberley Cameron & Associates Literary Agency. This agency represents many great authors, some of which have adapted their novels into feature films like THE TOY SOLDIERS and ADAM which was distributed through Searchlight Pictures.

Elizabeth Kracht

Literary Agent, Kimberley Cameron & Associates Literary Agency

Elizabeth Kracht is a literary agent with Kimberley Cameron & Associates and the author of The Author’s Checklist: An Agent’s Guide to Developing and Editing Your Manuscript. Elizabeth represents both literary and commercial fiction as well as nonfiction, and brings to the agency experience as a former acquisitions editor, freelance publicist, and writer. In fiction, she represents thrillers, mysteries, literary, commercial, women’s, and historical.

John Beach

Literary Manager and Founder, Gravity Squared Entertainment

John is the founder of Gravity Squared Entertainment, a Los Angeles based Management/Production Company. He currently manages writers, producers and directors for film and television, while also controlling media rights for well over 150 published books, including Pulitzer Prize winners and New York Times Best Sellers. Last season, John Beach signed Astrid Scholte after reading her book among the finalists.

Prizes

Jump start your career.

Grand Prize Winner

The overall Grand Prize winner will receive a mentorship opportunity with writer/producer Richard Kahan (Outlander). They will also be welcomed to the ScreenCraft Writer Development Program and receive personal introductions and phone calls with one or more top industry producers, agents, or managers.

ScreenCraft has a proven track record for getting writers signed with managers, agents, and staffed in writing rooms.

  • Personal Introduction to top industry producers and top agents & managers

  • Accepted into the ScreenCraft Writer Development Program

  • $1,000 cash

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

  • Virtual workshop with writer/producer Richard Kahan + Q&A

Runner-Up Prizes

Second Place

$500 cash award

Accepted into ScreenCraft Writer Development Program

Virtual workshop with writer/producer Richard Kahan + Q&A

Invitation to the Finalist+ Networking and Development Event

Finalists

Invitation to the Finalist+ Networking and Development Event

Virtual workshop with writer/producer Richard Kahan + Q&A

Select Finalists will receive a 1:1 pitch meeting with Gravity Squared

Previous Successes

Placing in a ScreenCraft competition can launch your career. See More Successes

As Featured in

New Add-on Prize Opportunity

Guaranteed Signing Prize with Gravity Squared Entertainment

ScreenCraft is excited to present this optional add-on prize category that will grant at least one eligible writer/writing team the opportunity to receive representation by manager and founder of Gravity Squared Entertainment, John W. Beach. This unique add-on benefit is separate from the ScreenCraft Cinematic Book Competition prizes and placements.

Gravity Squared Entertainment

John W. Beach started his career at Paradigm and ACME Talent & Literary, where he helped sell films like Oliver Stone’s WORLD TRADE CENTER starring Nicolas Cage, and YOUTH IN REVOLT starring Michael Cera. After surviving cancer in 2014, John started his own management/production company, Gravity Squared Entertainment, representing writers/producers/directors for all media. Currently, Gravity Squared has over 150 published books/scripts/treatments under their management, including numerous Pulitzer Prize winners and New York Times bestsellers. He has a number of projects set up with companies including ABC Studios, Legendary Pictures, DreamWorks Animation, and recently optioned the book BEING HEUMANN to AppleTV + with CODA director Sian Heder attached to write and direct.

Only projects submitted to the ScreenCraft Cinematic Book 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.

Cinematic Book Articles

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  • The Reason Adaptation is So Difficult and How to Overcome It Oct 11 by Britton Perelman - Roll credits and cue you leaving the theater, muttering something like, “Dammit, the book was so much better.” Familiar, right? That’s happened far too many times than it should have, I’m sure. And that’s the… ...
READ MORE ARTICLES

Rules & More

  • 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 for your submission. Please note: feedback will only be provided on the first 50 pages and synopsis of your project.
  4. Books must be 150,000 words or less - - in early rounds of reading the writing will be judged based on the first few opening sections of the book. Files should be in PDF format when submitted and should be double spaced.
  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 book carefully before submitting.
  11. Contact info may be included on the cover page of the book, however it is not required. ScreenCraft uses Coverfly to manage submissions and automatically removes cover pages before books are read by the judges.
  12. ScreenCraft claims no ownership nor option on your work. All ownership and rights to the books submitted to this contest remains with the original rights holders. 
  13. 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.
  14. ScreenCraft reserves the right to change deadline and announcement dates at any time.
  15. 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. The material may have been written at any time.
  5. Material should be submitted double spaced.
  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. ScreenCraft reserves the right to amend these rules at any time.
  9. Prize winners may be required to sign an affidavit of eligibility and proper tax documentation before prizes are released.
  10. 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.

The reading and judging of the books will be based on the following criteria: 

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

In addition to the scoring criteria for the book, 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 books are read by the industry jury who votes for their favorite books at their sole discretion.

ScreenCraft 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.
  3. Being selected as the winner of this prize grants the writer(s) the opportunity to be represented by the industry professional. The winning writer(s) have no obligation to sign with the industry representative and may decline the offer.
  4. The approach and manner in which the industry professional 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 piece of writing submitted to this contest. All ownership and rights to the books 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. All ScreenCraft Terms of Service apply 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 books 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, indemnify and hold harmless ScreenCraft, ScreenCraft.org, its subsidiary, parent and affiliated companies, Prize contributors, judges, 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 books 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). The governing law is California.

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