Last year's Grand Prize Winner signed with YRG Partners and last year's runner up signed with Gravity Squared Lit Manager John Beach. And this year, Gravity Squared is a Guaranteed Signing Partner. We can't wait to help excellent prose writers begin their careers writing for the screen.
Hollywood has a long history of creating film and television from books. Does your book have cinematic potential? Our judges are looking for great stories with potential to be adapted for the screen. We’re looking for novels, novellas, true stories and biographies. Submit your work for consideration today!
And this year, for the first time ever, ScreenCraft is introducing a Guaranteed Signing Partner. Gravity Squared is going to sign at least one entrant to the ScreenCraft Book Competition along with virtual meetings, one-on-one sessions, and much more. This is an incredible opportunity for anyone with a book or manuscript.
Guaranteed Signing Partner
ScreenCraft Cinematic Book Competition is excited to bring you the opportunity to win a Guaranteed Signing presented by Gravity Squared Entertainment in addition to an invaluable mentorship with John Beach.
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. Of those, roughly 25 projects (some producing, some just managing) are in various stages of development/production. A few to mention: sold and developed a Primetime TV Sitcom with ABC Studios; developing/producing a Legendary Pictures feature with Will Ferrell attached to star/produce and Adam McKay attached to produce; sold a children’s book to Netflix w/ DreamWorks Animation TV about a unicorn being raised by narwhal; partnered with Marc Platt on a book by Jonathan Stone, adapted by Derek Haas (3:10 TO YUMA); and most recently optioned the book BEING HEUMANN to AppleTV+ w/ Sian Heder (CODA, TALLULAH) attached to write/direct and David Permut producing.
In addition to ScreenCraft’s intensive reading and review process for all submissions, Gravity Squared Entertainment will also be supporting their selection by:
Top 25 Finalists
Read and considered for guaranteed signing
Top 25 Finalists
Virtual masterclass with John Beach
10 Meetings
Ten writers will be selected for individual meetings to discuss their manuscript and offer advice
Previous Season Judges
Get in front of Hollywood judges who love great books.
Glenn Williamson
Producer, Co-Head of UCLA's School of Film
Glenn Williamson is a film producer, former studio executive and also is currently Co-head of UCLA’s School of Film, Theater, Television and Digital Media’s prestigious Producers Program. Some of the film projects he oversaw as a senior executive at Dreamworks and as President of Production at Focus Features include the Academy Award winning films AMERICAN BEAUTY, ALMOST FAMOUS, ROAD TO PERDITION, FAR FROM HEAVEN, and THE PIANIST . As an independent producer he's best known for HOLLYWOODLAND, PUSH, THE OMEN, SUNSHINE CLEANING and THE ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND.
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.
Rachel Kim
Head of Media Rights, 3Arts
Rachel Kim is a literary manager at 3 Arts Entertainment, where she represents commercial and literary authors, journalists, and cultural critics. Clients include Fatimah Asghar, Melissa Lozada-Oliva, Nana Nkweti, Julia Seales, and Noah Hurowitz. In fiction, she is interested in novels that are tightly written and innovative with form. She is especially drawn to stories that speak to underrepresented, marginalized voices and anything with a humorous or satirical edge. In nonfiction, she is interested in narrative journalism and voice-driven cultural criticism.
Prizes
Jump start your career.
Grand Prize Winner
The overall Grand Prize winner will be welcomed to the ScreenCraft Writer Development Program and receive personal introductions and phone calls with one or more top Hollywood literary managers.
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 Pass for the 2022 ScreenCraft Virtual Summit
Runner-Up Prizes
Second Place
$500 cash award
Accepted into ScreenCraft Writer Development Program
Invitation to the Finalist+ Networking and Development Event
A 1-1 consultation with Gravity Squared
Complimentary Pass for the 2022 ScreenCraft Virtual Summit
Finalists
Invitation to the Finalist+ Networking and Development Event
Consideration by Gravity Squared for Signing
Specific virtual event with Gravity Squared
10 chosen finalists receive a 1-1 consultation with Gravity Squared
Placing in a ScreenCraft competition can launch your career.See More Successes
Ken Mora
Signed with UK-based publisher Markosia and Optioned Graphic Novel
Congratulations to 2019 Cinematic Book Competition winner, Ken Mora who signed with UK-based publisher Markosia, for the publishing and distribution rights of his ScreenCraft-winning graphic novel, Caravaggio: A Light Before The Darkness.
"Keep at it, and never discount the power of even incremental progress. Write, rewrite, and submit your work to the highest caliber competitions. Every writer tends to swing between thinking their work is great, or absolute crap – only a competitive arena with qualified judges will give you an honest sense of your story’s true quality."
Elie El Choufany
Signed with Manager (Think Tank Management) & Agent (Agency for Performing Arts)
2019 ScreenCraft Screenwriting Fellowship winner, Elie El Choufany, has signed with the Agency for the Performing Arts. Elie previously signed with Think Tank MGMT after ScreenCraft introduced them.
"Between constantly writing screenplays and reading scripts, books, comics, etc… and developing a growing network of support filled with fantastic filmmakers of all sorts, I was also on a different kind of journey trying to find my own inner bat: my identity as a person and as a writer in relation to my community and the film & TV industry. I believe that being a good writer gets the door opened for you, but finding your inner bat gets you the conversation.
During the spectacular whirlwind that is the ScreenCraft fellowship, the ScreenCraft team introduced me to my manager from Think Tank Management, as well as setting the fellows up with meetings with some of the biggest studios and the most influential people in the film and television industry. I am now more driven than ever to keep pushing forward. What hasn’t changed however is my passion for storytelling and my crippling addiction to coffee."
Shiwani Srivastava
Signed with Manager (Affirmative Entertainment) & Agent (Paradigm Talent Agency)
2018 ScreenCraft Comedy Runner-Up, Shiwani Srivastava, signed with literary manager Nicholas Bogner of Affirmative Entertainment and Paradigm Talent Agency after ScreenCraft introduced them.
"I am not based in Los Angeles. I am in San Francisco and I thought the only way to get out there is to start entering contests and see what happens. And because of ScreenCraft, an opportunity did knock. They put me in touch with a manager, like he really understood what I was trying to do with my stories. ScreenCraft put me in touch with a producer and we ended up taking it to a major studio, who expressed interest in my script, which is beyond my wildest imagination. I was so glad that I just kept writing, kept writing, kept writing stories that I believed in. Eventually, everybody has some opportunity, some luck and you have to be ready, and I think ScreenCraft really helped me be ready."
Christa Rose Avampato
Staffed as Film & TV Development Manager
Staffed as Film & TV Development Manager
"“Thanks to the ScreenCraft team, I got my dream job in film and TV as a Development Manager at Empty Quarter Studios, a TV and film production company in New York City. My book, Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters, was a finalist in the ScreenCraft Cinematic Book Competition this year. I posted about it on social media and a friend of mine saw the post. Once he saw I was a finalist in your competition, it caused him to look more deeply into my work and we began to talk about whether we could work on this project together. These conversations led to something I never expected—a full-time job offer that combines my business experience and creative work, and gives me the chance to develop my own intellectual property as well as scout for the latest and greatest stories that matter. Thank you so much for the visibility you give to writers. It made a huge difference in my life and I’m so grateful!”"
Nabil Chowdhary
Signed with Manager (at Writ Large Entertainment
Less than one month after winning the grand prize in the 2019 ScreenCraft Sci-fi Screenplay Competition for his project Pod, Nabil Chowdhary was introduced to manager Bash Naran at Writ Large by the ScreenCraft team and signed with him for representation. In December 2019, Nabil was named to BOTH The Hit List and The Black List as one of the best screenplays of the year as voted on by entertainment industry professionals!
"Within hours, I was in touch with Bash at Writ Large. Three weeks later, we are officially working together. I was in constant communication with the ScreenCraft team, seeking advice and looking for guidance on how to navigate this very new situation for me and they couldn’t have been more helpful."
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).
As Featured in
Cinematic Book Articles
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The Reason Adaptation is So Difficult and How to Overcome ItOct 11by 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… ...
Submissions are accepted via electronic submission only.
Entry fees are as listed on the site and checkout form. No coupon or discount is applicable on a previous entry.
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.
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 owned by the writer(s), however the material may be based on other works not owned by the writers.
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).
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).
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 book carefully before submitting.
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.
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.
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.
ScreenCraft reserves the right to change deadline and announcement dates at any time.
ScreenCraft reserves the right to amend these rules at any time.
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.)
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.
The material may have been written at any time.
Material should be submitted double spaced.
We have no preferences regarding title page content. Title and name of writer would suffice.
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.
ScreenCraft reserves the right to amend these rules at any time.
Prize winners may be required to sign an affidavit of eligibility and proper tax documentation before prizes are released.
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 ready by the industry jury who votes for their favorite books at their sole discretion.
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.
All recognition, placements, and winners are chosen 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 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.
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.
SITE TERMS OF SERVICE. All ScreenCraft Terms of Service apply in addition to these rules and eligibility criteria.
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.
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.
"Incredible feedback! The analyst was so thorough, they found subtext in my script I hadn't even (consciously) considered. Really thoughtful and encouraging. Thanks, ScreenCraft!"