Resources
Get your comedy script in front of Hollywood’s funniest powerhouses, including professionals from 3 Arts Entertainment, Feigco, Vertigo, Mosaic, and 21 Laps. This is your chance to showcase your talent to the industry leaders behind today’s most iconic comedies!

More info coming soon

Whether you’re writing laugh-out-loud feature films or witty sitcoms, this is your opportunity to make industry connections and showcase your talent.

Winners’ projects will be circulated to ScreenCraft's wide network of industry professionals, with the goal of setting up meetings with production companies and studios, and introducing the top writers to literary managers and agents. Featuring a standout jury behind hit titles like Deadpool & Wolverine, The Office, Ted Lasso, The Lego Movie, Bridesmaids, and more.

GRAND PRIZE MENTOR

We welcome literary manager Mark Schulman of 3 Arts Entertainment as the Grand Prize Mentor for this year's competition. Mark will meet with the Grand Prize Winner for a mentorship session.

Mark has produced shows on Netflix, ABC, Fox, Peacock, E!, VH-1 and Showtime, among others. 3 Arts Entertainment is a top management and production company shaping comedy with clients like Mindy Kaling, Mike Schur, and Kumail Nanjiani. Behind hits like The Office and Ted Lasso, it champions innovative humor and iconic series. Comedy writers benefit from its industry expertise and opportunities to create fresh, impactful content for global audiences.

Jury

Dan Kavanagh

Manager, TV Development
Vertigo Entertainment is a leading production company celebrated for its work across genres, including standout comedy projects. Known for the massive success of The LEGO Movie and The LEGO Batman Movie, Vertigo has delivered inventive, family-friendly humor that resonates with global audiences. With a commitment to clever storytelling, the company continues to produce innovative comedies that captivate and entertain.

Zach Bianco

Director of Development at Feigco
Feigco Entertainment, founded by acclaimed director and producer Paul Feig, is synonymous with creating bold, laugh-out-loud comedies that resonate with audiences worldwide. Known for smash hits like Bridesmaids, The Heat, Spy, and Ghostbusters (2016), Feigco specializes in character-driven humor that balances heart and hilarity. The company continues to champion fresh, diverse voices, redefining modern comedy with innovative storytelling.

Lisa Mierke

Literary Manager at Mosaic Media Group
Mosaic Media Group is a powerhouse talent management and production company renowned for its impact on comedy. The company has been instrumental in creating iconic hits like Step Brothers, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, and The Other Guys, showcasing its expertise in crafting laugh-out-loud films. With a client roster featuring top comedic talents and a reputation for producing fresh, memorable humor, Mosaic continues to be a driving force in shaping modern comedy. Lisa specializes in supporting left of center sensibilities and stories.

Moera Ainai

Director of Development at 21 Laps Entertainment
21 Laps Entertainment is an American film and television production company founded and run by director-producer Shawn Levy, and is celebrated for delivering hit comedies that blend heart and humor. Best known as the producers of Deadpool & Wolverine, Free Guy, Date Night, and Stranger Things, the company has a reputation for crafting crowd-pleasing stories with sharp wit and universal appeal.

Prizes

Grand Prize

The overall grand prize winner in either feature or TV category will be welcomed to the Writer Development Program and receive personal introductions and phone calls with one or more top Hollywood literary manager(s), producers, or industry exec. who are looking for talented emerging Film & TV screenwriters.

ScreenCraft's genre specific relationships include companies like 3 Arts, Netflix, HBO Max, Adult Swim,  Funny or Die, CBS, and 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 Writer Development Program
$1,000 Cash
Mentorship meeting with Mark Schulman
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 the Writer Development Program

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

TV PILOT WINNER

$500 cash award

Accepted into the Writer Development Program

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

Wendy Moulton Tate

Signed an option agreement

"I placed in ScreenCraft with one of my earlier screenplays in the Family Screenplay Competition. ScreenCraft was always on my radar after that competition. I really like how ScreenCraft focuses on specific genres in each contest. I was so excited when Derby Queen was a finalist in the Comedy Competition. It was a huge milestone. I worked with ScreenCraft and [they were] definitely inspirational and extremely helpful. After my script placed as a finalist, the pandemic hit. I went from having lots of managers read it to everything pretty much coming to a halt. It was disappointing to say the least and Derby Queen lost momentum. ScreenCraft helped me strategize about how to create a target list of managers but also try to focus on optioning/selling a script rather than finding a manager right away. I think that put my focus back on the creative process of honing my voice and creating more projects as unique writing samples. "

Amanda Verwey

Signed with a Manager at MAKE GOOD Content

"The team is constantly checking in, asking how they can lift me up, showcasing my work, inviting me to amazing networking events, facilitating pitches and being overall excellent cheerleaders. Now I’m working on a grindhouse feature with Endeavor Content and Flames Ventures. And I sold a short-form series to FX’s show Cake, co-created with artist Jibz Cameron."

Shiwani Srivastava

Signed with Manager (Affirmative Entertainment) & Agent (Paradigm Talent Agency)

"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."

Jonathan Uriel Lopez Cruz

Signed with a Literary Manager at Inclusion Management

"Failure and rejection are a part of the process, a lesson I was lucky enough to learn at a young age albeit from a different context. However, mental exhaust and fatigue are very real deterrents. I learned to take calculated breaks from my work to replenish my soul. Last year, I decided to submit my work to as many competitions as I could afford. Screencraft in particular, was held in high regard. And I wanted to compete with the best. Have discipline as a writer and in your writing. As a writer: Do something everyday that pushes your skill forward. If you have writer's block, read books, screenplays, watch instructional videos, talk to other writers. Also heal. Take breaks from your writing to allow the lessons and stories in your head to rise from your subconscious. In your writing: Find a structure that works for you. Trust me, the older the better. Aristotle's Poetics or Asia's Kishotenketsu. Newer structures have too many steps and produce cookie cutter stories. Focus on the fundamentals: And, But, Therefore; Setup & Payoff, Conflict, Momentum, Crucible. "

Eric Wong

Signed with a Literary Manager at Underground Entertainment after working with the ScreenCraft team.

"I think one of the biggest hurdles to writing is just carving out the time and mental space to do it regularly and well while still enjoying the process. If you find yourself writing all the time and never doing anything else, your writing (and mental health) are going to suffer and you might grow to hate the project you're working on (which in turn will make it worse). Conversely, if you only talk about writing but are constantly busy with work, and social events, and other commitments, you're a writer in theory not in practice, and you'll never get anything done. So finding that balance, especially early on when I was broke and had no time, was really important for me. When I started applying for script competitions, ScreenCraft's panels of judges really stood out to me. They were filled with big names and people who had major roles at well-known companies, so knowing that the competition wasn't just a random dude in a basement stealing my money made me more interested in applying. Since placing in the Top 10 finals, ScreenCraft has helped a ton in getting meetings set-up and in general championing me and my work (like with this right now)."

Eljohn Macaranas

Attached producer John Shepherd to his feature script 'How the Yellow Mellow.'

"I was about to give up screenwriting about two years ago. I just wasn’t seeing any markers of success, and I wasn’t loving what I was writing or doing at the moment. I didn’t have a clear identity at that time. My breakthrough moment was somehow landing a spot as a finalist for the 2019 Screencraft Comedy Competition. Around that time, I started realizing that my niche was writing diverse genre comedies. I discovered which aspects of my writing voice worked best and committed to parts of myself. I recently got a producer attached to a funny teen comedy script inspired by my days as my high school’s Asian American club president. We’re sending it out and trying to find it a home, and that’s so exciting! I was drawn to Screencraft after seeing the judge panels. They’re really legit and have some of the most remarkable people in the industry reading your stuff. The competition gave me some confidence about my writing, but the team behind the competitions really check in with you after and help you, too. "

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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. TV pilots may be any length -- however the standard 1/2 hour is between 20 - 40 pages, and the standard hour-long is between 40 - 70 pages. Feature screenplays must be a minimum of 75 pages and a maximum of 150 pages. Any submission longer than 120 pages will incur a $1 per page overage fee for each page over 120.
  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 the prize money.
  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. ScreenCraft is not responsible for the failed delivery of any prize package by a juror, sponsor, or partner organization.
  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.

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(s). The selected winner of this prize will engage with the specified industry professional(s) in an educational development capacity.
  3. Being selected as the winner of this prize does not constitute or guarantee representation by the industry professional or the company they work for.
  4. 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.

Laughs AND humor

Abbott Elementary
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers
Ted Lasso
I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson
Mean Girls
Array ( )

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WRITER RECOMMENDED FEEDBACK

Amanda Dettrick

Screencraft provided insightful and detailed feedback for my drama - thanks again!
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