Resources
Open to both screenplays and pilots, our comedy competition has led to writers getting signed and projects getting made - like Netflix's global hit WEDDING SEASON. This year's competition includes a partnership with execs at Funny or Die!

Regular Deadline in 13 days

Deadlines

Feb 29

Early

Mar 31

Regular

Apr 30

Final

Announcements

May 29

Quarterfinalist

Jun 26

Semifinalist

Jul 24

Finalist

Aug 14

Winner

Whether your comedy is romantic, dark, slapstick, animated, broad or dry, we want to read your film or TV script!

Our past winners have gone on to sell their scripts to major studios like Shiwani Srivastava who's script WEDDING SEASON was produced by Netflix and debuted as the 4th most-watched movie globally upon its release.

This year’s featured opportunities include:
  • Grand Prize Partners Funny or Die: Mentorship meetings with top executives
  • Industry Expert: Tze Chun (I’M A VIRGO, GREMLINS) will host an exclusive Q&A conversation with semi-finalists
  • Mentorship Opportunity: DUMB MONEY screenwriters Rebecca Angelo and Lauren Schuker Blum will give development insight on your project
  • Industry Jury: Including execs from Lionsgate and Citizen Skull, and pros behind great comedies like PEN15, and NO HARD FEELINGS
  • Prizes: Designed to jump start your career, including projects circulated to ScreenCraft’s wide network of industry professionals

GRAND PRIZE PARTNERSHIP

This year's Grand Prize Winner will be invited to mentorship meetings with top-level execs at Funny or Die. Funny Or Die (FOD) is a premier entertainment brand and independent comedy studio that creates award-winning, premium comedy with today’s biggest stars and tomorrow’s freshest voices. Funny Or Die reaches a global audience of more than 40 million people across all our social platforms. The company has produced the critically-acclaimed Brockmire for IFC, Emmy-nominated Billy on the Street, the Peabody award-winning American Vandal for Netflix, the Emmy-nominated Sarah Silverman series I Love You, America for Hulu, and the feature films, Between Two Ferns: The Movie for Netflix, and Impractical Jokers: The Movie for Warner Media.

INDUSTRY EXPERT


Photo Credit: Jessica Haye and Clark Hsiao

We welcome award-winning film and TV writer, director, producer and showrunner Tze Chun as our Industry Expert.  Tze will host an exclusive Q&A conversation with this year's semi-finalists.

Tze (pronounced “Z”) Chun is Executive Producer and Showrunner of the Gremlins animated prequel GREMLINS: SECRETS OF THE MOGWAI on Max and served as Showrunner and Executive Producer of the critically acclaimed I’M A VIRGO on Amazon Prime. Previously, he wrote and directed an episode of Apple’s BAFTA-nominated anthology show LITTLE AMERICA based on his mother’s life. He was Supervising Producer and writer on Fox’s GOTHAM and wrote on ABC’s hit primetime drama ONCE UPON A TIME.

Jury

JOSH ROEMER-INGLES

Literary Manager, Odenkirk Provissiero Entertainment
As a literary manager, Roemer-Ingles represents a variety of creative voices across genres in television and film. He began his career in finance before transitioning to entertainment. He joined Odenkirk Provissiero as Marc Provissiero’s assistant and later become the coordinator for the literary department. OPE is a management-production company that has produced PEN15, NOBODY, NO HARD FEELINGS, among several other titles for streamers and networks.

MARSHALL TURNER

Director of Current Programming at Lionsgate
Marshall Turner is the Director, Current Programming at Lionsgate, who was previously Lionsgate Television Group Chairman Kevin Beggs executive assistant and development associate to Manager. Lionsgate is the force behind projects like JULIA Season 2, GHOSTS Season 2, NURSE JACKIE, and more.

Michael Jeffrey Davis

Manager, Citizen Skull Productions
Michael Jeffrey Davis is a Manager with Citizen Skull Productions and a prior Coordinator at Elevate Entertainment. A Master’s graduate from UCLA, Michael was the recipient of the Judges and Audience Awards at its annual Producers Marketplace. This spring, Michael was a producer on Tyler Taormina’s CHRISTMAS EVE IN MILLER’S POINT, a spirited indie featuring Michael Cera, Elsie Fisher, Maria Dizzia, Francesca Scorsese, and more. Drawing from his own lifelong experiences as a creative, Michael’s passionate about advocating for artists everywhere.

Jordan Rubio

VP - Comedy/Kids & Family, Film & TV, 3Pas Studios
Jordan Rubio is the VP - Comedy/Kids & Family, Film & TV at 3Pas Studios, working in both English and Spanish language TV and film. Jordan has been a part of the development, sale, and production of features and TV series at places like Amazon, NewLine, HBOMax, Pantaya, Apple, Netflix, Pantelion, and Lionsgate. Previously Jordan worked at the National Hispanic Media Coalition helping shepherd writers into their "Latino TV writers program", a prestigious TV writing incubator sponsored by NBC Universal and ABC/Disney. Jordan started his career as an intern at The Daily with Jon Stewart and also once co-produced a Star Trek documentary because why not?

Jack-Henry Kay

Manager, Levity Entertainment Group
Jack-Henry Kay is a Talent Management Coordinator at Levity Entertainment Group. He is motivated entertainment fanatic with a deep understanding of production and an eagerness to learn more within the entertainment industry.

Dan bodansk

Manager, Dixon Talent
Daniel Bodansky is a manager at Dixon Talent, Inc., a boutique talent management company based in New York City with offices in Los Angeles that specializes in all aspects of the entertainment industry including television, film, publishing, new media, live appearance, and commercials. The firm represents such comedic and broadcast talent as Jon Stewart, Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert, Bill Simmons, Carson Daly and Michelle Wolf among many others. Bodansky started as James Dixon’s assistant in 2006, and over his 17 year career with the company has focused on working with multi-hyphenate talent in building out their careers across all mediums.

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
Two mentorship meetings with execs at Funny or Die
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

Guaranteed Meeting with an industry professional

Virtual Q&A with Tze Chun

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

Regular Deadline in 13 days

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. "

As Featured In

MENTORSHIP OPPORTUNITY

This optional add-on prize category will identify one winner to learn, workshop, and strengthen their project with guidance from an industry mentors. This year's mentors Rebecca Angelo and Lauren Schuker Blum will select one writer/writer team that includes this unique add-on benefit with their entry.
Photo Credit: Emilio Madrid

REbecca angelo and lauren Schuker blum

Rebecca Angelo and Lauren Schuker Blum have been a film and television writing team since 2012. The pair first met as reporters at The Wall Street Journal and use their journalistic background to write high-energy stories deeply rooted in time and place but with urgent contemporary resonance.

Their first feature, Dumb Money, chronicles the January 2021 GameStop short squeeze and stars Paul Dano, Seth Rogen, Pete Davidson, America Ferrera and Nick Offerman. Upcoming projects include Cruella 2; a feature biopic of first-rate talent agent Sue Mengers starring Jennifer Lawrence set up at AppleTV+; an adaptation of Michael Lewis’ New York Times Bestselling book, The Premonition: A Pandemic Story, with filmmakers Phil Lord and Chris Miller attached to direct; and the theatrical feature adaptation of Golden Globe-winning and Emmy-nominated series “Murder, She Wrote”.

For television, they are currently developing a show with Adam McKay for Netflix. Their previous writing credits include the Emmy-winning series “Orange Is The New Black”.
Only projects submitted to the ScreenCraft Comedy 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.

Comedy Articles

Read More Articles
You Slay Me: The Delicious Marriage Between Horror and Comedy

You Slay Me: The Delicious Marriage Between Horror and Comedy

October 26 | by Chris Courtney Martin

Multihyphenate trailblazer Jordan Peele asserts, “The difference between comedy and horror is the music.” Perhaps this is a rhetorical simplification, but coming from a creator who...

You Gotta Have Heart: The Power of Drama in Comedy

You Gotta Have Heart: The Power of Drama in Comedy

January 9 | by Paula Finn

What would comedy be without drama? For my book Sitcom Writers Talk Shop: Behind the Scenes with Carl Reiner, Norman Lear, and Other Geniuses of TV...

10 Styles of Comedy Screenwriters Can Master

10 Styles of Comedy Screenwriters Can Master

April 2 | by Ken Miyamoto

What are the different styles of comedies that screenwriters can develop for their feature film scripts and series pilots? Comedies have plots that are often light-hearted...

Regular Deadline in 13 days

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 ( [0] => 36537 [1] => 36519 [2] => 40968 [3] => 36547 [4] => 36546 [5] => 36543 [6] => 36540 )

Open Competitions

Find the competition that is right for you!
Submit your best writing to a ScreenCraft competition today for an opportunity to get noticed, get access to our in-house executives’ Black Book of connections in Hollywood, and get signed and staffed.
See More Competitions
X

Deadline Reminders

We'll send you a simple email reminder through Coverfly a day before each deadline. No spam, promise.
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

X

Maximize Your Entry

Add feedback to your entry for over a page of notes to further improve your project.

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.
Your success is our #1 priority. We provide aspiring writers industry access, free resources and inspiration, and a community to support you through every step of your creative journey.

Writing Competitions

Success Stories

ENTER NOW

Regular Deadline in 13 days