Broad family-friendly storytelling continues to be at the forefront of box office and television success. Whether you have a faith-based movie, a great story for kids, or a four-quadrant film or TV series, we want to read your script if it’s appropriate for an audience of all ages.
Past family competition winners and finalists have had their work optioned, signed shopping agreements, and have signed with managers at companies like Zero Gravity and Valley Entertainment. Countless other ScreenCraft winners have gone on to sell their scripts to major studios and have been hired by companies like Universal, Netflix, Amazon, Millennium, CBS, and many more. ScreenCraft’s winners are also highly sought after by literary managers and agents who are open to signing to new writer clients.
Grand Prize Mentorship


The ScreenCraft Family Competition is excited to bring you the opportunity to win a mentorship with writer, author, and producer Andrew Barrer as part of this year's Grand Prize! Andrew 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.
Andrew Barrer launched his screenwriting career when his screenplay DIE IN A GUNFIGHT made the 2010 Black List. His screenwriting work includes: ANT-MAN, ANT-MAN AND THE WASP, DIE IN A GUNFIGHT, NO EXIT, and the upcoming UNTITLED ANIMATED TRANSFORMERS FILM (2024). He served as Executive Producer on the upcoming animated children's television series FABLES . In fiction, he is the author of the Amazon Original Stories YOUNG BLOOD TRILOGY.




Guidance
Two 30-minute phone/zoom calls
Feedback
Quarterly feedback over the course of one-year
Insight
Project development insight
Previous Season Jury

Kate Redinger
Kate Redinger is a Director of Development for original series at Hallmark Media, overseeing new series launches for THE WAY HOME and several upcoming announcements. Kate has covered GOOD WITCH and CHESAPEAKE SHORES for the network, and is now tasked with sourcing and developing material aimed at growing the brand’s series presence.

Andrew Tolbert
Andrew Tolbert is a writer, producer and executive in television, film and theatre. He is currently Vice President of Kids & Animation at Reese Witherspoon's production company Hello Sunshine. Andrew joined the DreamWorks Animation TV team to oversee the development and production of multiple scripted series, including Guillermo del Toro’s Emmy-Award winning hit TROLLHUNTERS and its multiple TALES OF ARCADIA spinoff series. Other project highlights: SPIRIT RIDING FREE, HOME: ADVENTURES WITH TIP & OH, and TROLLS: THE BEAT GOES ON. He continues to produce TV and film independently and is a member of GLAAD’s Kids & Family Advisory Council.

Colleen Washington
Colleen Washington is a literary manager who focuses specifically on live-action writers at Fourth Wall Management. Clients have worked on projects that include THE WONDER YEARS, EMILY IN PARIS, YOUNGER, BROOKLYN NINE-NINE, SUPERSTORE, THE BOLD TYPE, and more.

Alison Mann
Alison Mann is a Talent Manager and Co-President of Fourth Wall Animation at FourthWall Management. In her role, Mann is responsible for managing talent and strategizing the development and talent for the feature film, international and series-based projects, collaborating with business affairs, recruiting, and the creative team to foster new relationships with key creatives within the animation industry.
Arno Ekmekji
Arno Ekmekji is a creative development coordinator for a major streaming platform and has worked in the kids & family space for four years, working on both animated and live-action projects. He has had a part in developing shows and movies including High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, Secret Society of the Second Born Royals, and Mira: Royal Detective.
Prizes
Grand Prize Winner
The overall Grand Prize winner will receive a mentorship opportunity with writer/producer Andrew Barrer (ANT-MAN). They will also be welcomed to the ScreenCraft Writer Development Program and receive personal introductions and phone calls with one or more top Hollywood literary managers, who are looking for talented emerging Film & TV screenwriters.
ScreenCraft's genre specific relationships include companies like Hallmark Media, Nickelodeon, Netflix, Disney+, Amazon, 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.
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Personal Introduction to top literary managers
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Accepted into the ScreenCraft Development Program
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$1,000 Cash
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An exclusive invitation to a Finalist only workshop to position yourself and your writing to the industry
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Mentorship with writer/author/producer Andrew Barrer (ANT-MAN & THE WASP)
Runner-Up Prizes
Feature Winner
$500 Cash
Accepted into ScreenCraft Development Program
An exclusive invitation to a Finalist+ only workshop to position yourself and your writing to the industry
Finalists
An exclusive invitation to a Finalist+ only workshop to position yourself and your writing to the industry
Pilot Winner
$500 Cash
Accepted into ScreenCraft Development Program
An exclusive invitation to a Finalist+ only workshop to position yourself and your writing to the industry
Previous Successes
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."
Davia Carter
Signed with Manager at & Agent and Staffed on multiple shows (QUEEN OF THE SOUTH, DEBRIS)
Davia Carter won the 2018 ScreenCraft Screenwriting Fellowship and just weeks later she was hired as a staffed writer on USA’s TV show QUEEN OF THE SOUTH! She is repped by Fourthwall Management and Rothman Brecher Ehrich Livingston Agency.
"The week of Fellowship meetings was invaluable; I’m fairly certain I wouldn’t have a career without it. I met with executives at Netflix, Universal, and Bad Robot (naming a few). The dozen-plus meetings I took taught me something that would have taken years to learn without ScreenCraft: meeting etiquette. I’m in awe of how comfortable I am in meetings now. I have ScreenCraft to thank for that."
Joanna Pickering
Signed with Manager at 3 Arts Entertainment
Joanna Pickering placed in the ScreenCraft Cinematic Stage Play Competition, and signed with 3 Arts Entertainment. She was recently awarded a scholarship to adapt her play to screen with support from HBO’s Vice President of talent development assigned as a mentor for the project.
"Going from a mathematician to the dramatic arts and ending under the umbrella of 3 Arts. I create lots of turning points for myself. The goal of every writer is to create something into existence, to get financed, and produced. And so, the seemingly impossible task of attracting agents and managers. It’s too big a step to think of at once. You need to break it down and stay close to the writing. Focus on its development and needs as a piece. The rest will come. Writing competitions are a great way to make deadlines for yourself. Having a submission deadline helps you focus to finish or move onto the next draft. You also get helpful feedback on the work before sending it to agents and managers. I was delighted to be selected for the ScreenCraft Development Program. "
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Rules and More
- Rules
- Eligibility
- Selection Criteria
- Additional Legal
- FAQs
- 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.
- Optional feedback from a professional reader may be requested at the time of entry. Requests for feedback can be done through Coverfly.
- Entries may be any length -- the standard 1/2 hour is between 20 - 40 pages, and the standard hour long is between 40 - 70 pages, and the standard feature is between 85 - 120 pages. Any script submission longer than 120 pages will incur a $.50 per page overage fee for each page over 120 if it does not include feedback and $1 per page if the entry does include feedback.
- 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 $6 reentry fee through Coverfly. Please proofread your script carefully before submitting.
- 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.
- Contact info may be included on the cover page of the screenplay, however it is not required. ScreenCraft uses Coverfly to manage submissions and automatically removes cover pages before scripts are read by the judges.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 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 in standard screenplay format, font, spacing and margin.
- 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.
- 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.
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.
Criteria for Winners and Finalists:
- 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 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.
- 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 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 scripts 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, 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). The governing law is California.
Do you accept scripts for animation?
Yes, animation is accepted!
Can I submit a PG-13 script?
PG-13 films are eligible, but should generally be focused on themes that would resonate with the whole family. For instance PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN would work but TAKEN may not be the best fit.
For more FAQs check out our full help page here.