Our jury is scary good, featuring showrunner Mike Flanagan (MIDNIGHT MASS, THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE), screenwriter Guy Busick (SCREAM 5, READY OR NOT), and more. “The industry’s #1 horror screenplay contest.” – IndieWire

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More info coming soon

Accepting TV and Feature Scripts

Horror is one of the best genres for emerging talent and has helped launched countless careers. This year, we bring horror heavyweights to our jury including writer/director, showrunner Mike Flanagan of the hit Netflix shows MIDNIGHT MASS, THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE, and THE HAUNTING OF BLY MANOR.

The ScreenCraft Horror Competition has a long history of creating success for our winners and finalists, many of whom have gone on to sign at places like Bellevue Productions, Kaplan Perrone, Affirmative Entertainment, Zero Gravity, Story Driven, and more.

New Finalist Benefits: All finalists will be invited to an exclusive Finalist+ workshop on how you can best position yourself and your writing to the industry. Also, all finalists will receive a free 6 month membership to The Tracking Board, so you can stay up-to-date on Hollywood's insider news!

So whether you’re writing a contained, socially-relevant horror movie, or a big horror TV series, our jury wants to read your script.

Previous Season Jury

Get in front of Hollywood judges who love great horror!

Mike Flanagan

Writer, Director, Producer, Showrunner

Mike Flanagan is a prolific director, writer, producer, editor, and partner at Intrepid Pictures, a feature film and television production company dedicated to creating elevated commercial content for global audiences. Flanagan is the creator, director, and showrunner of the hit Netflix Original series THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE, which he executive-produced along with Trevor Macy. Following the mainstream success of the horror anthology’s acclaimed debut season, Netflix ordered a second season entitled THE HAUNTING OF BLY MANOR, and entered into an exclusive deal for non-theatrical content with Intrepid. Most recently, Flanagan created and directed the critically acclaimed series MIDNIGHT MASS. Flanagan is also the director of seven feature films, including DOCTOR SLEEP for Warner Bros.

Valarie Phillips

Agent, A3 Artists

Valarie is a literary agent at A3 Artists Agency and represents Guy Busick, the writer of SCREAM 5. A3 Artists Agency is a talent and literary agency fostering the careers of performers, filmmakers, and influencers.

Sandino Moya-Smith

VP of Development, MGM

After working for Gary Ross on all the HUNGER GAMES films, Sandino Moya-Smith became VP of Development at MGM Studios, the iconic film studio behind films like CANDYMAN with Nia DaCosta.

Guy Busick

Screenwriter

Guy Busick is an American film and television screenwriter best known for his collaborations with directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, including SCREAM 5 and READY OR NOT.

Antonio D'Intino

Literary Manager, Circle of Confusion

Antonio is a literary manager at the production and management company Circle of Confusion, whose clients include writer/directors Keith Thomas (FIRESTARTER), Anthony Scott Burns (COME TRUE), and Iris Shim (UMMA). His clients' films have played at Cannes, Sundance and SXSW, among others. As a production company, Circle's credits include THE WALKING DEAD, FEAR THE WALKING DEAD, and LOCKE & KEY. Circle clients have written commercial hits including DOCTOR STRANGE, SENSE8, and THE CONJURING.

Dan Kavanaugh

TV Executive, Vertigo Entertainment

Dan Kavanagh works in the TV department of Roy Lee’s Vertigo Entertainment, where he’s helped develop series such as Warhammer, Horizon Zero Dawn and Hellraiser, among others. Prior to that, he served as Development Coordinator for AMC Networks’ SVOD services Shudder & Sundance Now.

Prizes

Jump start your career.

Grand Prize Winner

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

ScreenCraft's genre specific relationships include companies like Blumhouse, Netflix, HBO Max, AMC, 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 ScreenCraft Writer Development Program

  • $1,000 Cash

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

  • Free 6-month membership to The Tracking Board

Runner-Up Prizes

Feature Winner

$500 cash award

Accepted into ScreenCraft Development Program

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

Free 6-month membership to The Tracking Board

Finalists

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

Free 6-month membership to The Tracking Board

TV Pilot Winner

$500 cash award

Accepted into ScreenCraft Development Program

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

Free 6-month membership to The Tracking Board

Previous Successes

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

As Featured in

Add-on Prize Opportunity

Mentorship Prize - 2 Winners to be selected!

This optional add-on prize category will identify two winners to learn, workshop, and strengthen their project with guidance from an industry mentor. Horror competition mentors are Greg Newman (Exec. VP at Dark Sky Films/ Queensbury Films) and Jim Klock (actor, writer, producer, and head of Terror Films). Each mentor will select one writer/writer team that includes this unique add-on benefit with their entry.

Greg Newman - EVP of Dark Sky Films/Queensbury Pictures

Dark Sky Films works with emerging talent as well as established veterans to develop, produce and finance feature films and episodic television projects. The company produced Netflix's THE GIRL ON THE THIRD FLOOR, the writing and directing debut of Queensbury partner Travis Stevens.

Jim Klock

Actor and filmmaker Jim Klock is the head of Terror Films. Most recently, Jim produced the feature film ALREADY GONE alongside Keanu Reeves, starring Sean William Scott and directed by Chris Kenneally, and released theatrically in September 2019. He also directed the Amazon exclusive horror film, SLAYED.

Only projects submitted to the ScreenCraft Horror 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.

Horror Articles

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  • 101 Terrifying Horror Story Prompts Oct 19 by Ken Miyamoto - Welcome to the story den of horror, scares, and the macabre. Most writers are often asked, "Where do you get your ideas from?" A majority of the time, writers find it difficult to answer that… ...
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Rules & Terms

  • 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.
  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.

Mentorship 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. 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.

Thrills and Scares

Just a few professional scripts we love. Download for free and get inspired.

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