Resources
“The industry’s #1 horror screenplay contest.” – IndieWire

Our jury is scary good, featuring talent reps from Zero Gravity, Gersh, Energy Entertainment, and more!

More info coming soon

Current Season Announcements

Nov 27

Quarterfinalist

Jan 8

Semifinalist

Feb 5

Finalist

Feb 26

Winner

The Horror genre has timeless appeal - it’s been a mainstay in movie theaters, streaming and TV for hundreds of years. We’re looking for the newest voices with compelling stories to tell.

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

All finalists will meet with a member of the jury and be invited to an exclusive Finalist+ workshop on how you can best position yourself and your writing to the industry.

VIP MENTORS

We are thrilled to be joined by three VIP Mentors for this year's competition: writers and producers Anna Halberg and Spenser Cohen (TAROT) along with producer Scott Glassgold of Ground Control, who will host a Q&A together for the ScreenCraft Horror Competition Finalists!

Anna & Spenser have worked with many of the industry’s leading film and television studios including Walt Disney, Netflix, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Brothers, Amblin and Lionsgate. This year they have 3 feature films being released – TAROT (Sony), DISTANT (Amblin / Universal), HOUSE/WIFE (Netflix)

Scott Glassgold is the founder of Ground Control, a leading entertainment platform specializing in filmed media & publishing. Scott has produced several horror-centric films including TAROT, BLINK, HORRORSCOPE and PROSPECT. Ground Control also oversees the Scream Gems Horror Lab for Sony Pictures.

Notes

Receive feedback notes to strengthen your script

Meeting

Virtual meeting to discuss feedback and ask questions

Insight

Learn and gain perspective on next steps to take with your project
A Note To Entrants And Those Considering Entry During The WGA Strike:
At ScreenCraft, we stand in solidarity with the Writers Guild of America and its efforts to ensure fair compensation for writers.

ScreenCraft has publicly committed to pausing the sharing of writers’ work with struck companies and, if needed, coordinating with finalists and winners to see what alternate outreach they are comfortable with.

We’re all hoping the strike will be over soon, but if it isn’t, ScreenCraft will offer alternatives, postpone announcements, or otherwise work with writers to ensure they’re staying within the rules of the WGA strike.

Jury

Lyra Tan

Literary Coordinator, Gersh
Lyra Tan works in the TV Lit department at Gersh, the major literary and talent agency who represents award-winning talent and filmmakers such as Sam Elliot, Anna Paquin, Sam Rockwell, J.K. Simmons, Mark Hamill, and John Goodman.

Rodrigo Moscoso

Development Executive, Zero Gravity Management
Rodrigo Moscoso is a development executive with Zero Gravity Management, a management and production company behind hit features and series such as Ozark, The Accountant, and Honest Thief. Previously, he worked for The Radmin Company on major projects such as Marvel's Moon Knight and The Falcon and The Winter Soldier.

Sandra Avila

Partner and Manager, Inclusion Management
Sandra Avila is a partner and manager at Inclusion, a literary and talent management company. Prior to that, she worked at Showtime Network for seven years where she ran the Latino Filmmaker Showcase and worked on shows including, DEXTER, BARBERSHOP, RESURRECTION BLVD AND QUEER AS FOLK.

Angelina Chen

Manager and Producer, Energy Entertainment
Angelina Chen is a literary manager at Energy Entertainment, Brooklyn Weaver’s company. Energy Entertainment represents screenwriters, directors and book authors. Some of their company’s credits include RUN ALL NIGHT, OUT OF THE FURNACE and the TV show EXTANT. Being a minority, Angelina’s focus is particularly on minority and LGBTQIA+ writers/directors, with an emphasis on AAPI clients. Prior to Energy Entertainment, Angelina was an asst at Management 360. Before Management 360, Angelina was at an asst at CAA in the talent and literary departments. She graduated from UCLA with an undergraduate degree in political science and also attended USC’s Peter Stark Producing Program for graduate school in producing.

Scott Schulman

Manager, Scott Schulman Management
Scott Schulman is a literary manager and producer whose clients have sold, created, and staffed on major series like The Umbrella Academy, UnREAL, and Dear White People.

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 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 Writer Development Program
$1,000 Cash
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 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

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

TV PILOT WINNER

$500 cash award

Accepted into 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

Maria Wilson

Signed with a literary manager at Affirmative Entertainment

"I didn’t go to film school and, especially at the beginning, I was super nervous about sharing my work. ScreenCraft was the first writing competition I submitted to, and I’ve continued to do so for several projects because they consistently work with amazing readers who give in depth, actionable notes. The quality of the feedback has just been incredibly valuable for bettering my craft and taking my scripts to the next level. Sometimes I feel like the path to a successful writing career is this weird, nebulous mystery, and it can be pretty intimidating trying to set an effective course. Which is why I sing such high praises about ScreenCraft’s writer development team!! They have this wonderfully hands-on approach that helps clarify how to take actual steps towards your goals. From strategizing on game plans, to answering questions and concerns, to connecting me with other finalists, I’ve just felt super supported throughout. They even got my script read by a number of reps, and facilitated a meeting with the manager that I’m now repped by. I’m just feeling super grateful — it’s been such a whirlwind experience, and ScreenCraft has really gone above and beyond in advancing my career. I can’t thank them enough."

Ariel Sinelnikoff

Signed with a literary manager at Bellevue

"When I made the finals (and eventually won) the 2022 ScreenCraft Horror Competition, that completely changed the game for me. Being accepted into the ScreenCraft Development Program, I was given the privilege of getting to work one-on-one with amazing folks who have put my name and work out to some incredible players in the industry, from reps to production companies I am looking to work with. This resulted in me finding my manager, Jeff Portnoy at Bellevue Productions, as well as getting me meetings with production companies who I am in talks with to produce my first feature. Having people like the folks at ScreenCraft champion your work takes a massive load off your plate as a writer, and allows you to keep working on your art while also getting it in the right hands of people who can actually get it produced."

Devin Fearn

Signed with literary manager

"ScreenCraft first caught my attention with their focus on hosting screenwriting competitions for each specific genre and format, rather than lumping them all into Feature or TV like most other competitions. In my experience, competing against thousands of scripts across every genre often results in quality genre scripts getting left behind. So, when I saw ScreenCraft’s Horror competition, a genre I primarily write in, I knew I had to submit my work. The ScreenCraft team helped me formulate a solid query letter template for my script submissions, while also preparing me for the right mentality to be a working writer. The single biggest benefit though, has to be ScreenCraft pairing me with my mentor, producer Jim Klock. Jim read my Horror/Western Pilot STRANGE FLESH and took me under his wing, which resulted in invaluable notes, critical professional feedback, paid writing assignments, and an introduction to my current management team at Sandstone Artists."

Katie French

Signed with literary managers at Kaplan Perrone

"I just focus on the work; that's what I can control, and that's what I like doing. I didn't focus on getting reps or selling a specific project or becoming a showrunner right out of the gate. I've always just wanted to learn as much about the process of actually making something, from idea to broadcast, as possible. It helps combat the impostor syndrome! I came to ScreenCraft just at a turning point in my career: I had recently been staffed for the first time and had a pilot script that had attracted the attention of managers. I was faced with decisions and opportunities I'd worked for for years, and was terrified of wasting them! The ScreenCraft team offered incredible support choosing the reps I have and adore today. I've been totally blown away by ScreenCraft. They actually want to help writers."

Travis Neufeld

Signed with Manager at Bellevue Productions.

"ScreenCraft really helped when I was seeking representation. Being new to the industry, it was good to have a team to offer insight on the representation process. Outside of that, I’ve found Screencraft’s Q&A’s very informative and inspirational."

Aaron McCann

Signed with a literary agent at Claire Best & Associates

"At the time I had only written and directed a small indie feature and was not repped in the USA. Australia (at the time) looked down upon genre films and TV shows and Amazon were demanding I pay extra for international shipping (we went back and forth - ultimately I lost). So I started to write the films and TV shows I wanted to see but wasn't allowed to make them. Having ScreenCraft recognise my work absolutely helped to boost my career and give me the motivation I required to keep my head down and write and just stick with it. Writing is what I really love to do more than anything else... well... directing too, but that's only because I'm just a little crazy. Every day I try to get 3-4 pages down. No matter what (Thanks C. Robert Cargill) and just try to have 1-2 screenplays banked at the end of each year. I hope that one will get picked up one day and I can finally buy that standing desk that Amazon keeps advertising to me. But I should probably just keep my head down and write."

As Featured In

ADD-ON PRIZE OPPORTUNITY

This optional add-on prize category will identify one winner to meet with an industry mentor to learn, workshop, and strengthen their project. The partner will select one writer/writer team that includes this unique add-on benefit with their entry.

Kegan Schell

Manager, Navigation Media
Originally from upstate New York, Kegan studied film production at Full Sail University before moving to Los Angeles to pursue a career in entertainment. He began working for Chuck and Rebecca Roven at Atlas Entertainment, assisting on the DC Superhero Films Suicide Squad, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Wonder Woman. From there, Kegan joined Echo Lake Entertainment, where he swiftly rose through the ranks and was promoted to Manager in the Literary Department. Kegan spent six years at Echo Lake before joining Navigation Media. As a member of the Navigation team, Kegan continues to be a passionate advocate for queer and underrepresented talent, especially in the horror and genre space, aiming to bring new perspectives to the Hollywood stage.
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

Read More Articles

"State of the Scare" Late Night Horror Podcast & Panel

April 29 | by Valerie Kalfrin

Horror films are known for relentless evils like supernatural curses, ghosts, and ghouls, plus blood, gore and screams—but that’s not what really gets under our...

How Screenwriters Can Embrace Horror in Their TV Scripts

How Screenwriters Can Embrace Horror in Their TV Scripts

July 30 | by Ben Larned

One rarely comes across a consistently, satisfyingly scary work of fiction, whether literary or cinematic, that breaches 2 hours or 300 pages. Once the genre...

The Art of Writing Horror: Constructing a Scare

The Art of Writing Horror: Constructing a Scare

April 24 | by Ben Larned

Getting scared is cool again. With the current visibility of high-class horror films, the genre has found new life, and ScreenCraft’s horror screenplay contest provides...

More info coming soon

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. 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.
  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 any prizes awarded as they deem fair (whether there is a cash value or not).
  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. ScreenCraft uses Coverfly to manage submissions and automatically removes cover pages before scripts are read by the judges.
  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, 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. The material may have been written at any time.
  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 may 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. Former Grand Prize or Category Winners of the competition may enter so long as it is NOT the same project that won in a previous year. Any other placement in previous years does not disqualify the project from being entered this year. 

The reading and judging of the scripts will be 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. Selected Finalist scripts are read by the industry jury who votes for their favorite scripts at their sole discretion.

Development Add-On 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 at the discretion of 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 involvement of any kind by 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 may 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 entrants' information are in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
  3. REFUND POLICY: All entries are non-refundable.
  4. SITE TERMS OF SERVICE. All ScreenCraft Terms of Service apply 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, 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.

THRILLS AND SCARES

The Haunting of Hill House
It
The Shining
Lovecraft Country
Scream
Get Out
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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.
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