More info coming soon
Oct 23
Quarterfinalist
Nov 20
Semifinalist
Jan 8
Finalist
Jan 29
Winner
We welcome Emmy-nominated writer and showrunner Kirk Ward (THE CONTINENTAL, WAYNE) as our VIP Grand Prize Mentor. Kirk will participate in a virtual Q&A session with all finalists of the program.
More info coming soon
Signed with a literary manager at Anonymous Content
"Jon has developed exciting projects based on award winning and acclaimed IP. Driven by Jon's connection to the settings where his stories are based and the characters that they champion, Jon material has broad commercial appeal and socially poignant commentary at its core."
Mentorship with lit agency
"Winning the ScreenCraft TV Pilot Fellowship has opened doors I didn’t know existed. I’ve had meetings with several agents and I’m overjoyed to be developing the script with Daniel Perry from Buchwald. The industry expertise, the creative impulses, the personal contacts – all outstanding. When I finished it [first screenplay], I had no idea what the best next step would be – so I decided to enter it in a couple of competitions. I was instantly drawn to ScreenCraft because of the promise of feedback, the range of opportunities on offer, the many success stories… and it’s been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made! "
Signed with literary managers
"I think many people in this town require a co-sign from a respected entity before they’ll take a look at one of your scripts. Coverfly/Screencraft was that entity for me. When I sent out query letters mentioning my ranking in the Screencraft Pilot Competition, potential managers were more likely to respond than they had been in the past."
Signed with a literary manager
"Build yourself a supportive community. Writing is mostly a slog: it’s lonely, and frustrating, and the majority of the time you will fail at it. That’s just the nature of writing, and yes we do it because we love it, but it’s still quite difficult. Trying to enter the world of screenwriting as a journalist, I have had a lot of catching up to do and ScreenCraft has tremendously helped with that. From advice on what a query letter should look like to what I should include in my bio, I have found it hugely helpful to have the ScreenCraft team hold my hand through this early stage in my career. They facilitated introductions with development executives, agents, and managers that I would never have been able to secure on my own."
Sean signed with Doorie Lee at 42mp
"I submitted to ScreenCraft because of [its] notoriety, as well the prospect of being read by a prestigious jury. After being selected as a TV Pilot Finalist, ScreenCraft took a keen interest in strategizing my career path. This ultimately led to signing with 42mp."
Developing a pitch with an executive who is working with HBO
"You don’t need permission to follow your instincts. And if other writers out there are reading this now, YOU DON’T NEED PERMISSION. I did a lot of research on contests in the early days, thinking it would be a good way to assess my skill level and Screencraft had a lot going for it. The way Screencraft breaks out genre to compare apples to apples, the quality of judges, the access winners get to industry professionals, and the quality of notes. While contests may not be for everyone, they’ve been a key factor in understanding which of my skills needed sharpening. "
Hired to write an episode of THE FLASH
"Don't worry about your dream being risky or impractical. People really do make it in this industry. When I moved to LA to start my writing career, I knew zero people in the industry. So when I took the traditional mailroom route, I felt like I was the only person around without any connections. Even when I wrote something I was proud of, I often felt like it was wasting away on my hard drive with nobody to read. I had been submitting to competitions for years now with some success, but I was particularly excited to enter ScreenCraft because of the genre-specific categories (horror, family, etc.) Plus, their partnership with Coverfly was exciting."
Signed with a literary manager at Code Entertainment.
"Every time you get a “no,” it stings a little. My first year in LA, I submitted to a bunch of jobs, fellowships, contests, and film festivals, only to get nothing but rejections. There were times when I felt insane for giving up a good job back home and moving here, where I knew nobody. I didn’t have a steady job for the first two years I lived here and was just scraping by on savings and odd gigs. It was tough. But in the process, I learned a lot about what the industry is looking for. I now keep an Excel spreadsheet of contests, jobs, festivals, and opportunities that I apply to. I mark rejections in red, wins and finalist placements in blue. In 2020, I applied to about 200 different opportunities in total. And while I ended up with a lot of redlines on my spreadsheet, I’m getting more and more blues and that keeps me going. The competition has been very helpful because my finalist placement gave me the confidence to reach out to managers, and to friends who could recommend me to managers, to help take the next step in my career. I was able to have a few meetings, and signed with a management company. "
Signed with Manager (Management 360) & Agent (UTA)
"Thank you! I'm sure you don’t hear words of appreciation enough so I do really appreciate ScreenCraft [for] helping me with this. Thank you for configuring my outreach efforts and guiding me in my rep research."
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More info coming soon
The winners will be chosen based on the following criteria:
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 ready by the industry jury who votes for their favorite scripts at their sole discretion.
Add-On Selection:
Criteria for Winners and Finalists:
More info coming soon