Writing Competitions that Actually Work

Breaking in as a writer should be about how well you can write—not how well you can network. That's why our competitions set out to uncover the best writers out there and help them with an entire team dedicated to launching careers.

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ScreenCraft Writers Discovered by:

Open Competitions

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TV Pilot Competition

With past winners and finalists signing at 3 Arts, Zero Gravity, CAA, Management 360, and Verve, ScreenCraft's TV Pilot Competition is the best Television Writing Competition in Hollywood. Plus, ScreenCraft winners have been staffed for shows at Netflix, Amazon, Apple TV+, The CW, ABC, Paramount+ and many more.

Final Deadline - September 30

Apply Now!

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Horror Competition

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

Regular Deadline - September 30

Apply Now!

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Stage Play Competition

Our Stage Play jury features an Academy Award-nominated and Tony-Award winning writer as well as top literary agents. Past winners have signed for representation with CAA, WME, A3 Artists, and more!

Regular Deadline - September 30

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Cinematic Book Competition

Last year's Grand Prize Winner signed with Gravity Squared Entertainment manager John W. Beach. Past winners, finalists, and semifinalists have signed with book agents and managers at YRG Partners, Echo Lake, and Martin Literary Management. This year, writer/producer Richard Kahan (OUTLANDER) will select one writer from this year's competition to receive a one-of-a-kind mentorship opportunity!

Early Deadline - September 30

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Short Story Competition

Whether you’re writing a novella or a flash fiction, our Hollywood judges are looking for great stories with cinematic adaptation potential. This year, the Grand Prize winner will also receive a one-of-a-kind mentorship opportunity with novelist/writer Julia Seales!

Early Deadline - September 30

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We Provide Unparalleled Support for Our Finalists and Winners

ScreenCraft’s Writer Development Team becomes your dedicated career advocate when you win a ScreenCraft competition, bridging the gap between you and top studio executives, managers, and agents.

We’ll provide 1-on-1 consultation & coaching to build your strengths

We’ll tap into a rolodex of industry connections we’ve been building for over a decade to connect you with the right industry professionals

We’ll guide you in achieving the next milestone in your writing career–whether it’s getting staffed in a writers’ room or simply getting repped

Don’t take our word for it. Here are hundreds of Finalists’ testimonials.

We Provide Unparalleled Support for Our Finalists and Winners

ScreenCraft’s Writer Development Team becomes your dedicated career advocate when you win a ScreenCraft competition, bridging the gap between you and top studio executives, managers, and agents.

We’ll provide 1-on-1 consultation & coaching to build your strengths

We’ll tap into a rolodex of industry connections we’ve been building for over a decade to connect you with the right industry professionals

We’ll guide you in achieving the next milestone in your writing career–whether it’s getting staffed in a writers’ room or simply getting repped

Don’t take our word for it. Here are hundreds of Finalists’ testimonials.

Opening Soon

Fellowship Competition

7 days of intensive professional meetings. 3 months of career consultation. A once in a lifetime opportunity.

Opening September 30

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Family Competition

ScreenCraft's industry leading Family-friendly Screenplay Competition has led to winners signing with literary managers and optioning their scripts. NEW for this year's Grand Prize, screenwriter Andrew Barrer (ANT-MAN & THE WASP) will select one writer from this year's competition to receive a mentorship opportunity!

Opening September 30

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Film Fund Competition

Receive up to $30k in finishing funds! Open to a wide range of projects including, treatments, standalone screenplays, shorts, and finished films. Past winner's films have screened at Cannes, Sundance, & SXSW.

Opening September 30

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Opening Later

Feature Competition

Features are phenomenal, and our industry jury is looking for screenplays with unique stories and voices to celebrate and elevate. No matter if it's a summer blockbuster, an impactful indie, or anything in between - the power of a feature is undeniable.

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Comedy Competition

If you have a funny screenplay that can make an audience laugh and our Hollywood judges chuckle, we’d love to read your feature or TV pilot!

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True Story Competition

If you don't own IP, go to true stories and the public domain to get your IP for free. We’re celebrating true stories, biographies, and adaptations of timeless tales & characters in the public domain - the type of films Hollywood is obsessed with making right now. Winners from the past several years have optioned their work, signed with representation, and signed shopping agreements.

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Animation Competition

Past finalists and winners have signed with literary managers and secured shopping agreements for their scripts! So whether you have a family-friendly animated movie or an adult-oriented animated series, our animation judges are seeking great scripts with fresh voices.

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Drama Competition

ScreenCraft Writers from the Drama Competition have signed with CAA, Brillstein, Circle of Confusion and more. They’ve gone on to be nominated for Emmys and work on TV shows with Warner TV. The results speak for themselves: this is Hollywood’s best Drama Screenwriting Competition.

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ScreenCraft’s Writer Success Stories

Meet the writers who used ScreenCraft competitions to break into the film and TV industry. Check out all stories!

Alex Boyd
Hired on CW’s “The Flash”
"People really do make it in this industry,” says screenwriter Alex Boyd. “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.”

In 2021, Alex entered ScreenCraft’s TV Pilot competition. He won. “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," he says. Since winning, Alex was hired to write an episode of CW’s “The Flash.”
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Tommy Wright
Signed with Bauman Management
"As writers it’s always challenging to distinguish yourself from others,” says screenwriter Tommy Wright, who was awarded a 2021 ScreenCraft Film Fund grant. He has since signed with a literary manager at Bauman Management. “I think ScreenCraft does an excellent job of encouraging and identifying unique talent and can put them in very advantageous situations which in turn breeds success."
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Nabil Chowdhary
Signed with Writ Large Management
After winning the grand prize in the 2019 ScreenCraft Sci-Fi Screenplay Competition for his project POD, Nabil Chowdhary was introduced to manager Bash Naran at Writ Large and subsequently signed with him. “Within hours of winning, I was put in touch with Bash," says Nabil. "Three weeks later, we were officially working together. ”

In December of 2019, Nabil’s work was named to both The Hit List and The Black List as one of the best screenplays of the year. "I was in constant communication with the ScreenCraft team, seeking advice and looking for guidance on how to navigate this very new situation for me. They couldn’t have been more helpful."
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Nicole Ramberg
Signed with Bellevue Productions
“Winning a ScreenCraft competition — and ScreenCraft’s immediate assistance putting me in touch with managers afterward — was the foot in the door that I needed to jumpstart my Hollywood writing career,” says Nicole Ramberg, who signed with Bellevue Productions after success in the ScreenCraft 2020 Action Adventure screenplay competition.
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