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Get your short script in front of our jury full of Academy Award nominated filmmakers! 

More info coming soon

ScreenCraft's Short Screenplay Competition is one of Hollywood's top contests celebrating short-form screenwriting. With the rise in demand for high-quality short content across new platforms and devices, we’re honoring the craft of short-form narrative screenwriting.

This is your chance to get exclusive guidance from Academy Award-nominated filmmakers and access to industry professionals. Connect with producers, agents, and studios actively seeking fresh talent.

Grand Prize Mentor

The Grand Prize Winner this year will receive a mentorship with Carlos López Estrada, the Academy Award nominated filmmaker behind RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON and BLINDSPOTTING.

Carlos’s debut film, BLINDSPOTTING earned him a nomination from the DGA for Outstanding Directorial Achievement of a First-Time Feature Film. He also directed the films SUMMERTIME and RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON, the latter of which was a nominee for Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards in 2021. Through his production company Antigravity Academy, he produced the film DIDI which won the audience award at Sundance in 2024.

MENTOR

The Runner Up for this year's will receive a mentorship meeting with Academy Award nominated producer Maria Gracia Turgeon

Canadian producer and two-time Academy Award nominee Maria Gracia Turgeon has produced highly successful short films through her company Midi La Unit, including FAUVE and BROTHERHOOD, both of which were nominated for Best Short Film at the Academy Awards.

Jury

KYLE BOWLES

Creative Executive, MACRO
An LA native from Inglewood, Kyle Bowles is a Creative Executive at MACRO where he realizes his dream of producing films that center people of color on both sides of the camera. His recent credits include serving as Associate Producer on the forthcoming features, FREAKY TALES from Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden, and YOUNG. WILD. FREE. directed by Thembi Banks. Prior to MACRO, Kyle began his career at Forward Pass, Gersh, and Mandalay Pictures. Kyle is a graduate of Villanova University, where he began his filmmaking journey making shorts.

Nadine Lüchinger

Academy Award Nominated Film Producer
A Swiss film producer based in Zurich, she was nominated for an Oscar® for the short film "ALA KACHUU" at the 94th Academy Awards. She built the feature film and documentary department at Filmgerberei, producing several award-winning projects. Her recent works include the feature-length documentary "EVERYTHING ABOUT MARTIN SUTER. EVERYTHING EXCEPT THE TRUTH" and the short film "UNSER KIND," which qualifies for the 97th Academy Awards. 

DAN KAVANAGH

Manager of TV Development, Vertigo Entertainment
Dan Kavanagh joined Vertigo Entertainment in 2019. Since then, he’s worked to identify projects that have sold to Charter, Sony and Village Roadshow among others, while contributing to the development of shows at every major streamer, including Warhammer at Amazon. Previously, he served as Development & Production Coordinator at AMC Networks’ Shudder and Sundance Now, where he helped launch their reboot of Stephen King and George Romero’s Creepshow, which is now in its fourth season.

Giselle JOhnson-Morris

Director of Film, Blackmaled Productions
Giselle serves as the Director of Film at BLACKMALED, Malcolm D. Lee's production company known for hits like "THE BEST MAN" franchise and "GIRLS TRIP." Previously, she was a development and production executive at Sony Pictures' Screen Gems, overseeing successful films like "THE POPE'S EXORCIST." Her career also includes stints at Netflix's Original Studio Film team and VICE Studios, where she worked on various high-profile projects.

Jacqui de Padoin Goodman

Director of Development, DeMilo Films
Jacqui oversees creative development for Demilo's film and television projects (known for GUILLERMO DEL TORO’S CABINET OF CURIOSITIES, MAMA, SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD etc) drawing from her diverse experience in various aspects of the film industry. A Sarah Lawrence College graduate in Creative Writing and Film, she adheres to William Faulkner's philosophy that the most compelling stories explore "the human heart in conflict with itself." Jacqui believes in film's power to entertain, challenge ideals, and reshape our understanding of the world.

Prizes

Runner-Up Prizes

FIRST RUNNER-UP

$500 cash award

Accepted into the Writer Development Program

Mentorship Meeting with Maria Gracia Turgeon

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

FINALISTS

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

Previous Success Stories

See More Successes

Mithra Alavi

Staffed on a Freeform series

"When I was told I needed to prepare pitches for the final interview of the Disney Writers program, I asked the Screencraft team if I could practice on them. They were insightful and encouraging which was so helpful when I thought I was going to die of nerves. With every year you are going to learn more, experience more, and practice your craft more, all of which will make you better. Be kind to yourself, but be persistent and find ways to create your own opportunities, because there is no straight path. And never compare yourself to others, even though sometimes it's really hard not to."

Abigail Pañares

Signed option agreement

"I typically don’t write something unless I know I’m able to self-produce it on a shoe-string budget. But over the last few years, the stories I wanted to tell got more complex. This is a deeply personal script that I wrote in honor of my mother, and as I started the budgeting process I realized that I didn’t want to compromise on its potential to be beautifully executed and highly impactful. I started exploring funding avenues and the ScreenCraft Short Film Competition came up. Opportunities for short films are rare, and I loved how in addition to the cash prize, ScreenCraft offered mentorship and career support."

Ari Friedman

Signed with a literary manager

"When I saw ScreenCraft Comedy open up, I felt like this could be the perfect exposure to connect me with the right reps. And it did! This win pushed me over the edge and I was linked with Najeeb Khuda at Zero Gravity who is incredible."

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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. While short scripts may be any length, we recommend scripts be between 2 - 30 pages. Any script submission longer than 30 pages will incur a $1 per page overage fee for each page over 30.
  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
  • Dialogue
  • 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.

 

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
Array ( )

Open Competitions

Find the competition that is right for you!
Submit your best writing to a ScreenCraft competition today for an opportunity to get noticed, get access to our in-house executives’ Black Book of connections in Hollywood, and get signed and staffed.
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WRITER RECOMMENDED FEEDBACK

Kelley Yakey Berberich

ScreenCraft judges are able to give constructive feedback that is beyond the quality of feedback we have had before. They definitely know your script before giving guidance. We really appreciate the written review!
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