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Whether you’re writing a novella or a flash fiction, our jury is looking for great stories with cinematic adaptation potential. Past winners have signed with top agents and had their worked optioned.

More info coming soon

Current Season Announcements

Jan 17

Quarterfinalist

Feb 7

Semifinalist

Mar 20

Finalist

Apr 17

Winner

If you think your short story has cinematic adaptation potential, we’d love to consider it for this year’s competition, which features a jury of professionals from across the entertainment and publishing industries.

ScreenCraft’s past winners have gone on to sell projects to major studios and have been hired by companies like Universal, Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, CBS and many more. 

Winners are highly sought after by literary managers and agents who are open to signing to new writer clients. ScreenCraft has helped hundreds of writers have sign with top management companies and agencies like 3 Arts, Anonymous Content, CAA, WME, UTA, Paradigm, Lit Entertainment, and many more.

VIP Juror

We welcome producer, Scott Glassgold of Ground Control as our special VIP Juror! Scott will meet virtually with our finalists for an interactive Q&A session.

Scott Glassgold is the founder of management and production company Ground Control. Scott, in partnership with Verve Talent Agency, have sold a number of high-profile short story projects to Amazon, Netflix, Universal, Paramount and more. Among those projects are THE DWELLING which also has Michael B. Jordan producing, I AM NOT ALONE with Jessica Chastain set to star, and CARETAKER with Sydney Sweeney starring and Michael Bay producing.

Check out this clip from our interview with VIP Juror Scott Glassgold

Have a completed manuscript ready to share with the world?
Apply to our Cinematic Book Competition

Jury

EMILY FEHER

Creative Executive, 21 Laps
Emily is a creative exec at 21 Laps with a demonstrated history of working in the entertainment industry. 21 Laps Entertainment is an American film and television production company founded and run by director-producer Shawn Levy. The company is best known as the producers of Stranger Things and Shadow and Bone.
Stranger Things poster

JOSH KAHN

Creative Executive, Red Hour
Josh Kahn is a creative executive at Red Hour Films. Red Hour is a film/television production company founded by actor, writer, and director Ben Stiller. The company most recently produced the award-winning series SEVERANCE and ESCAPE AT DANNEMORA.

JUDY COPPAGE

President, The Coppage Company
Judy Coppage is the president of THE COPPAGE COMPANY, a Literary Agency/Management Company, which sold the DIE HARD novel to 20th Century Fox. Other prominent sales have included DEATH SENTENCE, a novel written by Brian Garfield, which was released by 20th Century Fox and HELL RIDE, which was released by Dimension Films and presented by Quentin Tarantino and was written, directed, produced, and stars her client, Larry Bishop. More recently, she sold a series of books to Viacom/101 Studios written by Sidney Thompson for LAWMEN: BASS REEVES, (directed by Taylor Sheridan) which premieres on Paramount + in the fall.

ZOE HOWARD

Literary Agent, Howland Literary
Zoe Aline Howard is a literary agent and literary publicist. Zoe is currently an agent acquiring adult fiction and nonfiction at Howland Literary, and as a literary publicist at Pine State Publicity. Through each of these and her own writing, Zoe has garnered an eye for those interdisciplinary, lyrical, quiet books that demand more space in publishing.

Prizes

Grand Prize

The overall Grand Prize winner will be welcomed to the ScreenCraft Writer Development Program and receive personal introductions and phone calls with one or more top Hollywood literary managers and producers. 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

Runner-Up Prizes

Runner Up

$500 cash award

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

Barrington Smith-Seetachitt

Signed with a Literary Manager

"I'm at a place in my career now, where it's easy to feel frustrated, because time passes and I'm still side-hustling to support my writing when I would want to be writing to support my writing! But, I'm also in a place where I once aspired to be: I've had representation for a while, and recently added a TV agent to the team! And I'm celebrating my first produced TV credit (with writing partner Paul Seetachitt) — an episode of Creepshow that came out last month called "Time Out." It's gotten a lot of complimentary reviews, which is validating. These things give me hope that I'm getting closer to where I want to be. A good friend who knows that I also write short stories sent me the link to the ScreenCraft Cinematic Short Story competition. At this point I've largely forsworn writing competitions, but for some reason I decided to enter... and it worked out! I got to meet with one of the judges (Sean Crouch) which was my first one-on-one meeting with a showrunner and was exciting for me. And while I already had representation, the buzz surrounding winning the Grand Prize inspired my reps to send the story out, and I think was key in their decision to add a TV agent to my team, which is something I'd really been wanting for a long time — so that felt like a big victory. I've really appreciated that ScreenCraft has a team of real people who have checked in on my progress since the contest. They've pushed me to evaluate those things that any writer can and should control — like online visibility and professional outreach — and encouraged me to be accountable and level those up. "

Daniel Cooper

Signed a Paid Option Agreement

"I hope this doesn't sound cliche but it really is always the passion for the specific story you're trying to tell. The initial spark of an idea and that burning desire to show everyone else that movie you see in your head, that's what it's all about. Option payments and these other kinds of external motivations are less important if you don't fully believe in your story and just love to live in that world for all the hours/months/years you'll spend developing it. We have been ScreenCraft Stans since our first spec feature The Memory Bank became a finalist in the Sci-Fi/Fantasy Competition a couple years ago. The exposure from that and the engagement and care the ScreenCraft staff showed us led to some meaningful general meetings with awesome producers and managers. Everything we have written since has gone straight to a ScreenCraft Competition and we intend to keep it that way as long as we keep writing!"

DC Diamondopolous

Book published in the UK by Impspired.

"There was a call for short story writers for their cinematic short story contest. The competitions gave me recognition. I am currently working on a historical novel set in 1912 that continues to 1918. I’m excited about my first collection of short stories, "Stepping Up". My advice to writers is - don't procrastinate, do it now. "

As Featured In

New insights with your entry

PREPARE YOUR PITCH
By getting a fresh set of eyes on your story, you may get some new ideas for ways to pitch your short story as a film or TV series.

GET OUTSIDE OF YOUR OWN HEAD
It's important to understand how somebody else experiences your story on the page.

GET MORE VALUE
By opting for written feedback, you're guaranteed to get great value from this competition.

Short Story Articles

Read More Articles
Unconventional Story Structures for Screenwriters

Unconventional Story Structures for Screenwriters

May 21 | by Kevin Nelson

There comes a time in every writer’s career when they start to feel a bit claustrophobic when it comes to structuring their scripts. Three-Act Structure, ...

From a Producer’s Perspective: Telling Your Own Story

From a Producer’s Perspective: Telling Your Own Story

May 13 | by David Kaufmann

Writers and producers spend most of their time finding and developing stories. We toil over the finest details of character and plot. Draft after draft,...

5 Storytelling Lessons from Pulitzer Prize-winning Jules Feiffer

5 Storytelling Lessons from Pulitzer Prize-winning Jules Feiffer

May 1 | by Valerie Kalfrin

More than his success across different fields, aging has taught Jules Feiffer how storytelling evolves. The Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist, playwright, and screenwriter recently spoke...

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. Short Stories must be 20,000 words or less. Files should be in PDF format when submitted and should be double spaced.
  4. There is no limit to the number of projects you may submit.
  5. 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.
  6. All submitted material must be owned by the writer(s), however the material may be based on other works not owned by the writers.
  7. 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).
  8. 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).
  9. 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 short story carefully before submitting.
  10. Contact info may be included on the cover page of the short story, however it is not required. ScreenCraft uses Coverfly to manage submissions and automatically removes cover pages before short stories are read by the judges.
  11. ScreenCraft claims no ownership nor option on your work. All ownership and rights to the short stories submitted to this contest remains with the original rights holders.
  12. 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.
  13. ScreenCraft reserves the right to change deadline and announcement dates at any time.
  14. 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 double spaced.
  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. ScreenCraft reserves the right to amend these rules at any time.
  9. Prize winners may be required to sign an affidavit of eligibility and proper tax documentation before prizes are released.
  10. 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.

The reading and judging of the short stories will be based on the following criteria:

  • Voice
  • Concept
  • Story
  • Structure
  • Characters
  • Dialogues
  • Genre Conventions

In addition to the scoring criteria for the short story, 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 short stories are read by the industry jury who votes for their favorite short stories at their sole discretion.

  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 piece of writing submitted to this contest. All ownership and rights to the short stories 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. 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 short stories 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, 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 short stories 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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Open Competitions

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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

Olin Fregia

Having ScreenCraft read and review my screenplay was like holding up a newborn to a stranger and asking, "What do you think of my baby? "Too many fingers, not enough toes." They were honest and TRUE. Painful at first, but if it enhances my baby's beauty, then, so be it. Changing a baby's diaper only makes the baby better to hold. When I think about it, isn't that what bringing "baby" to the screen is all about, making it huggable? Your baby is in good hands with ScreenCraft. Now, I've got a few diapers to deal with. I can do this. Thanks, ScreenCraft.
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