Resources
Grand Prize Winner will be mentored by Tony Award-winning & Academy Award-nominated playwright Jeffrey Whitty (Avenue Q). 
Past winners have signed with CAA, WME, A3 Artists, and more!

More info coming soon

Our Grand Prize Winner will be mentored by Tony Award-winning, and Academy Award-nominated playwright Jeffrey Whitty (Avenue Q).

This year's jury features agents from Paradigm, IAG and A3 Artists, and a manager from Heroes and Villains. 

Drawing on a long history of playwrights transitioning to screenwriting, this competition seeks to celebrate excellent plays that have great film or TV adaptation potential.

Past Stage Play competition winners and finalists have signed with representation from some of the biggest agencies and management companies in the industry including CAA, WME, A3 Artists, 3 Arts Entertainment and more.

Grand Prize Mentors

The Grand Prize Winner will be mentored by Tony Award-winning, Academy Award-nominated playwright Jeffrey Whitty (Avenue Q). The winner will receive a personalized round of notes, virtual meeting, and project development insight.

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

Amy Wagner

Agent, A3 Artists
Amy Wagner is a playwright agent for A3 Artists Agency, which represents some of the top Tony Award-winning playwrights and producers in Theater Arts, like Graciela Daniele and Charles Fuller. A3 has worked on playwrights like THOUGHTS OF A COLORED MAN and BLOOD AT THE ROOT.

LUCY POWIS

Agent, A3 Artists
Lucy Powis is a playwright agent for A3 Artists Agency, which represents some of the top Tony Award-winning playwrights and producers in Theater Arts, like Graciela Daniele and Charles Fuller. Her producing and dramaturgy credits include the 2020 Prelude Festival (Segal Center), 2020 & 2021 Global Forms Theater Festival (Rattlestick/NY Theater Salon), and work that has been seen at NYTW, Ars Nova, The Tank, and HERE. She holds an MFA in Dramaturgy from Columbia University and hails from Toronto. A3 has worked on playwrights like THOUGHTS OF A COLORED MAN and BLOOD AT THE ROOT.

BETH BLICKERS

Agent, Independent Artist Group
Beth Blickers is an agent at IAG, where she represents artists who work in theatre, opera, dance, television and film. She started her career at the William Morris Agency, where she began work after graduating from NYU. Beth has served on the jury panel for the Weissberger Award, the Ed Kleban Award, the Lark’s PONY Fellowship and Playwrights Week and facilitated industry related workshops and panels for organizations around the country. She is the Past President of Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas and is the Board Chair Emeritus of Theatre Breaking Through Barriers, a New York company that works with artists with disabilities.

Kim Veasey

Manager and Producer, Heroes and Villains Entertainment
Kim is a Manager and Producer with a focus on diverse, multi-hyphenate voices across all platforms. She previously worked at GRLBND, a female-founded, owned, and operated collective of managers and producers who are committed to amplifying diverse voices across all genres and platforms, with projects like GRASS IS GREENER and THE LAST TWO LOVERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD.

Rachel Ellicott

Agent, Paradigm
Rachel began her career as a Theatrical Literary Agent to help artists see their visions become a reality. Starting in the mailroom at Paradigm eight years ago, she has experienced all levels of the agency life and enjoys collaborating with her colleagues across departments. Rachel graduated from Cornell University with honors, earning her B.S. in Communication with a focus in Business and Media Studies, as well as a Film Minor. In her spare time, you can find her playing piano, going to the theatre, and attempting large jigsaw puzzles.

Prizes

Grand Prize

The overall grand prize winner 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 execs who are looking for talented emerging writers.

ScreenCraft's 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 the Writer Development Program
$1,000 Cash
An exclusive invitation to a Finalist+ workshop to position yourself and your writing to the industry
Free 6-month membership to The Tracking Board

Runner-Up Prizes

Runner-up

$500 cash award

Accepted into the Writer Development Program

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

Free 6-month membership to The Tracking Board

FINALISTS

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

Free 6-month membership to The Tracking Board

More info coming soon

Previous Success Stories

See More Successes

Laura Winters

Signed with a literary agent at CAA

"The panel of judges drew me to ScreenCraft competitions. [ScreenCraft] has been an absolute game-changer in [the] ability to get my scripts read by “right-fit” industry people. I’ve also been able to connect with some wonderful other finalists who live in LA, so it’s also helped me establish a writing community here."

Joanna Pickering

Signed with Manager at 3 Arts Entertainment

"Going from a mathematician to the dramatic arts and ending under the umbrella of 3 Arts. I create lots of turning points for myself. The goal of every writer is to create something into existence, to get financed, and produced. And so, the seemingly impossible task of attracting agents and managers. It’s too big a step to think of at once. You need to break it down and stay close to the writing. Focus on its development and needs as a piece. The rest will come. Writing competitions are a great way to make deadlines for yourself. Having a submission deadline helps you focus to finish or move onto the next draft. You also get helpful feedback on the work before sending it to agents and managers. I was delighted to be selected for the ScreenCraft Development Program. "

Robert Axelrod

Signed with a literary agent at A3 Artists

"The competition had a judging panel that included some of my absolute favorite playwrights and artistic directors. The prospect of possibly having artists I’ve long admired and look up to actually read my work? That was incentive enough to apply. To wind up having those individuals select my play as the grand prize winner was beyond my wildest expectations. Through winning the competition, I was able to further develop my work with the IAMA Theatre Company, a company I’ve dreamed of working with. And, most recently, ScreenCraft introduced me and my work to my now-agent, Amy Wagner at A3 Artists Agency. The access and opportunities that ScreenCraft has provided me, since winning, has been beyond anything I could have anticipated."

Jacqueline Pereda

Optioned her project GENERATION POR QUE? to HBO Max

"My biggest inspiration in creating GENERATION POR QUÉ? is my life. I’m the child of Cuban immigrants and grew up with very strict, conservative parents. I’m also a comedy nerd and adore coming of age comedies like Sex and the City, Insecure, and Broad City. But when I would watch Carrie in bed with Mr. Big, I would literally ask myself, “Where are her parents? Why aren’t they calling her right now and asking if she’s coming home to go to her cousin’s baby shower this weekend?”, because that was my life. Lol! I was shocked by how much freedom and independence these women had in this world because immigrant parents do not roll like that. The idea for A Visitor’s Pass on the Virgin Mary (the play that was a Screenscraft Finalist) came to me before I even attempted screenwriting.  It was a story I needed to tell and immediately saw it on a stage. Screenwriting came along when I started writing and producing comedic sketches. But I never set out to write a play, pilot or film. This may sound cliche, but the idea comes to me first and then listen to what it wants to be. Aside from providing great feedback on my work, the team has connected me with some fantastic executives and helped foster relationships which is what a lot of the industry is about. In practical terms, Screencraft is great for giving me deadlines to submit my work."

Doug Williams

Signed with an agent at William Morris Endeavor

"It was an honor all its own to be named runner-up for their new stage play contest, but the way they went to bat for me and championed my work following the contest was incredible. ScreenCraft got my play in front of some of my writing heroes who were judges for the contest, and just a few months later I’d signed with my agent at WME. Prior to ScreenCraft, I honestly had no idea how to even approach an agent."

As Featured In

ADD-ON PRIZE OPPORTUNITY

This optional add-on prize category will identify two winners to learn, workshop, and strengthen their project with guidance from an industry mentor. Stage Play competition mentors are agents Amy Wagner and Lucy Powis. Each mentor will select one writer/writer team that includes this unique add-on benefit with their entry.

Amy Wagner

Agent
Amy Wagner is a playwright agent for A3 Artists Agency, which represents some of the top Tony Award-winning playwrights and producers in Theater Arts, like Graciela Daniele and Charles Fuller. A3 has worked on playwrights like Thoughts of a Colored Man and Blood at the Root.

Lucy Powis

Agent
Lucy Powis is a playwright agent for A3 Artists Agency, which represents some of the top Tony Award-winning playwrights and producers in Theater Arts, like Graciela Daniele and Charles Fuller. Her producing and dramaturgy credits include the 2020 Prelude Festival (Segal Center), 2020 & 2021 Global Forms Theater Festival (Rattlestick/NY Theater Salon), and work that has been seen at NYTW, Ars Nova, The Tank, and HERE. She holds an MFA in Dramaturgy from Columbia University and hails from Toronto. A3 has worked on playwrights like Thoughts of a Colored Man and Blood at the Root.
Only projects submitted to the ScreenCraft Stage Play 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.

Stage Play Articles

Read More Articles
How to Adapt a Screenplay into a Stage Play: The Major Dramatic Question

How to Adapt a Screenplay into a Stage Play: The Major Dramatic Question

September 12 | by Ty Budde

There are a multitude of articles with apparent advice on the differences between movies and plays (cinema is storytelling with pictures, theatre is storytelling with...

Interview with Writer Joanna Pickering

Interview with Writer Joanna Pickering

May 27 | by ScreenCraft

Joanna Pickering placed in the ScreenCraft Cinematic Stage Play Competition, and signed with 3 Arts Entertainment. She was recently awarded a scholarship to adapt her...

5 Lessons from Playwriting and Screenwriting Legend Neil Simon

5 Lessons from Playwriting and Screenwriting Legend Neil Simon

July 4 | by Christopher Osterndorf

Though he may not be as well-known to modern audiences as peers like Woody Allen and Mel Brooks, Neil Simon is one of America’s preeminent...

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. Any play script submission longer than 120 pages will incur a $1 per page overage fee for each page over 120. The maximum page limit is 150 pages.
  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 writer(s).
  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). All writers must be credited on the title page.
  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 project 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 project, 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. ScreenCraft reserves the right to change deadline and announcement dates at any time.
  16. ScreenCraft reserves the right to amend these rules at any time.
  17.  
  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. There are no requirements as to when the material was written.
  5. Material should be submitted in standard 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 will 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. ScreenCraft reserves the right to amend these rules at any time.

The winners will be chosen 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. Top projects are read by the industry jury who votes for their favorite scripts at their sole discretion.

Mentorship 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 solely by 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. 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 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 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 a entrants’ information are in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
  3. REFUND POLICY: All entries are non-refundable.
  4. SITE TERMS OF SERVICE. By entering this competition, the user agrees to all ScreenCraft Terms of Service 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 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).
  7. ScreenCraft reserves the right to amend these rules at any time.

THRILLS AND SCARES

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