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True Story & Public Domain

Screenplay Competition

Nothing resonates with an audience like the stories of our lives. We’re celebrating true stories, biographies, & timeless tales in the public domain.

Deadlines

Announcements

Few writers take advantage of Hollywood’s love of free intellectual property like true stories, folk tales, or tales published before 1923. Whether exploring the depths of the human experience with a true story, or putting a fresh spin on a tried-and-true public domain property, we want to read your script!

Judges

Get in front of Hollywood judges who love true stories and public domain properties

Chris Ceccotti

Head of Development and Content Strategy at Gidden Media

Chris Ceccotti is Head of Development and Content Strategy at Gidden Media and a newly launched, to be named, joint venture with Media Rights Capital. Gidden Media is the content incubator and production company behind BRIAN BANKS and MARY SHELLEY.

Yasmin Hormozi

VP, Narrative Film & TV at Concordia Studio

The production company behind award winning documentary films such as BOYS STATE, A THOUSAND CUTS, and THE PRICE OF FREE.

Elizabeth Franco

Development Executive at CNN Films

The production company of CNN behind feature films such as RBG, APOLLO 11, and documentary series such as THE DECADES series produced by Tom Hanks.

Amanda Smith

Literary Agent at The Gersh Agency

The award-winning agency who reps such clients as Adam Driver, Sam Rockwell, JK Simmons, and Winona Ryder.

Kyle Benn

Independent Producer at Creator Media Entertainment

Former executive of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group on such franchises as JOHN WICK and THE HUNGER GAMES, he is now an independent producer with his company Creator Media Entertainment, having recently sold a feature to Netflix. He will be offering a paid option agreement to the winner of the Concept Category!

Prizes

Jump start your career

Grand Prize Winner

The overall grand prize winner in either film or TV category will receive a personal introduction and phone call with one or more top Hollywood literary managers who are looking for talented emerging film and television screenwriters.

The top 3 winners’ project info and log lines will be circulated and recommended to our network of over 60 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 top literary managers

Accepted into the ScreenCraft Development Program

$1,000 Cash

Complimentary Badge for the 2021 ScreenCraft Summit + Travel Stipend

License to either of your choice: Final Draft or WriterDuet Pro screenwriting software

Runner Up Prizes

Written Pitch

$1,000 24 month option of idea to be developed and pitched to be major studios under producer Kyle Benn

Development of idea from concept to draft with ScreenCraft and Creator Media Entertainment

Feature

$500 cash award

Accepted into ScreenCraft Development Program

50% off 2021 ScreenCraft Summit

TV Pilot

$500 cash award

Accepted into ScreenCraft Development Program

50% off 2021 ScreenCraft Summit

ScreenCraft Winners

Winning a writing competition can lead to career momentum.

Nabil Chowdhary

2019 Winner

Signed with manager

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 by the ScreenCraft team and signed with him for representation.

In December 2019, Nabil was named to BOTH The Hit List and The Black List as one of the best screenplays of the year as voted on by entertainment industry professionals!

Elie El Choufany

2019 Winner

Signed with manager

ScreenCraft helped get Elie signed with Tom Drumm of Think Tank MGMT

“During the spectacular whirlwind that is the ScreenCraft Fellowship, the ScreenCraft team introduced me to my manager Tom Drumm from Think Tank Management, as well as setting the fellows up with meetings with some of the biggest studios and the most influential people in the film and television industry.”

Anna Klassen

2017 Winner

Writing for NETFLIX

After winning ScreenCraft, writer Anna Klassen signed with manager Bash Naran and was hired to write TWO feature films for Netflix. She’s been featured in the major industry news sites, was voted onto The Black List, and is considered one of Hollywood’s top rising screenwriters.

She also signed with agents at WME and has been a working screenwriter ever since winning the ScreenCraft Fellowship. Read what she has to say about ScreenCraft.

Matthew Ryan

2017 ScreenCraft Winner

Screenplay optioned

Matthew Ryan is an Australian-based award-winning playwright who won the 2017 competition for his screenplay GET IT TOGETHER. Since winning, Matthew has developed his project with New Zealand-based production company, New Holland Pictures.

“Thanks to ScreenCraft, I made contact with a producer who got my screenplay into the right hands. I now have an attachment agreement in place for it with a hugely talented director/producer and we’re currently developing the script towards production.” – Matthew Ryan

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Rules & Info

Submissions are accepted via electronic submission only, between March 1, 2020 and May 31, 2020.
Entry fee for each feature film screenplay is $49 until the early deadline on March 31, 2020, then $69 until the final deadline on May 31, 2020.
Optional feedback from a professional reader may be requested at the time of entry. Requests for feedback after an entry is submitted will not be accepted.
Feature screenplays must be a minimum of 75 pages and a maximum of 150 pages. TV pilots must be between 25 and 75 pages.
Any submission longer than 120 pages will incur a $1 per page overage fee for each page over 120.
When submitting for the Concept Category, please format as a written pitch (ideally 1 page, and up to 5 pages maximum) with the following:
- Title
- Format (Feature or Pilot)
- Genre
- Logline
- 8-10 Sentence Summary
- Links to any relevant articles, stories, or materials about the story you are basing your adaptation on.
There is no limit to the number of projects you may submit.
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.
All submitted material must be original, and all rights must be wholly owned by the writer(s).
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 title page.
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 the prize money.
Substitutions of either corrected pages or new drafts of the entered material will be allowed for a limited time with a $5 reentry fee through Coverfly. Please proofread your script carefully before submitting.
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.
Contact info may be included on the cover page of the screenplay, however it is not required.
All ownership and rights to the scripts submitted to this contest remains with the original rights holders.

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 year is not. (Contest winnings not included.)
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).
All material submitted to other competitions or contests are eligible for this contest.
There are no requirements as to when the material was written.
Screenplay and intellectual property must be wholly owned and submitted by the writer(s).
Material should be submitted in standard screenplay format, font, spacing and margin.
We have no preferences regarding title page content. Title and name of writer would suffice.
Entries for this competition are managed on the submission platform Coverfly.
Adaptations are ineligible unless the underlying rights are owned by the writer or the work is in the public domain.
Feature screenplays longer than 150 pages will not be eligible.
All material must be submitted electronically as a PDF or it will not be eligible.

The winners will be chosen based on the following criteria: (i) originality; (ii) plot/story structure; (iii) characterization; (iv) visual inventiveness; and (v) overall impression. The winners and top finalists may be contacted by interested industry representatives, such as managers, agents or producers. Entrants may be required to submit further information to assist in the judges’ verification of eligibility. Any entrant may be deemed ineligible at the sole discretion of ScreenCraft. 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. We reserve the right to amend these rules at any time.

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.
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.
REFUND POLICY: All entries are non-refundable.
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).