Resources
Take advantage of a unique opportunity to pitch directly to an A-list jury of industry insiders online. Open to writers worldwide!

More info coming soon

Current Season Announcements

Mar 27

Semifinalist

Apr 10

Finalist

May 1

Winner

The ScreenCraft Virtual Pitch Competition gives writers the chance to pitch to industry professionals! Here’s how it works:

1. Submit your best elevator pitch - a written, typed pitch of no more than 350 words.

2. Semifinalists will be asked to submit a 2-minute video pitch.

3. The selected finalists will pitch live and online, to a panel of A-list industry professionals.

Previous finalists have signed ON THE SPOT during the pitch competition with a Hollywood Lit Manager. Past winners and finalists have also landed meetings with companies like Verve, Page Boy Productions, and more.

Grand Prize Mentors

2 Grand Prize Winners will be selected this year. One by Oscar-winning writer Diana Ossana (Brokeback Mountain) and the other by Matthew Lieberman (Free Guy). Each Grand Prize winner will receive from their respective mentor: 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

Jury

WENDY CALHOUN

Writer, Producer
Peabody-award-winning Wendy Calhoun's unique career spans one-hour dramas, unscripted series, VR, and gaming. Known as a champion for diversity and inclusion, Calhoun's developed and sold over ten series pitches with bold leading roles for women and people of color. She’s currently developing with Realm, FX, Universal UK, and Starz. Her scripted drama credits include writing and producing the historic blockbuster first season of Fox's Empire and debut seasons of The Rookie Feds, Prodigal Son, Station 19, Nashville, Revenge, and Justified. Calhoun serves on the Board of Directors for the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media and is an honored alumnus of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.

DAVID RABINOWITZ

Academy Award Winning Screenwriter
Originally from NJ, David has been working as a full-time professional screenwriter since 2017. Along with Spike Lee and Kevin Willmott, he and his writing partner Charlie Wachtel co-wrote the 2018 film BlacKkKlansman, and they currently have multiple projects in development as both writers and producers.

YICHEN MA

Literary Manager / Producer Assistant
LIT ENTERTAINMENT GROUP
Yichen Ma is a Literary Manager / Producer Assistant at Lit Entertainment Group working on true-event-inspired narratives. Founded by veteran manager and producer and Madhouse co-founder Adam Kolbrenner (Prisoners, Free Guy)

CHRISTIAN TAYLOR

Producer, TAYLOR LANE PRODUCTIONS
As an accomplished independent producer and founder of Taylor Lane Productions, Christian Taylor has spent over a decade bringing compelling stories to life on the screen. Christian honed his skills in talent and literary management at Industry Entertainment and Lighthouse Entertainment, identifying and nurturing up-and-coming artists and working closely with writers and directors to develop captivating stories in a variety of genres. Since founding Taylor Lane in 2011, he has produced a slate of award-winning films, including HICK (based on the novel by Andrea Portes), starring Chloe Grace Moretz, Academy Award Winner Eddie Redmayne and Blake Lively, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, and Jim Loach's MEASURE OF A MAN (based on the novel ONE FAT SUMMER), written by David Scearce (A SINGLE MAN) and starring Donald Sutherland, Blake Cooper, Luke Wilson, and Judy Greer. He currently has projects in development with Village Roadshow and Brillstein Entertainment Partners and actively packages projects with major agencies and international sales companies.

ANNA RANDAL

Scripted Literary, INDEPENDENT ARTIST GROUP
Anna is in the Scripted Literary department at Independent Artist Group, the newly formed full-service agency that is a union between the Hollywood agency APA and AGI, one of the biggest music touring agencies. She works with a focus in television writing and content development. Anna is a proud alum of the USC School of Cinematic Arts with a Bachelor’s degree in Cinema and Media Studies.

Prizes

PRIZES

Finalists will pitch to our jury of top writers and industry professionals.

The overall Grand Prize winner will receive a $500 prize, and receive personal introductions and phone calls with one or more top Hollywood literary managers who are looking for talented emerging TV screenwriters.
Personal Introduction to industry professionals
$500 Cash
Finalist pitch to managers, screenwriters, and TV writers and producers

Runner-Up Prizes

FIRST RUNNER - UP

Project info and loglines will be circulated and recommended to our network of 150 Hollywood managers, agents, producers, and development executives.

FINALISTS

Finalists will have the exclusive opportunity to pitch live, over Zoom, to a panel of industry professionals.

SECOND  RUNNER-UP

Project info and loglines will be circulated and recommended to our network of 150 Hollywood managers, agents, producers, and development executives.

Previous Success Stories

See More Successes

Dorie Chevlen

Signed with a literary manager

"Build yourself a supportive community. Writing is mostly a slog: it’s lonely, and frustrating, and the majority of the time you will fail at it. That’s just the nature of writing, and yes we do it because we love it, but it’s still quite difficult. Trying to enter the world of screenwriting as a journalist, I have had a lot of catching up to do and ScreenCraft has tremendously helped with that. From advice on what a query letter should look like to what I should include in my bio, I have found it hugely helpful to have the ScreenCraft team hold my hand through this early stage in my career. They facilitated introductions with development executives, agents, and managers that I would never have been able to secure on my own."

Maria Wilson

Signed with a literary manager at Affirmative Entertainment

"I didn’t go to film school and, especially at the beginning, I was super nervous about sharing my work. ScreenCraft was the first writing competition I submitted to, and I’ve continued to do so for several projects because they consistently work with amazing readers who give in depth, actionable notes. The quality of the feedback has just been incredibly valuable for bettering my craft and taking my scripts to the next level. Sometimes I feel like the path to a successful writing career is this weird, nebulous mystery, and it can be pretty intimidating trying to set an effective course. Which is why I sing such high praises about ScreenCraft’s writer development team!! They have this wonderfully hands-on approach that helps clarify how to take actual steps towards your goals. From strategizing on game plans, to answering questions and concerns, to connecting me with other finalists, I’ve just felt super supported throughout. They even got my script read by a number of reps, and facilitated a meeting with the manager that I’m now repped by. I’m just feeling super grateful — it’s been such a whirlwind experience, and ScreenCraft has really gone above and beyond in advancing my career. I can’t thank them enough."

Charlie Fellows

Signed an option agreement

"Like many other screenwriters, my first introduction to the craft was in the classroom setting. However, once I left that safe productive haven of writing and peer discussion, the real world of screenwriting felt like the wild west. The difficulty of finding the right people to read your script and give you feedback can’t be understated, but the genre-based competitions at Screencraft were the best chance I could find to get my material in the right hands and they did not disappoint. Thankfully, once I placed in Screencraft’s animation contest, they were able to send my scripts to production companies both big and small that were specifically interested in the niche that represented my script. With constant support from their staff, Screencraft helped me craft successful cover letters and forge relationships with some of their judges to create further networking opportunities in the industry as well as job opportunities."

As Featured In

Virtual Pitch Articles

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Virtual Pitching Advice for Screenwriters

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Pitching is a crucial skillset for any screenwriter. A strong pitch is an effective and essential tool for a writer to provide a brief glimpse...

What You Can Learn from Watching 10 Writers Pitch on Zoom: ScreenCraft Virtual Pitch Finale

What You Can Learn from Watching 10 Writers Pitch on Zoom: ScreenCraft Virtual Pitch Finale

November 20 | by Shanee Edwards

Pitching your screenplay or TV show is an art unto itself. Not only must you know your story inside and out, express big conflict and...

5 Tips to Make Pitching Your Superpower

5 Tips to Make Pitching Your Superpower

February 10 | by Kyra Jones

Depending on who you ask, pitching is one of the most stressful parts of being a screenwriter. You spend months, sometimes even years of your...

Rules
Eligibility
Selection Criteria
Additional Legal
  1. 350-word pitch 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. There is no optional feedback option from a professional reader applicable to this competition. 
  4. All participants must first submit a written, typed pitch of no more than 350 words.  Your written pitch can include a brief description of characters, plot, themes, tone, writer background, comparable projects, etc. Any submission of more than 350 words will be disqualified from the competition. 
  5. Pitches should be for feature films and episodic series only.  Please do not pitch a short film. 
  6. There is no limit to the number of projects you may submit.
  7. All semi-finalists will be required to submit a filmed video pitch of themselves, via a private link.
  8. Instructions for submission of video pitch will be sent only to Semifinalists. Only submissions with a filmed video pitch will be eligible to advance to the finals.
  9. Semifinalists will be selected from the written submissions. 
  10. Video submission guidelines for Semifinalists:  
    1. Video can be hosted on YouTube, Vimeo, or any public-access video hosting platform.
    2. Video must be 3 minutes or less in total, including stop/start time and a brief introduction. We ask that the pitch itself be no more than 2 minutes, but if you go over by a few seconds you will not be automatically disqualified.
    3. There is no judging criteria based on video quality other than the clear ability to see/hear the writer(s).  Self-filmed pitches via your smartphone are fine. 
    4. No additional props, guests or support materials may be in the video, only the writer(s). 
    5. Writers should - and the judges will - consider this video pitch a rehearsal for pitching live. 
  11. The finalists will be invited to pitch live to the Panel of Judges, over Zoom.
  12. Finalists must be available for the Pitch Finals online event. Finalists who are not available for the event will be disqualified.  
  13. Winners will be selected and announced at the Finals Event .
  14. Pitch 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.
  15. All submitted material must be original, and all rights must be wholly owned by the writer(s).
  16. 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). 
  17. If a writing team is chosen as a winner, both members of the writing team must be available to live-pitch at the Finals event. 
  18. It is recommended (but not required) that original material be registered with the WGA or The Library of Congress US Copyright Office before submitting to any competition.
  19. Contact info may be included on the pitch, however, it is not required.
  20. ScreenCraft claims no ownership nor option on your work. All ownership and rights to the scripts submitted to this contest remain with the original rights holder(s).
  21. 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.
  22. In the event a juror, partner organization, mentor, 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.
  23. ScreenCraft reserves the right to change deadline and announcement dates at any time.
  24. ScreenCraft reserves the right to amend these rules at any time.
  1. The contest is open to entrants who will be 18 or older at the time of the winners’ announcement. 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.)
  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. Material submitted to other competitions or contests may be submitted to this contest as well.
  4. Writers can submit a written pitch for a film or television project even if the script is not completed.
  5. Title page not required.
  6. Written material must be submitted electronically as a PDF or it will not be eligible.
  7. The Semifinalists will be invited to submit a simple video pitch. The video file cannot be uploaded and must be hosted on a free website such as YouTube, Vimeo, etc,  and easy to view with a single link. 
  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. ScreenCraft reserves the right to amend these rules at any time.

The winners will be chosen based on the following criteria: (i) originality, (ii) uniqueness and personality in voice in storytelling, (iii) characterization and (iv)overall professional presentation. 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.

  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

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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