2025 PAGE International Screenwriting Awards
GREAT Exposure for Contest Winners & Finalists!

Final Draft Big Break Screenwriting Contest

Final Draft/Big Break

Contact

2300 W. Empire Avenue
5th floor
Burbank, CA 91504
818-995-8995 (voice)

Web:
Click here
Email:
bigbreak@finaldraft.com

Report Card

Overall: 3.5 stars3.5 stars3.5 stars3.5 stars (3.7/5.0)
Professionalism: 3 stars3 stars3 stars (3.0/5.0)
Feedback: 2.5 stars2.5 stars2.5 stars (2.6/5.0)
Signficance: 3.5 stars3.5 stars3.5 stars3.5 stars (3.7/5.0)
Report Cards: 47    
Have you entered?
Submit a Report card

Objective

Final Draft, the Industry Standard Screenwriting Software, offers the annual Big Break Contest – a screenwriting competition that has been launching careers for over twenty years. Finalists and winners have signed with professional representation. Many have had scripts optioned, sold and produced. Others have found full-time work in television. Prizes include a trip to Hollywood to meet with industry professionals, meeting preparation with top career coach Lee Jessup, $10,000 in cash, a brand new Dell laptop, an iPad, a New York Film Academy Fellowship, and more! Is this YOUR year?

Deadline/Entry Fees

Deadline Date
Days till:
Entry Fee
Early Bird April 21, 2025 $35
Regular May 19, 2025
19
$65
Final June 9, 2025
40
$75
Extended June 30, 2025
61
$85

See website for feedback fees, and other options.

Dates reflect deadlines for electronic submission of scripts. All entries must be electronically submitted by their respective deadlines at midnight Pacific Time.

Eligibility

18 years of age or older. See website for details: https://www.finaldraft.com/big-break-screenwriting-contest

Rules

Visit website for contest rules and conditions: https://www.finaldraft.com/big-break-screenwriting-contest/rules/

Awards

2 Grand Prize Award Winners
  • One Feature Grand Prize and one TV Grand Prize winner will be chosen from the 11 Feature Genre and TV Format award winners
  • These two Grand Prize Award Winners are flown to Hollywood for meetings and networking with executives, producers, agents, and managers. See the full prize package here: https://www.finaldraft.com/big-break-screenwriting-contest/prizes

Final Draft/Big Break

Contact

2300 W. Empire Avenue
5th floor
Burbank, CA 91504
818-995-8995 (voice)

Web:
Click here
Email:
bigbreak@finaldraft.com

Report Card

Overall: 3.5 stars3.5 stars3.5 stars3.5 stars (3.7/5.0)
Professionalism: 3 stars3 stars3 stars (3.0/5.0)
Feedback: 2.5 stars2.5 stars2.5 stars (2.6/5.0)
Signficance: 3.5 stars3.5 stars3.5 stars3.5 stars (3.7/5.0)
Report Cards: 47    
Have you entered?
Submit a Report card

Contest Comments

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Final Draft Big Break Screenwriting Contest

Contact

2300 W. Empire Avenue
5th floor
Burbank, CA 91504
818-995-8995 (voice)

Web:
Click here
Email:
bigbreak@finaldraft.com

Report Card

Overall: 3.5 stars3.5 stars3.5 stars3.5 stars (3.7/5.0)
Professionalism: 3 stars3 stars3 stars (3.0/5.0)
Feedback: 2.5 stars2.5 stars2.5 stars (2.6/5.0)
Signficance: 3.5 stars3.5 stars3.5 stars3.5 stars (3.7/5.0)
Report Cards: 47    
Have you entered?
Submit a Report card

Contest News

Final Draft Announces Contest Winners

Final Draft has announced the winners of the 6th Annual Final Draft "Big Break!" International Screenplay Contest. Big Break! rewards screenwriters with over $15,000 in cash and prizes and exposure to the entertainment industry through meetings with industry professionals, studio executives and agents. This year’s winners were selected out of 3,500 entries worldwide (a 25% increase over last year).

The first place winner is Julia Van Develder of Rhinebeck, New York. Her winning screenplay, The Escape Artist, tells the story of an aspiring artist who finds himself trapped in a boring corporate job and a loveless marriage. He fakes a mental breakdown and is committed to a psychiatric hospital in hopes of pursuing his dream in the guise of “art therapy.” But his boss and his wife discover the con and are out for revenge.

Second place goes to Craig Tiede of Meadville, PA. His screenplay, Zoo Day, is about a meteorologist who abandons his own cancer treatment to track a hurricane. His life collides with those of a wounded soldier and a single mother raising her teenage sons. Together they battle the elements and forge bonds in an attempt to survive.

Jon Gilbert of London, England, won third place. His screenplay, The Sculptress and The Thief, is a thriller about an armed robber on the run from police who takes refuge in a warehouse owned by an eccentric, elderly sculptress. Tensions grow as her devious plans undermine the robber's haven, ending in a horrific climax.

Updated: 10/12/2005

Final Draft Big Break Screenwriting Contest

Contact

2300 W. Empire Avenue
5th floor
Burbank, CA 91504
818-995-8995 (voice)

Web:
Click here
Email:
bigbreak@finaldraft.com

Report Card

Overall: 3.5 stars3.5 stars3.5 stars3.5 stars (3.7/5.0)
Professionalism: 3 stars3 stars3 stars (3.0/5.0)
Feedback: 2.5 stars2.5 stars2.5 stars (2.6/5.0)
Signficance: 3.5 stars3.5 stars3.5 stars3.5 stars (3.7/5.0)
Report Cards: 47    
Have you entered?
Submit a Report card

Submit Report Card

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First-time user? Register now to receive FREE email contest updates, news, results, deadline reminders and more. Rest assured, information submitted here is held in strict confidence. MovieBytes never sells or in any way distributes email names or addresses. We promise!

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