A list of categorized screenplay contests, ranked and sorted by screenwriters. Find the best contest for your screenplay or television script.
Subscribe to the MovieBytes Screenwriting Contest Newsletter for weekly screenplay contest deadline alerts!
Final Deadline: 06/28/2017
GRAND PRIZE WINNING EMERGING SCREENWRITER Receives CASH STORY SEMINAR SCHOLARSHIP SCRIPT READS BY INDUSTRY REPS Our goal is to help you, the emerging screenwriter develop as a storyteller, show off your talents to industry, and provide you with a cash prize to help propel you along in your screenwriting career. The new season of the Emerging Screenwriters Screenplay Competition is proud to announce that the Grand Prize Winning screenplay is guaranteed to be read by literary managers and executives! You will also receive an invitation into the ISA Development Program, where the team will work with you to further package and champion your winning script to more industry execs for a full year! 8 writers have signed option agreements or signed with an agency in the past 18 months.
Overall rating: 
Final Deadline: 06/28/2017
To discover original, high-concept TV show ideas and develop the winning material with the writer for circulation network execs and television producers.
Overall rating:
Final Deadline: 07/07/2017
MISSION: To provide industry exposure and support to television screenwriters who are looking to have their stories told. FEEDBACK: We believe that writers need feedback to improve, which is why we provide the judges’ score cards to every entrant at no additional charge. PROMISE: We promise to give all scripts two rounds of scores and there will be a total of six rounds of scores to ensure fairness and transparency.
Overall rating:
Final Deadline: 07/15/2017
The objective of the Moondance International Film Festival is to inspire, motivate, promote and encourage the best writers & independent filmmakers, from every country in the world, and to inspire a greater understanding about the vital role of the arts in enhancing creativity, community spirit, and the preservation of our cultural heritage.
Overall rating:
Final Deadline: 07/15/2017
The Action Adventure Script Showcase recognizes and showcases feature screenplays and television scripts, and provides opportunities for writers to showcase their projects to development executives, producers, agents, and managers. ALL SCRIPT ENTRIES RECEIVE... SCRIPT SHOWCASE A custom project page on the website to showcase your script to development executives, producers, managers and agents.
Overall rating:
Final Deadline: 07/16/2017
This four-day intensive will set the groundwork for the Spring Writers' Retreat, ongoing mentoring and coaching, and, at the end of the process, participation in a major film market, high-level pitch meetings, being prepared to go into production independently and / or starting a meaningful crowd-funding campaign. You will learn skills and be exposed to opportunities to get your work made and seen.
Overall rating:
Final Deadline: 07/28/2017
The Slamdance Screenplay Competition is dedicated to discovering and supporting emerging writing talent. We welcome screenplays in every genre, on any topic, from anywhere in the world. A unique feature of the competition is providing constructive feedback for every entrant. In addition to this, we also offer a more intensive coverage service for a supplementary fee.
Overall rating:
Final Deadline: 07/31/2017
To make Hollywood more accessible than ever before to more aspiring screenwriters, Filmmakers.com is forming strategic alliances with the powers that be... Championing Emerging Artists. FilmMakers International Screenwriting Awards has been in existence since 2000 (formerly known as The Radmin Company / FilmMakers.com Screenplay Contest) and its association with the Radmin Company has been going on since late 2000.
Overall rating:
Final Deadline: 07/31/2017
To promote and support new talent by creating real and original opportunities.
Overall rating:
Final Deadline: 07/31/2017
The 1st TV Script Writing Competition is presented by FilmMakers.com . It wasn't that long ago that for a writer to be discovered he or she had to reside in or around Hollywood. The Film Industry is changing rapidly and so are the players as well as the playground. All you need is a break and it starts with you getting your GEM out there. Submit your work to an organization that stood the test of time.
Overall rating:
Final Deadline: 07/31/2017
Season 2: The FILMMATIC Screenplay Awards were created to locate and expose up-and-coming screenwriters, as well as to empower and educate those talented writers still waiting for their invitation to the mainstream industry. The Filmmatic Screenplay Competiton is open to short and feature-length works, screenplays and pilots. 10 Categorical Winners, 1 Overall Winner, and 100 Finalists will be announced at the conclusion of the competition You've worked hard on your screenplay, and our staff and Judges are excited to read your work.
Overall rating:
Final Deadline: 08/01/2017
Founded by longtime residents and movie veterans alike, the Sherman Oaks Film Festival looks to showcase the best undiscovered movies in the heart of Los Angeles. The neighborhood that was home the mall in Fast Times At Ridgemont High deserves a world class film festival! The Sherman Oaks Film Festival has a category for unproduced screenplays of any length, feature or short or in between.
Overall rating:
Final Deadline: 08/02/2017
The Table Read My Screenplay Contest is more than just a screenplay contest. It's an experience! The Grand Prize Feature/Pilot Winner will be flown to Chicago during the Chicago International Film Festival. Grand Prize Winner will have their screenplay read by professional actors and workshopped by a director. We cover Hotel & Airfare expenses during the festival.
Overall rating:
Final Deadline: 08/04/2017
The Action on Film 13th Annual Film Festival celebrates and honors WRITERS of all genres and formats like no other festival does. Now in our 13th year, our Film Festival has garnered a solid reputation as being one of the premier Writing competitions. The AOF has created a solid community of Filmmakers and Writers from around the globe. Always looking to embrace and recognize writers, AOF is on the cutting edge looking to create a vehicle for our writers to be seen and honored.
Overall rating:
Final Deadline: 08/09/2017
First Mentor Announced: Gary Lucchesi, President of both Lakeshore Entertainment and the Producers Guild of America The ISA Fast Track Fellowship wants to find TWO emerging writers ready to FAST TRACK their screenwriting careers with an accelerated week of meetings in Los Angeles with EIGHT top level executive mentors. Past fellows have been optioned or received representation from Catapult Entertainment Group, The Savage Agency, Indomitable Entertainment, Requiem Entertainment and more.
Overall rating:
Final Deadline: 08/18/2017
Poe Films proudly sponsors “Burning Love Screenplay Contest” to discover and promote contemporary screenwriters who bring fresh voices and creative storytelling as Edgar Allan Poe brought to his generation. In collaboration with the Poe Foundation, dedicated to honoring Poe's talents and inspiring the next generation of writers, Poe Films is seeking drama and comedy features, shorts and teleplays driven, at least in part, by love in its many forms.
Overall rating:
Final Deadline: 08/31/2017
Discovering new screenwriting talent from around the world. Shore Scripts Screenwriting Competition is focused on unearthing the best scripts from around the world and getting them into the hands of the producers and production companies who have the ability to get them made. Patrick Tobin, the writer of CAKE starring Jennifer Aniston is one of our most recent successes.
Overall rating:
Final Deadline: 09/13/2017
Our panel of Hollywood industry professionals is looking for the next great drama and comedy TV pilots for network, cable and online platforms! We will also be accepting web series and non-traditional series pilots.
Overall rating:
Final Deadline: 09/15/2017
The Sports Script Showcase recognizes and showcases feature screenplays and television scripts, and provides opportunities for writers to showcase their projects to development executives, producers, agents, and managers. ALL SCRIPT ENTRIES RECEIVE... SCRIPT SHOWCASE A custom project page on the website to showcase your script to development executives, producers, managers and agents.
Overall rating:
Final Deadline: 09/17/2017
We are delighted to announce the return of our main international competition for Summer 2017. The WriteMovies Summer 2017 Screenwriting Competition is now OPEN! Win $2000 and become our next success story! There’s $2000 available in prize money, plus over $3000 in script development for the 3 winners, and new bonuses and promotion through InkTip (see below!) – we promise to develop and promote them to the top of the international film industry.
Overall rating:
Final Deadline: 09/30/2017
Every story has a beginning. Every realized dreamscape, every fantastic voyage, every intelligent android to ever appear on screen starts with blank page or a blinking cursor. Science fiction has always been about incredible possibilities and exploring the unknown, and what offers more opportunity than an empty page? Other Worlds is dedicated to fostering and promoting creativity in Science Fiction at every stage of development, so we are proud to announce our annual SciFi Screenwriting Contest is now currently open and accepting submissions! The contest runs concurrently with the film program, and will award prizes for the top feature, short or teleplay.
Overall rating:
Final Deadline: 10/15/2017
To discover innovative, marketable, high-concept projects for studio-level development, including feature screenplays, TV material, and media content.
Overall rating:
Final Deadline: 10/16/2017
Our intention is to help open doors for the aspiring television writer. There are four categories you can submit to, which include 1 hour existing spec scripts, 1/2 hour existing sitcom spec scripts, original pilots, and reality programs. This competition is designed with the TV writer and crossover screenwriter in mind. The participants we have chosen to read the winning scripts are individuals from established production companies.
Overall rating:
Final Deadline: 11/01/2017
We are all about giving agents, showrunners, and executives exactly what they now are looking for: Spec pilot teleplays that showcase you, the new writer operating at your very best. If the suits love the writing of a spec pilot, they have the best reason in the world to trust the writer to come through in the development process. A strongly-written spec pilot shows you’re ready for the gig.
Overall rating:
Final Deadline: 11/03/2017
Cinequest voted Best Film Festival by USA Today Readers. Submissions open May 1st, 2017! The Cinequest Screenwriting Competition continues to empower global screenwriters through discovery, recognition and opportunity. Cinequest loves writers, and we welcome you to submit your screenplay or teleplay to our renowned competition.
Overall rating:
Final Deadline: 11/06/2017
The CineStory Foundation has always believed in helping writers find their voice. We’re entering a world in which the ways to tell stories are limitless. Those stories always begin with a blank page. Our goal with the TV/Digital Series Retreat is to assist writers, whether they long for the collaborative nature of Television or they dream of going out on their own to create their own web series.
Overall rating:
Final Deadline: 11/10/2017
13Horror.com is back with THE go-to contest for horror screenwriters and film-makers! The categories for the contest are: Feature-length screenplays Short screenplays Feature-length movies Short movies Winning entrants will receive some truly awesome prizes, including: Cash Publishing deals Movie distribution offer Film-making classes Contacts with horror movie industry insiders Horror merchandise And much more Each screenplay and movie entrant receives a comprehensive feedback form from one of our Hollywood judges, explaining how their screenplay or film did against the judging criteria.
Overall rating:
Final Deadline: 11/15/2017
The Women’s Script Showcase recognizes and showcases feature screenplays, shorts, and television scripts that feature one of the following: Female Lead Character OR Female Writer or Co-Writer, and provides opportunities for writers to showcase their projects to development executives, producers, agents, and managers. ALL SCRIPT ENTRIES RECEIVE.
Overall rating:
Final Deadline: 11/30/2017
LIMBO screenplay contest is now open for the second year! This year LIMBO will announce two winners. Submit your screenplay for a chance to win $500 cash and a chance to sell your screenplay to the producers. If your script is already in perfect shape, great! Submit it as is. We are looking for the best writer in the bunch. Enter the LIMBO Script Competition and come out a winner!
Overall rating:
Final Deadline: 12/14/2017
Mission: Faith in Film is dedicated to forging a screenwriting competition that will launch the careers of filmmakers focused on adding the element of faith to their films and facilitate established filmmakers in transitioning into making more faith films. Our aim is to build a festival that will introduce faith based films to mass audiences, ultimately, giving them the same multi platform release schedules and revenue streams that traditional studio films and high end independent films enjoy; and to inspire, showcase, support, and develop filmmakers of all faith’s to make great faith based films that leave others touched, moved and inspired; and filmmakers and distributors empowered to make and distribute more faith and family films.
Overall rating:
Final Deadline: 12/14/2017
We love New York and we love film! We especially loves films shot, set, about, or written and produced and starring New Yorkers! And by New Yorker, we mean New Yorkers from the State, the City, and around the world. Even New Yorkers who haven’t made it here yet. We love you all. (And no, you don’t have to be from here to submit your scripts). We are a passionate group of entertainment professionals who care deeply about nurturing, developing, and furthering the careers of the next generation of New York City filmmakers and screenwriters from the U.
Overall rating:
Final Deadline: 12/14/2017
We are a team of artists, writers, directors, and producers that want nothing more than to support the next generation of filmmakers and screenwriters from around the world. Specifically, those storytellers that passionate about telling stories about our communities in the U.S. and abroad, from inner city Atlanta, LA, New York, Oakland, Detroit, Chicago, and Milwaukee to Africa, Brazil, and the Caribbean, to Wall Street and the streets of London to the NBA.
Overall rating:
Final Deadline: 12/15/2017
Accepting ALL genres of scripts that feature Crime or Thriller Elements (such as: Murder, Mayhem, Deception, Cons, Gangland, Mafia, White Collar, Heists, Gambling, Kidnapping, Theft, Financial, Espionage, Corruption, Injustice) The Crime & Thriller Script Showcase recognizes and showcases feature and television writing, and provides opportunities for writers to showcase their projects to industry executives, producers, agents, and managers.
Overall rating:
Final Deadline: 12/31/2017
Due to overwhelming demand, we're opening our competition to Television Pilots as well as feature scripts this year! CrowdSource Studios Script Competition was created by professional screenwriters, actors, directors & producers to give unknown screenwriters a real, fair opportunity to be discovered & have your script or pilot produced! Most script competitions offer prizes including publicity, connections & merchandise.
Overall rating:
Final Deadline: Monthly.
With two cycles of our main competition clashing almost directly with the deadline dates of our Monthly Contest, we’ve decided to delay relaunching our Monthly Contest again until at least January 2017. Anyone who has submitted to our Monthly contest since the start of August will be offered a free entry to the main contest (representing a significant discount on its current entry price), which currently closes at the same time as the September competition would have done anyway! In place of the Monthly Contest, we’d like to introduce our new FEATURED SCRIPT OF THE MONTH.
Overall rating:
Final Deadline: Monthly.
WILDsound Monthly Screenplay Festival offers screenwriters at all levels the fantastic opportunity of hearing their scripts read out loud using Top Professional Actors and seen by 10000s of people online, including producers and agents. At least 5 winning readings done every single month. Click the website info and watch the winning videos.
Overall rating:
Final Deadline: Ongoing - submit anytime.
Submit a TV SPEC SCREENPLAY or ORIGINAL TV PILOT (monthly deadlines) and get the chance to see your script read out loud at our Screenplay Festival using professional actors. Shown online on the YouTube channel that garners 1000s of views. CLICK the website link for examples of past winners. A great way to get your words out there and obtain the Agent you're looking for or just get your script seen by more people.
Overall rating:
Final Deadline: Last day of each month
A monthly competition for members of Talentville.com who have uploaded full length, drama or sitcom screenplays at the site. Script are reviewed and rated via a peer review system among the members, with the top three rated scripts becoming a finalist at the end of each month. All finalists receive professional coverage by Scriptapalooza, with the order of finish being judged solely by them.
Overall rating:
Final Deadline: Monthly.
FULL FEEDBACK on the first moments of your screenplay from our committee of Professional Screenwriters, Production Heads and Script Consultants. Are you just starting off your screenplay and want immediate feedback on your first scenes/first moments of your script?
Overall rating:
Final Deadline: Monthly.
To provide a great platform that allows screenwriters to compete against each other for recognition, and prizes.
Overall rating:
Final Deadline: Monthly.
The short film traces its roots to the very beginning of movie history, long before the concept of a feature films existed. Almost a century later, short films continue to strive as a new filmmaker's calling card in Hollywood. Short films serve as a quick, efficient medium to demonstrate a filmmaker's talent. And it all begins with a great script.
Overall rating: