American Zoetrope Screenplay Contest
American Zoetrope

Contact
916 Kearny Street
San Francisco, CA 94133
415-788-7500 (voice)
415-989-7910 (fax)
Web:
Click here
Email:
contests@zoetrope.com
Contact: Manjula Martin
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(2.4/5.0) |
| Signficance: |
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(3.6/5.0) |
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Have you entered?
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Objective
The mission of the American Zoetrope Screenplay Competition is to find and promote new and innovative voices in cinema. The competition considers feature-length film scripts, as well as pilot scripts for television/streaming services. Every script is read closely by a select handful of professional readers, and American Zoetrope staff and the guest judge choose a winner from among the ten finalists.
Deadline/Entry Fees
| Deadline | Date Days till: |
Entry Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Early | July 15, 2026 45 |
$40 |
| Final | September 9, 2026 101 |
$50 |
Notification: One winning script and nine finalists will be announced on February 8, 2027. Semi- and quarterfinalists will be announced at the same time.
Eligibility
18 years or older. No earnings greater than $50,000 in the prior calendar year. See website for details.Rules
Please see website.Awards
The winner receives a grand prize of $5,000.
The winner and nine finalists are considered for representation by the agencies CAA, Circle of Confusion, Energy Entertainment, Exile Entertainment, the Gersh Agency, ICM, Oasis Media Group, the Radmin Company, UTA, and William Morris Endeavor. Their scripts will be considered for option and development by the production companies American Zoetrope, Anonymous Content, Array, Cats & Dogs Productions, Double Hope Films, Fox Searchlight, Groundswell Productions, Icon Films, IFC Films, Jean Doumanian Productions, Lionsgate, LIT Entertainment Group, Lleju Productions, Netflix, Number 9 Films, Oasis Media Group, Pretty Pictures Productions, Roserock Films, Sony Pictures Classics, Verisimilitude, and Working Title Films.
American Zoetrope

Contact
916 Kearny Street
San Francisco, CA 94133
415-788-7500 (voice)
415-989-7910 (fax)
Web:
Click here
Email:
contests@zoetrope.com
Contact: Manjula Martin
Report Card |
||
| Overall: |
|
(3.5/5.0) |
| Professionalism: |
|
(3.1/5.0) |
| Feedback: |
|
(2.4/5.0) |
| Signficance: |
|
(3.6/5.0) |
| Report Cards: |
|
|
|
Have you entered?
Submit a Report card
|
||
Categories
Contest Comments
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American Zoetrope Screenplay Contest

Contact
916 Kearny Street
San Francisco, CA 94133
415-788-7500 (voice)
415-989-7910 (fax)
Web:
Click here
Email:
contests@zoetrope.com
Contact: Manjula Martin
Report Card |
||
| Overall: |
|
(3.5/5.0) |
| Professionalism: |
|
(3.1/5.0) |
| Feedback: |
|
(2.4/5.0) |
| Signficance: |
|
(3.6/5.0) |
| Report Cards: |
|
|
|
Have you entered?
Submit a Report card
|
||
Categories
Contest News
American Zoetrope Names Contest Winners
Poppy Luard's Careme has been named the winner from early 2,000 submissions to the 18th Annual American Zoetrope Screenplay Competition. Finalists, semifinalists, and quarterfinalists have also been announced.
Winner
Careme by Poppy Luard (London, England)
Finalists:
The Paisley Witch Trial (pilot) by Julia Campanelli (New York, NY)
So Goes the Night by Mike Cuenca and Dan Rojay (Los Angeles, CA)
Shel by Beth Curry (Los Angeles, CA)
Sixgun Saint by Warren Lane (Sherman Oaks, CA)
Riding with Charlie by Shintaro Ogai (Toda, Japan)
Homegrown by Abhishek Raghavan and Chad Hermann (Brooklyn, NY)
Jumping into Hemingway’s Pool by Nick Roberts (Austin, TX)
Missionary Style (pilot) by Janna Taylor and Lily Gwyer-Miller (Beverly Hills, CA)
Yes No Hello Goodbye by Dana Turken (Los Angeles, CA)
Semifinalists:
Feliza by Andres Borda and Manuela Ochoa (Cajica, Colombia)
The Lease of Nature by Anderson Boyd (Raleigh, NC)
The Gates by John Burr (Los Angeles, CA)
Jamal Garcia by Nora Contreras (Edmond, OK)
Babelsberg by Jon Davis (Woodinville, WA)
The Weekenders by K. K. Fox (Nashville, TN)
An Irish Errand by Ari Frankel (Boston, MA)
Neural by Sarah Granger (Los Altos, CA)
Pearls by Susan Hahn (Nashville, TN)
The Honourable and Chivalrous Sir Gregor MacGregor of Poyais by Sanj Krishnan (London, England)
Unmaking Love by Evan Laughlin (Venice, CA)
Only You by Lyvia Martinez (Tujunga, CA)
Rosemary and Eleanor (pilot) by Will Roane and Ian Wood (New York, NY)
Avenue of the Giants by Thomas Thonson (Los Angeles, CA)
Jakayla by J. Gabriel Ware (Jersey City, NJ)
Quarterfinalists:
Liar’s Town by Mel Barrett (Somerville, MA)
The Viewing of Elwin Ackley by Shell Dannelley (Farmers Branch, TX)
The Trade Winds by Christina DeHayes (Grosse Pointe Woods, MI)
Heir Apparent by Yellowlees Douglas (Walnut Creek, CA)
The Resident by Mike Gerbino (Brooklyn, NY)
Rhubarb by Jordan Gustafson (Los Angeles, CA)
Darcy and the Vampire by Larry Hankin (Marina Del Rey, CA)
Death’s Hidden Love by Ernestina Juarez (Austin, TX)
Action Figures by Russell Koos (Lincoln, NE)
Dreamboat by Aluísio Leite (Los Angeles, CA)
Motherkiller by Terry Lynam (Vero Beach, FL)
Black Cherry by Travis Maiuro (New Hope, PA)
One Last Save by Amy Maki (Santa Fe, NM)
Off-season by Grant Matakino-Bryant (Christchurch, New Zealand)
And Yet It Moves by Matthew Minson (Tomball, TX)
Biba + Tru by Martina Muhoberac (Calabasas, CA)
Faster Than Horses by Chris Mul (Brooklyn, NY)
On the Boulevard by Mel Nieves (Brooklyn, NY)
The Wolves by Courtney Pape (Los Angeles, CA)
Concertmistress by Caroline Rovello (Haymarket, VA)
Three Hours by Aemilia Scott (Chicago, IL)
Demeter by Travis Seppala (San Pedro, CA)
Stand Up by Andy Truschinski (Long Island City, NY)
The Club by Gary Van Haas (Aegina Island, Greece)
Why Don’t We . . . by Sanyee Yuan (Hollywood, CA)
Updated: 02/12/2021
American Zoetrope Screenplay Contest

Contact
916 Kearny Street
San Francisco, CA 94133
415-788-7500 (voice)
415-989-7910 (fax)
Web:
Click here
Email:
contests@zoetrope.com
Contact: Manjula Martin
Report Card |
||
| Overall: |
|
(3.5/5.0) |
| Professionalism: |
|
(3.1/5.0) |
| Feedback: |
|
(2.4/5.0) |
| Signficance: |
|
(3.6/5.0) |
| Report Cards: |
|
|
|
Have you entered?
Submit a Report card
|
||
Categories
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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