Diverse Voices presented by WeScreenplay

Objective

Deadline/Entry Fees

Notification: Quarterfinalists – May 15th, 2021 – Top 20%. Semifinalists – June 15th, 2021 – Top 5%. Finalists - July 15th, 2021 - Top 25. Winners – August 15th, 2021 – Top 3-4.

Rules

Awards

Past winners have signed with Heroes and Villains, Industry Entertainment, and Gotham Group! The contest has helped raise over $12,000 for non-profits.

JUDGING: Our judges are all industry-experienced gatekeepers. The final round of judging will be completed by the best readers, guest jurors, and at least one industry member. Judging will be based on all aspects that make stories great. Budget and marketability will not be considered for this contest.

JURY:

Talitha Watkins
Talitha Watkins is President and Head of ColorCreative Management – a management and production company. ColorCreative was founded by Issa Rae and Deniese Davis with the mission of delivering women and people-of-color creators best-in-class representation to build career-defining brands through ownership, commercial success, artistic fulfillment, and visibility amongst the multicultural community and industry at large. Previously, Talitha Watkins served as a Motion Picture Agent and Cultural Executive at CAA, where she represented many of the world’s leading producers, directors and actors. Additionally, Watkins helped build out the agency’s multicultural business and capabilities including the multicultural leadership community and event, CAAAmplify.

Charlie Swinbourne
Charlie is a screenwriter and journalist who is deaf and grew up in a deaf family. He's recently written for BBC programmes such as CASUALTY, EASTENDERS, and on new series for CBBC and CBeebies. He was a member of The BBC Writers Room's first Writer Access Group. His work as a writer/director includes the BSL comedy sketch show DEAF FUNNY, the Found documentaries, the FOUR DEAF YORKSHIREMEN comedies, and hit short film THE KISS. He's also penned the award-winning TV dramas MY SONG and DEPARTURE LOUNGE, rude mockumentary HANDS SOLO, the mini-series THE FINGERSPELLERS and YouTube smash COMING OUT. He makes ground-breaking dramas, comedies and documentaries, often with Deaf people and sign language at their heart.

Jen Ray
Jen Ray is a manager at Heroes and Villians Entertainment who provides equal parts career management and editorial/development services to screenwriting clients, with an emphasis on helping young writers break into Hollywood and advocating for unique female voices. Her clients are known for projects such as SAUSAGE PARTY, HACKSAW RIDGE, POWER RANGERS (2017), INTO THE DARK, and more. Jen also produced the independent feature film FOR A GOOD TIME, CALL which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and sold to Focus Features.

The Diverse Voices Lab is a one-of-a-kind lab experience. Those chosen for the lab will have a long weekend PACKED with workshops to hone their craft, mentorship calls with working writers, and general meetings with studio execs, literary reps, and more. It’s truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience for any emerging screenwriter.