A list of upcoming screenplay contests, rated by screenwriters and sorted by deadline. Find the best contest for your screenplay or television script.
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Final Deadline: 01/29/2020
Dramas have always held a place of prestige in feature film and Stage 32 is conducting a worldwide search for the best drama screenplays. No matter the size of your project's budget, whether you write indie or studio, it doesn’t matter. Our judges simply want to find the most talented writers and the most interesting drama projects from around the world! And this year, it could be you!
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Final Deadline: 01/31/2020
Working with top industry mentors, annual four-day intensive lab is designed to help participants develop film and TV projects in an intensive and supportive environment. You will learn skills and be exposed to opportunities to get your work made and seen. The four-day lab is enrolled through competitive application process. All other elements of Stowe Story Labs programming (writers' retreats, ongoing mentoring, market experiences, fiscal agency) are available by invitation only.
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Final Deadline: 02/02/2020
The 4th annual Bigfork Independent Film Festival's first Montana Screenwriting Competition is eager to find narrative screenplays that demonstrate the exceptional talents and skills of Montana writers &/or highlight the special qualities of Montana locations. This Montana-focused writing competition accepts ONLY narrative Feature and Short Film screenplays (no documentary film scripts, teleplays or stageplays).
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Final Deadline: 02/03/2020
Taking place in Sun Valley, Idaho in the days leading up to the 2020 Sun Valley Film Festival (March 18-22), the High Scribe residency will offer four finalists rare opportunities including Industry roundtables, insider access during the Sun Valley Film Festival, and personalized face time with Academy Award winner Stephen Gaghan. During the Festival, Gaghan will host the Sun Valley Screenwriters Lab, which will include a moderated discussion with Gaghan, live table read, and the announcement of the 2020 High Scribe winner, selected by High Scribe judge, Jennifer Todd.
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Final Deadline: 02/05/2020
SeriesFest is a non-profit organization dedicated to championing artists at the forefront of episodic storytelling. With year-round educational programs, initiatives supporting underserved voices, and professional development opportunities, SeriesFest inspires, educates, and connects a worldwide community of creators. Each June, SeriesFest culminates in a highly-curated and celebrated Denver-based festival and marketplace.
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Final Deadline: 02/06/2020
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 artists who care deeply about nurturing, developing, and furthering the careers of the next generation of New York City filmmakers and screenwriters from the U.
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Final Deadline: 02/06/2020
We are San Francisco. And we love film and we love writers. In fact, we care so deeply about developing the next generation of filmmakers from the U.S. and abroad that we founded what we hope will be one of the most prestigious screenwriting competitions in the world for serious writers and serious subject matter. We are an independent screenwriting competition founded by artists, and while we are artists, a lot of us come from backgrounds in journalism, publishing, and in some cases some very grisly real life experiences and we like serious subject matter.
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Final Deadline: 02/09/2020
Our celebration of great writing continues with our latest genre prize. After the great success of our Sci-Fi and Fantasy and Horror competitions, we are proud to announce the first ever WriteMovies Romance and Comedy Award! Do you like to make people laugh with great comedy? Are you a fan of stories about enduring love and relationships? Or do you like to blend the two into that most classic of genres, the rom-com? Then this is the contest for you! The WriteMovies Romance and Comedy Award is here to celebrate scripts that lift our spirits through laughter or inspire us with passionate love – or a bit of both! We’ll be accepting scripts in the genres of both comedy and romance, plus the crossover genre of the romantic-comedy.
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Final Deadline: 02/20/2020
We are passionate about film and passionate about nurturing, developing, and supporting the next generation of great filmmakers and screenwriters from North America and around the world. Our mission is to forge a screenwriting competition that will recognize the next generation of great writers and filmmakers. We love all kinds of scripts and stories from studio blockbusters to art house fare.
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Final Deadline: 02/20/2020
Welcome to the Edinburgh International Screenwriting Competition. We are the world’s foremost screenwriting competition dedicated to the odd and insane. Because as Jack Kerouac once said, “the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue center light pop and everybody goes “Awww!” Our aim is to launch the careers of cinema’s most original screenwriters by creating the world’s most prestigious screenwriting competition.
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Final Deadline: 02/29/2020
Breaking Walls is a contest for thriller screenplays with contacts at established Hollywood literary representation and production companies who have agreed to consider the full winning script and the top finalists' loglines. Well-written thrillers are always an excellent way for writers to show Hollywood pros a combination of commerciality, unique voice, and a clear understanding of effective feature film narrative.
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Final Deadline: 02/29/2020
The Houston Comedy Film Festival opened for submissions in 2008 and we had our first event in 2009. We are looking for a diverse palette of comedy screenplays with the following categories. 1-40 pages is considered a short and 41-150 pages is considered a feature in our world. 1) Comedy Short & Comedy Features 2) Dark Comedy Short & Dark Comedy Feature 3) Comedy TV Episode, Sitcom, or Webisode: Short & Feature (commonly called a Teleplay) 4) Romantic Comedy Short and Romantic Comedy Feature 80% of the submissions go to the Comedy Short & Feature Categories, which are the most competitive.
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Final Deadline: 02/29/2020
The Austin Comedy Short Film Festival held our first event in 2015. This event has been bi-annual since the beginning. We are looking for a diverse palette of comedy screenplays with the following categories. 1-40 pages is considered a short and 41-150 pages is considered a feature in our world. 1) Comedy Short & Comedy Features Screenplays 2) Dark Comedy Short & Dark Comedy Feature Screenplays 3) Comedy TV Episode, Sitcom, or Webisode: Short & Feature (commonly called a Teleplay) 4) Romantic Comedy Short and Romantic Comedy Feature Screenplays 80% of the submissions go to the Comedy Short & Feature Categories, which are the most competitive.
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Final Deadline: 02/29/2020
Perhaps no other medium of entertainment liberates the writer’s imagination more than animation. From wildly experimental 2D animation, to photo-realistic 3D animation, and everything in between, the medium of animation can allow for many kinds of inventive, visual storytelling. Whether you’re writing an animated family feature, a serious animated series for adults, or a kids TV show, we’re honoring three categories in this annual competition!
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Final Deadline: 03/01/2020
WriteMovies has been helping writers succeed since 1999. We are currently accepting entries to our Winter 2020 Screenwriting Contest! Grand Prize: $2000 A year of free script development worth up to $3200 Guaranteed pitching to industry Exclusive prizes from InkTip Get free entry to the contest when you commission a script report, with Judging Feedback from just $89 Through our exclusive arrangement with TALENTSCOUT INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT (TSIM) we can guarantee the contest winner representation.
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Final Deadline: 03/08/2020
The International Horror Hotel fosters creativity within genre writers and filmmakers, providing a platform for them to share their work and gain recognition. Our main focus is in connecting those working within the horror (and sub-genre) community, helping them to expand their network and gain contacts to strengthen their work. The 2020 festival will be held June 11th-14th at Mentor Holiday Inn - 20 minutes from downtown Cleveland (OH).
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Final Deadline: 03/11/2020
Whether you’re writing feature comedy screenplays or 30-60 minute teleplays, we want you to bring the funny! This year, we will again be flying our winner out to Los Angeles for face-to-face meetings. Further, other winning writers will have online meetings with executives and all finalists will have their loglines exposed to a list of hundreds of executives for the possibility of having their scripts requested.
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Final Deadline: 03/13/2020
The Cary Theater is pleased to present BEYOND: The Cary Film Festival, a celebration of the many facets of the art of storytelling through film. BEYOND: The Film Festival will highlight all aspects of filmmaking, featuring a short film competition and screenplay writing competition (length – 30 minutes or less). Each year, the festival will explore some of the behind-the-scenes aspects of the filmmaking process.
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Final Deadline: 03/15/2020
The festival Film Invasion Los Angeles looks to showcase the best undiscovered movies in the heart of L.A. FILA has a category for unproduced screenplays of any length, feature or short or in between. Both movie and television screenplays are accepted. Screenplays will be evaluated by the jury based on merit, and winners will receive passes to the film festival and be cheered on by an audience when they are brought up to receive their reward.
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Final Deadline: 03/15/2020
The Scriptation Showcase is officially open for submissions! Emerging writers can now enter their best screenplay, teleplay, or short. The Scriptation Showcase is the screenwriting competition that circulates winners’ scripts to the directors, showrunners, and producers behind your favorite movies and TV shows. Why submit to the Scriptation Showcase? UNPRECENDENTED EXPOSURE Never before has a screenwriting competition made your script so accessible to working industry professionals.
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Final Deadline: 03/19/2020
The Crime List recognizes an exceptional film, script or book that features a crime story (murder, organized crime, gangsters, fraud / corruption, missing / kidnapped, revenge, heist, etc.)
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Final Deadline: 03/19/2020
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.
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Final Deadline: 03/19/2020
We are a team of artists 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 black 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.
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Final Deadline: 03/20/2020
All entries receive a 50-Point-Analysis and a written review from judges trained in the Save the Cat! Methodology. Our approach is simple: a screenplay competition that uses the same language the writer, the reader, and the decision makers use when analyzing your work. We are fortunate enough that Save the Cat! and the 15 story points (our beat sheet) is part of creative culture and has become the shared language of creators and executives.
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Final Deadline: 03/25/2020
The Writers Lab, produced by IRIS and New York Women in Film & Television and supported by Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman, is open for submissions of screenplays by women over the age of 40 ABOUT THE LAB The Writers Lab brings 12 women screenwriters over the age of 40 with promising scripts together with outstanding professional female filmmakers for an intensive four-day screenwriting development retreat of one-on-one meetings, panel discussions and other activities designed to inspire the artists; to prompt rigorous creative exploration; and, through revision, to cultivate first-rate cinematic stories.
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Final Deadline: 03/30/2020
FIRST 15 - FEATURE & TV PILOT The FIRST 15 is a unique competition where your script will only be judged based upon your opening FIRST 15 pages. As a “Thank You” to everyone for your support during our first two years we are giving anyone who applies on Filmfreeway FREE ENTRY for the FIRST 15 Days of the competition. The FIRST 15 is a great way to kick off the New Year and jump-start your writing to prepare your script for all the upcoming top tier competitions, writers programs and residency applications.
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Final Deadline: 03/31/2020
Creative World Awards (CWA) is an international screenwriting contest that is well known for having the writer's interest at heart when it comes to development and industry promotion. Production: CWA brings an exciting production opportunity to the Grand Prize Winner. This year’s winner will have the options of a short version of their script being produced by The MIX, and the film will then get a guaranteed premiere at the Richmond International Film Festival.
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Final Deadline: 03/31/2020
"100 Screenplays" is a unique contest brought to you by "Screenplay Festival," one of the longest running and highest rated screenplay competitions on MovieBytes. We accept one hundred scripts into each contest, and quickly get the results to you. "!00 Screenplays" is a fast, targeted screenplay contest where every writer who enters goes in knowing exactly how many scripts will be in the competition, and every writer knows that there will be results less than a month after the contest closes.
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Final Deadline: 03/31/2020
Whether you’re writing a contained science fiction drama or an epic fantasy saga, we want to read your TV, feature film or short scripts. The jury is out of this world — with judges who love sci-fi and fantasy — from top companies including MGM TELEVISION, CIRCLE OF CONFUSION, APA and 21 LAPS! Don’t miss the industry’s #1 sci-fi & fantasy screenwriting competition.
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Final Deadline: 03/31/2020
The Inroads Screenwriting Fellowship competition was created to locate, expose and nurture up-and-coming screenwriters who have yet to receive their invitation to the mainstream industry. The competition is proudly sponsored by InkTip, The Script Coverage Co., and Filmmatic, and is open to all screenplays and pilots.
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Final Deadline: 03/31/2020
The Portland Comedy Film Festival, ranked in the Top 100 on FilmFreeway, is a unique forum for international independent comedy filmmakers to showcase their comedy films in Portland, Oregon. The Portland Comedy Film Festival is a bi-annual event, searching for funny and engaging films and screenplays to entertain a comedy loving audience.
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Final Deadline: 03/31/2020
The Austin After Dark Film Festival screens at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Lakeline in Austin, Texas. This event will focus on films that are created for a mature audience. Enjoy a great slate of films in large cushioned seating, a massive theater screen, with access to 50 beers on tap and full restaurant while you watch films. Austin is a great independent film town and this event will be a lot of fun as well as a great opportunity to network with filmmakers and screenwriters.
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Final Deadline: 03/31/2020
The 14th annual Dallas International Film Festival, powered by Capital One, is the largest in North Texas, committed to providing leadership in screen education and the recognition and celebration of excellence in the art of film, television, screenwriting and digital media. Through the 2020 "Broaden Your Horizons" screenwriting competition, presented by Event Horizon Films, DIFF offers writers the opportunity to submit scripts for feature films, television pilots and short films, which will be reviewed by readers at top Hollywood talent agencies and management companies, such as: Abrams Artists Agency WME United Talent Agency Gersh Agency Innovative Artists Circle of Confusion Buschwald DIFF's all-star lineup of judges includes: Ken Estin, 3-time Emmy winning screenwriter and producer (Taxi, Cheers, The Tracey Ullman Show, Beverly Hills Cop) Teresa Cheng, animation producer and production manager (Shrek Forever After, Madagascar, Batman & Robin, True Lies) Lisa Furfine, CEO of the Furfine Network, connecting sports and entertainment industry professionals (The New Celebrity Apprentice, SportsTravel magazine) Johnathan Brownlee, director, producer, writer, actor and executive director for DIFF (Three Days In August, The Standoff at Sparrow Creek, Decoding Annie Parker)
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Final Deadline: 04/01/2020
The Orlando International Film Festival, Inc (OIFF) is a nonprofit organization seeking to bring unique and diverse stories to the beautiful setting of Orlando. The festival will be taking place at the Orange County Convention Center May 23rd to May 26th.
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Final Deadline: 04/03/2020
Honoring Stories Worth Telling. All Ages, All Cultures, All written formats. The rationale behind the festival is clear. New media continues to show its lasting power and potential to evolve - there is scope for truly groundbreaking and compelling work in the world of storytelling. The festival is designed to both discover and cultivate highly creative work from emerging and seasoned content creators.
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Final Deadline: 04/10/2020
New York International Screenplay Awards is an international screenplay competition for screenwriters who aspire to connect with the USA industry workers and explore the US markets. NYISA winners will be connected to the US film industry by InkTip Magazine, iPitch. tv, and Script Mailer. They’ll be registered for free at CreatersVault, and will receive free screenwriting courses from Script Reader Pro, plus, detailed analysis and free consultations by Coverage Ink… And much more! NYISA’s valued jury members are industry professionals such as Producers, Script Doctors, Directors, Actors and Screenwriters.
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Final Deadline: 04/13/2020
Scriptapalooza was founded in 1998 with the goal of helping as many writers as possible through the competition. We have over 90 production companies, agents and managers reading all the entered scripts. (A complete list of participants is on Scriptapalooza's website.) We actively push the Semifinalists, Finalists, Runners-Up and Winners for a full year with the intention of creating opportunities for the writers.
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Final Deadline: 04/13/2020
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.
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Final Deadline: 04/13/2020
The fellowship program was developed to honor dedicated writers and to help further their creative process and skills. Writing in itself is a journey and we would like to facilitate the process by giving the fellows the opportunity to be surrounded by like-minded professionals and individuals. Application Requirements: Completed application and fee.
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Final Deadline: 04/14/2020
Seattle's burgeoning independent film community is home to artists, actors, writers, directors, producers, singers, dancers, musicians, storytellers, filmmakers, and multi-hyphenates of all shapes and sizes. People from all walks of life, from all over the world, call our city home. They come hear to learn, hone, and practice their craft. Unlike other major hubs, that are only interested in established talent, artists know they can come to Seattle and grow into their greatness.
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Final Deadline: 04/14/2020
Hollywood is where people have come to make it in the industry since the birth of the entertainment industry. We are not just the home of actors, writers, directors, and producers of all shapes and sizes, we are the home of the industry itself. Everyone who’s anyone has a presence here or wish they did. People from all walks of life, from all over the world, come here to make it.
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Final Deadline: 04/19/2020
CineStory is a national non-profit dedicated to nurturing emerging screenwriters through mentorship programs. Winners of our competition have gone on to pen films such as IRON MAN, CAKE, THE CHILDREN OF MEN, BALLAST, KING OF CALIFORNIA and 11:14. One of the main goals of the CineStory Feature Retreat is to select up-and-coming screenwriters for our four-day intensive program held in the Fall.
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Final Deadline: 04/20/2020
The PAGE Awards competition was established in the fall of 2003 by an alliance of Hollywood producers, agents, and development execs. Our goal: to discover the most exciting new scripts by up-and-coming writers from across the country and around the world. And due to the success of our winning writers, the PAGE Awards competition has rapidly become one of the most important sources for new screenwriting talent within the Hollywood community and worldwide.
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Final Deadline: 04/22/2020
The True Story Screenplay Competition recognizes and showcases feature screenplays and television scripts based on, or inspired by, true stories.
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Final Deadline: 04/22/2020
Stage 32 has partnered with Trick Candle Productions and Glass House Distribution to launch a brand-new Microbudget Horror Script Competition for 2020. The winning script will receive a $5,000 option, be entered into a mentorship program with the film’s producers and be eligible for a production greenlit for up to $100,000 by Trick Candle and Glass House.
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Final Deadline: 04/24/2020
The SENE Film Festival Screenplay Competition seeks to encourage, recognize and promote talented screenwriters.
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Final Deadline: 04/27/2020
We are looking to find the next generation of Sorkins, Rhimes, Gilligans, & Lorres by shining a spotlight on new, fresh voices writing for television. And we've enlisted a great industry judging panel from the TV world to help us. THE INDUSTRY PANEL Berry Welsh - SVP, Production & Development - Tribeca Film Tyler Knell - Manager of Development - Circle of Confusion Television Studios Peter Dealbert - Lit Manager - Pacific View Management Jeff Portnoy - Lit Manager - Bellevue Productions Dustin Davis - Head of Comedy - Youtube Originals Amanda Krentzman - International Originals - Netflix Jillian Apfelbaum - EVP, Content - Village Roadshow Entertainment Group Ryan Cunningham - Lit Manager - Anonymous Content Chris Mills - Lit Manager - Magnet Management Justin Killion - Head of Premium Programming & Development - COMPLEX Carly Kahane - Vice-President - Topple Productions Mike Goldberg - TV Lit Agent - APA A.
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Final Deadline: 04/30/2020
Whether you have a romantic comedy or an action-comedy blockbuster, we want to read your script. Big or small, our jury is looking for smart scripts with strong command of the craft, lots of heart and unique comedic voices. All entries are eligible for optional feedback from a studio-trained professional reader.
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Final Deadline: 04/30/2020
In 2010, Executive Director Cathleen Young created NEW VOICES with the vision of discovering, developing and launching a new generation of talented writers under the mentorship of Hollywood showrunners and studio partners. MENTORS INCLUDE: Alan Ball, Jenny Bicks, Janine Sherman Barrois, Matt Carlson, Carter Covington, Liz Craft, Sarah Fain, Tom Fontana, Gary Glasberg, Gary David Goldberg, Marc Guggenheim, Hart Hanson, Chris Harris, Felicia Henderson, David Hudgins, Jason Katims, Jay Kogen, Bill Lawrence, Ali LeRoi, Melanie Marnich, Nancy Pimental, Rashad Raisani, David Shore, Robin Swicord, Pam Veasey, Ben Watkins, and David Zuckerman.
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Final Deadline: 04/30/2020
Lets hear it for the screenwriters people! The backbone, yet often overlooked, of the film industry. Screenwriters are a group of people who would love to have their work recognized but seldom do. The Florida Short Script Challenge is aiming to change that. We ourselves are screenwriters and have been for four years now. We know the struggle for screenwriters and the inability to find someone to read your work.
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