Top 8 Screenplay Contests of 2009 and the Scams
by Jaden
photo credit: pareeerica
‘Tis the season for preparing and entering your scripts into feature screenplay competitions.
This list is specifically tailored for writers who are trying to break into Hollywood and want to submit feature length screenplays of 90 to 120 pages (90-minute to 2-hour movies) that are intended for the cinema screen.
The top 8 screenplay contests that will earn you the greatest prizes and help you break into Hollywood are:
1. Nicholl Fellowships
Up to 5 people will each win $30,000 fellowships from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the folks who do the Academy Awards and give out the Oscars. This is the cream of the crop of screenwriting competitions.
Deadline: May 1, 2009 ~ Fee: $30
2. Samual Goldwyn Writing Awards UCLA
For students in the University of California undergraduates system only. This is an exceptional opportunity. First place wins $15,000. Second place wins $7,500. Other prizes as well. Great recognition.
Deadline: June 1, 2009 ~ No Fee
3. Zoetrope Screenplay Contest
Francis Ford Coppola’s motion picture production company Zoetrope offers $5,000 to the grand prize winner of its Screenplay Contest, plus excellent Hollywood industry exposure and opportunity.
Early Deadline: August 3, 2009 ~ Fee: $35
Final Deadline: September 8, 2009 ~ Fee: $50
4. Slamdance Film Festival
$5,000 grand prize and industry exposure.
Early Deadline: April 27, 2009 ~ Fee: $40
Final Deadline: June 15, 2009 ~ Fee: $50
5. Austin Film Festival
Drama and comedy feature screenplays win $5,000 each. Other prizes available for other categories of scripts.
Early Deadline: May 15, 2009 ~ Fee: $40
Final Deadline: June 1, 2009 ~ Fee: $50
6. Final Draft’s Big Break International Screenwriting Competition *
Big Break Final Draft Screenwriting Competition offers the winner $15,000 plus other prizes. Prizes for runner-ups too.
Deadline: June 1, 2009 ~ Fee: $50
* Since this post was written a couple years ago, several complaints have been made about the unprofessional manner and lack of organization of this competition. It was listed for its prize money and notable place in the entertainment community, not for its reputation. Screenwriter beware.
7. Disney ~ ABC Writing Fellowship
$50,000 annual salary to be mentored on location at the studios and networks for a year. There are other writing fellowships as well: Creative Development, Daytime Television, Latino / Hispanic, and Native Americans / American Indian Arts (IAIA).
Deadline: Summer
8. Nantucket Film Festival
Showtime’s Tony Cox Award for Screenwriting receives $2,000 plus a month long, all-expenses-paid retreat on the island of Nantucket. A select number of writers are invited to workshop their feature screenplay projects with guidance from industry mentors. Participating writers live together in an atmosphere of secluded creativity at picturesque Almanack Farm, perched on the edge of Nantucket’s cranberry bog conservation land. In addition to intensive one-on-one feedback sessions, writers and advisers enjoy a sociable colony experience over dinners and island outings.
Deadline: March 13, 2009 (Passed) ~ Fee: $50
Script Contest Scams
There are lots of script competitions that charge a high entrance fee, give a small (if any) award, and make empty promises they do not keep. There is no point in wasting your time and money on them.
Submitting films to film festivals is much different than scripts into screenwriting competitions. With a film in a small local film festival, the potential for gain is there because, if nothing else, you have a fun theatrical venue to show your film to friends, family, and strangers.
With scripts, you really ought to target agents, producers, actors, and studios; so if none of them are remotely connected to the the contest, then there is really no point in entering it. You can stage your own reading amongst your loved ones.
Even with big competitions like the ones I list in this post, your script may never actually be read just because of the large volume of scripts and the assigned readers who may never actually read your script.
Recently, a heated debate and small claims lawsuit arose with the well-know Fade-In Magazine. The 4-page article with lengthy comments quote contest winners who report getting stiffed. This article, Fade-In Magazine claims, was the result of an unsound finalist who was already under criminal investigation.
Like all things in Hollywood, despite your talent, it takes a significant amount of luck to win a script contest. Real winners do exist — I have met some.
Hard work, determination, and connections deliver more successful results to writers than any contest, but every now and then, you just have to take risks in life and say, “Eh, what the heck!”
CLICK here for:
2010 Screenplay Contests Deadlines & New Links
*If you have had a positive or negative experience with any of these or other script competitions, to benefit our fellow writers, I beg you to please share your experience in the comments section. Thank you.
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61 Responses to “Top 8 Screenplay Contests of 2009 and the Scams”
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Do you advise against submitting the same script to all competitions? Lest you win one competition and are disqualified for another.
A pal of mine was a reader/judge at different stages of at least two of these festivals, and at the larger of the two they all had permission to stop reading at page 10 and toss it.
So remember: your first ten minutes, your last ten minutes, and the 80 in between — in that order — for the best chance at getting read all the way through. (And yes, some readers do read the last 10 pages about like about 15 pages…)
Write on ~ !
Shane — My little confident one, if you win any — fantastic! Yes, go ahead and submit the same script to multiple competitions. Like I said, a contest might never even read your wonderful script. If you win more than one script competition, you will sure be the talk of the town and you won’t have to worry about the small winnings, you will be getting offers for hundreds of thousands of dollars and be well on your way to great success.
GirlPie — Excellent and true advice! The 1st and 10 first pages must be fantastic or the reader might stop reading and you are done, done, done. Thanks for adding.
I had the same question as Shane, and I thank you for that boost of encouragement. I’ve been rather quiet lately blogging/writing very little due to life and prioritizing and whatnot, but I’ve watched, listened and experienced much within the past month or so and I can’t wait to get to work on something–anything.
I don’t win much of anything except maybe the occasion game of Solitaire or the last slice of pizza, but knowing I can send the same script to multiple places increases my chances (and hopes) that I might win something somewhere. I’d even count being a familiar name (for good reasons of course) as some sort of prize.
I’d like to remind everyone that much of what is being said here is purely speculative. What judges read, how much they read (if at all), and which pages they read is a fantasy in divination. No one knows anything as a fact. Trust yourself, submit great scripts, hope for the best and expect the worst. These are my words of wisdom.
I submitted a screenplay in the late 90s to a contest that was part of an “arts festival” in Milwuakee. I do not recall all the name or details at this point, but I do remember contacting them via phone almost a year after the deadline. I had not received anything in the mail, one way or another. Anyway, I talked to a one Mr “Maguire” (Jerry?) who told me that the contest had been cancelled and that my $50 or $60 would be refunded. Well after waiting another month, I called again. Now the phone was disconnected! I tried by mail but I got the letter returned with a “not at this address” or words to that effect stamped on it. Of course, I should’ve known better. It was a Suite # or a P.O. Box. After that, I contacted Consumer Affairs for the state of Wisconsin and even the DA’s office in Milwaukee and I think I even contacted the USPS. What I was eventually told is that they had no record of such an address nor such cultural arts festival! So people: caution, caution, caution. This “Maguire” TOOK my money.
John Molina — Thanks for sharing your story. Sounds like it cost you a lot more than $50! Uhrrrg to that! Writing scams are prevalent indeed, especially poetry scams.
I just dealt today with a scam by a well-known entity who billed my credit card — one of those fine entities that has every bit of personal information about you on the planet, like what brand toilet paper you use, so they feel they can do what they want with it. I was furious. After one refusal to refund me and a lot of talk about the “benefits” of their service, by my second call, I got my refund… Although financial scams are easier these days, public retaliation is also easier. ;-) ie. I threatened to post a banner about the incident on my site for all eternity — that seemed to work to get my refund. We’ll see in 10 days.
Mr. Mcguire is probably long gone by now… but at least you got your story out there and maybe you will save some other people their hard-earned money. Thank you.
I have found out about this screenwriting contest at the Internet address below. http://www.screenplayshootout.com/index.html . It is entitled The Screenplay Shootout.
Have you heard anything about this contest? Is it legit?
Any help you can give would be appreciated.
I’m a retired director after 50 years in the biz (with Goodson-Todman). I’ve written three screenplays. I have ignored the contemporary warnings that 20-year- olds read only first or last ten pages, skip block passaages of purple action, look for special effects only, or don’t even read past the title. I write like a writer for a reader who might share my vision for a movie. One of my scripts deals with a retiring old UCLA professor who gets a drastic face-lift that embroils him in comic misadventures with young people. Another, an action script, deals with a search vs. terrorists for the suddenly-valuable Letters of Transit used by Ilsa and Victor Laszlo to flee Casablanca. My third involves an escaped criminal’s forcing a young boy to help him by kidnapping the kid’s dog.
What, pray tell, do you advise? Paul Alter – laup275@aol.com
Stu — Hi. I don’t know that competition, but at a quick glance, it looks alright.
Paul — What sort of advice are you seeking?
Wild, but with no scam, I really think I have a hit. Ask me.
Death and destruction rules the kingdom of a young prince. His quest to redeem his people, uncovers his father’s dark secret, that in order to spare the Prince at birth, the King gave a young girl to a fiend ruling the netherworld. Discovering the Kingdom’s liberty is linked with the enslaved girls freedom, the Prince sets out to destroy the Beast, rescue the girl and restore his peoples’ freedom. jaanus@quicksummer.com
Jaanus — Tried and true.
I already knew it, but whatever thanks.
It’s interesting to see that neither Scriptapalooza nor ScriptPimp are on your list of favoured contests. I can only assume you recommend AGAINST these?
If so, I would like to share a story about another contest which may shed light on all the kind that are not on your list.
We recently received an analysis score on a script submission to Script Savvy. The score is used to place it in their contest as well. It was very high, 2 points less than perfect, yet neither did we win nor did we even get one of the 3 honorable mentions. Our analysis seemed to be less than complete when compared to past analyses we’d received and also in comparison to their example posted on their site. So, naturally we wondered why we weren’t being told what we didn’t do successfully in order to attain the kind of marks that the 4 other scripts must have attained. So we sent a letter asking that question.
In response we were told that in fact we had scored the highest score – along with 8 other scripts! Then we were told that the judges were called together to “pick” what they thought were the best of the 8.
We feel that this might not have been totally fair. On their site they clearly post the criteria by which the scripts will be judged. There is no mention of arbitrary selection by the judges in the event of a tie. When we suggested this to the contest coordinator and also suggested that maybe the fairest thing to do would be to acknowledge all 8 writers as winners, we got a rude response saying we should be happy that we got such a good rating and essentially, be quiet.
We all know that the money for these smaller contests is not what matters. Even with the bigger contests, the bigger prize is great but it’s always about the recognition. This is essential in helping get the script in front of busy producers/agents/etc who view these contests as a screening mechanism to more easily lead them to more promising material without expending all their own resources. Because we can see no reason why a contest would willing want to suppress the fact that they have such a high amount of talented contestants, we therefore can find no reason why they would resort to such an arbitrary and bias-filled method to determine winners and losers in this way.
Are we being too sensitive here? We don’t want to be sore losers. We just want to have our good work be recognized when it obviously warrants it. When you pay your money in good faith and trust that your work will be judged objectively, it seems like a contract has been broken when this kind of thing happens.
Please let us know your thoughts. We would love to hear ideas about what can be done to somehow “police” this burgeoning industry of contests to make it fairer for all.
Glenn P — Hi.
For the majority of people and with the majority of contests, contests are a waste of time and money. Only a tiny percentage of people have success that way. A writer’s time and money will be best used by seeking assistance from professionals to make the script the best it can be and then to solicit writer agents directly, the old fashioned way.
Here are Writers’ Guild Signatory Agents and Agencies:
http://www.wga.org/agency/agencylist.asp
(You don’t need to pay to enter and to win a contest to get this information, it is free to the public.)
My list of favorites is based on well-known competitions in Hollywood by industry people with whom I have worked. I have also taken courses by screenwriters who had entered some of these contests and launched their careers, so I know they are real people with a real success story.
Scriptapalooza and ScriptPimp look good at a glance, but I don’t know any first hand stories about them from anyone, negative or positive, so I can’t say either way.
ScriptPImp looks great overall, but since their website in the “About” section says, “The final deadline for the next competition is May 1st, 2008.” 2 years old!, I would be concerned about someone actually reading my script for the 2010 competition. Otherwise, they have a long list of winner readers — but the biggest most respected agencies are not on there.
Regarding Script Savvy, personally, I wouldn’t enter it because $500 is not enough to entice me. Also, this “the winner’s logline in a publication that goes out to thousands of executives” is basically just giving your idea away for free and then some established writer can write the script with no recognition to the original writer. The person whose original idea it was will never be able to prove his/her idea was stolen and probably won’t want to pay the high lawyer fees to prosecute anyway. And “thousands of executives”? Really? Furthermore, Raleigh is not exactly New York City or Hollywood or even Austin or Chicago.
If your script received highest marks, then in theory, you should be able to get a writer agent and sell it, right? So move forward with that.
Read this:
http://www.screenwritingforhollywood.com/connections/do-i-need-an-agent
I don’t know. I look at all the little details to best assess what is happening. Most little screenwriting competitions offer little to the writer, your idea is open to be thieved, and the entity is just banking the writers’ money at a very nice profit.
Good luck!
Glenn P —
PS: Regarding “We would love to hear ideas about what can be done to somehow “police” this burgeoning industry of contests to make it fairer for all.”…
I don’t believe in policing, I believe people need to take responsibility for themselves and educate themselves to their best ability to assess a con from something legitimate. There will always be selfish ruthless lying jerks in the world. The more laws and policing, the more cunning and culprits there will be. It is up to each of us as individuals to take care of ourselves and the people we love. There is no Superman or Spiderman who is going to save us, as nice as that would be. I have had to learn the hard way myself, that is why I am here helping others… to spare the seekers some time and heartache, while I continue my own pursuits.
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Jaden,
Wow, it’s like you’re that little voice in my head that’s been screaming at me for years! Thanks for your revealing points. I wish I’d talked to you – and listened to myself – years ago!
Glenn P — I am so happy what I have said resonates with you. Yes, I bang my head against the wall wishing I knew 15 years ago what I know now. Live and learn. That’s why all the old farts are driving the Ferraris and not the 24-year-olds (unless daddy bought it for ‘em). We all have to travel the road before we can describe what is on it.
On WGA website are script payment minimums… You can imagine that your odds of getting an agent and selling a script are much higher than winning a contest; the payout for selling a script is much bigger than a prize for a script contest! Therefore energy is best put towards getting an agent.
Best of luck on your writing journey Glenn.
PS: Selling smaller writing projects and getting them online, showing a body of work, is also more important and easier than fruitlessly trying to win contests for recognition that way. An agent wants to see that you are productive, creative, and people like your work.
I was going to enter The Page International Screenwriting Awards, but the terms ask you to release them from all charges of plagiarism forever more. They also state that from time to time ideas similar to your own initiate and should in no way be interpreted as based on your screenplay. Does anyone see a red flag? Please advise.
Stuart K. — Hi. What you describe is standard entertainment legal language, nothing abnormal there. Some individuals can be crazy egocentric sue-happy people and therefore entertainment professionals must protect themselves against them.
I have been on both sides of the fence. I’ve had my ideas and services outright stolen from me. I have also had extremely mentally unbalanced people solicit my services and then turn around and threaten me. There are lots of immoral and strange people in the world. Legal language helps to protect all parties.
Thanks for this list…this is exactly what I was looking for and it is great you took the time to put this together. Greatly appreciated!
Ron — Thank you for visiting. Glad you found something useful here.
My question is about the Page International Screenwriting Contest, as well. I noticed the prize money is high but the contest isn’t in your Top 8. Is that because it’s not as prestigious, exposure to potential buyers is less, etc.? What’s the deal? Thanks.
Kyle — Hi. Yes and yes.
Since the whole point of entering a competition would be to get recognition and an agent in Hollywood and start selling screenplays, if a competition cannot offer that for real to its winners, then it is not worth entering.
From having worked in Hollywood for a long time, in my experience, real daily big time working entertainment executives are only involved with a few screenwriting competitions; the ones I have listed are because I know first-hand stories from Hollywood professionals and screenwriters who either participate with these competitions or have won in them, so I know they are legitimate.
For the countless other screenwriting competitions around the world, I do not know first-hand accounts and have not heard a buzz about them in Hollywood from anyone, therefore I cannot personally vouch for them and I would not put my reputation on the line for them.
To understand the motivation of all the scammer screenwriting competitions, let me put it into perspective: $50 entry x 1,000 entries = $50,000… not a bad scam; that’s a decent annual salary for someone on which they probably aren’t paying taxes and don’t have to lift a finger. What does the writer get? A headache and he loses $50, not enough to go to court.
Again, I couldn’t say either way about all the many competitions I don’t know personally. If it seems there is some great gain by entering, by all means, go for it. Even if they offer script coverage on all entered scripts, at least that has a value, and could be worth it.
If you don’t even get notification that your script has been read and received, then it could be a scam. The “we are too busy to reply to everyone” is scammer talk to me. If you just paid $50 for something, the least you deserve is a receipt!
Cannes Film Festival is the most famous in the world and probably gets tons of films, yet they still took the time to send me a nice rejection international letter on letterhead in a timely manner, so I know they received and watched my film and that they are a respectable establishment.
The scams often don’t even send a single recognition at all.
Much better than script competitions are film festivals… If you can make a film out of your script, you can have it screened locally and online and maybe at a big festival too, the opportunities are limitless this way. With only a script, it is such a long shot. People don’t have as much patience for reading and may not see the writer’s vision.
Awesome. Thanks so much. Great site.
I value the insight from this article. I wish to add though,
I entered STORYPROS competion and found the entire
process to be reasonably priced, and extremely
professionally handled. It’s my first screenplay writing
and the constructive criticism, e.g., story notes on my
script were beyond sagely. I would have been thrilled to
have fared well. But the my learning curve lept from their
advice. Time will tell how well. I appreciate this thread.
Matt — Story notes on a script are easily worth $100 – $500, because that is a half day’s worth of work to read the script and write up feedback, so whatever you paid to get script notes by entering the competition, was worth it, I agree. I am so glad that you had a positive experience.
My humble opinion is that the term ‘RELATIVITY’ is not a monopoly of physics alone… It applies to this particular field of art as well. Let’s assume for a moment that you came up with a great story (Original, Captivating and Different) and that you’re trying to show it to as many people as you can to have it produced in a movie. Since there is no concensus in which would the best or safest way to accomplish such an incredibly impossible task I followed a risky path. I only paid $35.00 and I posted my script for everyone interested in reading it on the WWW. You could ask yourself: “How about safety?” This is my answer to you. If you want to keep safe something put it where everyone can see it! Copyright Laws protects your work since the internet is considered a PUBLICATION. I also registered my script (Hathor’s Lamp) with the WGAeast …just in case. As long as you keep your PAGE in the NET your script(s) will have a date of publication accesible by everyone. Let’s assume that a big-shot producer steals you story and have it produced in a movie. The moment you learn that a similar movie, using key elements of your story appears on it, you would have a solid legal basis to file a claim and put the producer and/or the director in disgrace for the rest of their life. Have you heard about the guy riding a truck with his social security displayed for everyone to see it? Those looking for a story to steal prefer the privacy of the “dark”, they search under the shadows of script banks and unknown contests. They hate the spotlight and the openness. I do plan to send my script to some good contests as well as many of you here because it’s not easy out there when no one knows you, I believe that the story says it all.
Thank you for the opportunity to participate.
MDZ
Apiece of advice given to me long ago at a screenwriting bootcamp sticks with me today: Screenwriting competitions outside LA and/or NY (places where they actually make movies) are a waste of time and money– unless you’re looking to be produced by a low-to-no budget prod co. Unless there’s a deep-pockets film company in Indiana, Iowa , or Texas (and all the other fly-over states: i.e. flying over these states to get to L.A. or New York), don’t even bother. You may as well throw your money out the window.
Thus far, entering compettions, I have won money and screenwriting software– but still no sale. I enter the competitions to improve my skills as a writer and to gauge me scripts/ideas against the competition. And let’s face it– there’s a lot of it out there. However, I only enter the contest that are in or around Hollywood, LA, and most recently, NY. Waiting to see how that script does as we speak.
No one got stiffed by the Fade In competition. The story you linked to was a personal attack on me by a new competitor’s entertainment website run by en editor who has a personal beef with me. All 3 accusers in that story were either disqualified after displaying unprofessional and illegal conduct, had received and cashed their cash awards but only after refusing to turn in their W9 tax form, a requirement of the US Government. One of the three it was later unveiled runs a non-profit that according to the CA Attorney General’s office has not filed tax returns for EIGHT (8) years!
Please read the other side of the story here: http://www.fadeinonline.com/articles/wrap-this-update
and also view links to documents that prove these 3 accusers’ accusations are entirely unfounded.
As to the 4th Fade In winner named, he wrote on his blog that this site that wrote this libelous story misquoted him:
“A couple of weeks ago, I was contacted by a reporter for [the competitor's site]. The reporter wanted to know about my experiences with the Fade In screenwriting contest, as I had come in 2nd in the Comedy category in 2005. I agreed to talk with her. Probably my first mistake.”
“The reporter asked me if I was happy with my relationship with Fade In, as she [claimed she] had spoken to a number of people who had not received the prizes they were promised. I told her unequivocally that I had received everything that was promised to me. I also told her that the notes I got from [Fade In] were some of the best notes I had ever received, and that I had been a finalist or the winner in a number of contests and none of them had done more for me than Fade In.”
You can read his blog here: http://craigshappyplace.blogspot.com/2009/03/fade-in-controversy.html
So don’t believe everything you read. Fade In’s competition has more success stories than Final Draft or Scriptapalooza and is currently in its 17th year. If any of these accusations were true each member of our A-list Advisory Board would have asked to be removed. They did not because it was clear to them that these 3 disgruntled former finalists (out of over 200 over the last 16 years) were out of line and the site that ran the story was not interested at all in presenting any facts (notice there’s not one quote by any representative of Fade In?! That’s because neither the reporter or site asked us to give our side of the story.)
Audrey Kelly — Wow. That sounds like an awful mess. Thank you for coming and telling your side of the story. I have been a fan of Fade-In, so I was very disappointed to read about the dispute. I will include the link to your side of the story within the main article.
Leslie — Thanks for the excellent input.
Miguel — Yes, registering the script is of primo importance and what you do with it from there is up to you.
What are the chances of a first time screenwriter finding a agent? From everything I’ve read, it seems almost an impossibility.
Make that an agent. Shame on me.
Moira — :-) Nice catch!
Every writer that ever was, was once a first time writer!
(Tongue-twister, say that a bunch of times.)
Everyone has to start from somewhere.
1) Have multiple good writing samples and at least one script that is sellable / marketable.
2) Be persistent! Never give up.
3) Keep hunting til you find the right agent for you. It’s like a marriage or any relationship: the agent must respect you, love your work, and you must have compatible personalities.
Being a first time writer is not the biggest obstacle — whether you have what it takes to make it is what matters: ambition, determination, talent, and luck!
May the force be with you. *wink*
Thank you for the prompt reply, and if I may stretch your generosity – several questions:
I was thinking of entering both the Final Draft and the Nicholl Fellowship competition. A single screenplay. Do you feel this is a waste of time and money? Would I be better off mailing out query letters to the list of agents at the WGA website?
I have a feeling you are correct about having multiple completed screenplays; I intend attempting my second today. However, as you know, writing is time consuming, I don’t feel I have the patience to wait until I have several polished products. So, for the time being, one will have to do.
Thank you again,
Moira
Moira — That sounds like a good plan, 2 competitions AND query letters out to agents. Just be prepared with an answer for when they ask, “What else do you have?” Maybe write two treatments for movie ideas, could be only 2 pages each, but at least you will have something to show you have more than just one idea and some longevity as a writer.
Hi everyone. Does anyone know anything about the Honolulu Film Festival? My script won a Big Kahuna Award (Official Selection), yet I have not been granted any of the prizes I allegedly won. Is this festival a scam?
Carson Medley — Congratulations on your win!
Looking at their website, it looks like a rather large festival endeavor with lots of winners, which signals to me that it may take some time, logistically, to get all the prizes from the donors and sponsors and deliver them to the winners.
How long have you been waiting since receiving winner notification?
By 2 months, without receiving the prize, I would start having some questions. After 6 months, I would probably become a bit perturbed. After 9 months, I’d say it is not a respectable establishment. After 1 year, with no prize, it is a scam or a really terribly run festival or competition.
My guess, for your case, is that they will deliver during or shortly after the festival, which it looks like the awards ceremony is April 25, 2010.
Good luck!
Indeed, congratulations, Jaden.
I just got an email from script pimp; Big brother is truly watching.
Again, thank you for your answer. I goggled ‘treatment’. Everybody has an opinion, most of them contradictory. But I’m thinking I can muddle through.
I hope I’m not being a pest here but I have yet another question. One idea I have is for an animated feature based on an old novel. It is spot on perfect for a Disney or Dreamworks movie. I can’t begin to imagine why no one has adapted this novel, but if I actually did do a treatment for it, what would stop who ever reads it from saying, “great idea” and writing their own adaptation?
I also have an idea for a variation of the King Arthur Legends: the circumstances that led Arthur to understand his obligations toward England after he discovered he could pull excalibur from the stone.
Again, this is in the public domain and what’s to stop anyone from picking up on the idea and running with it?
Oh, and I’ve seen “The sword and the Stone”. Music was cute, but it was a silly movie and a far cry from original legends.
Moira — Hi. If you would like me to delete your idea from your comment, just let me know. You can always email me private questions.
Regarding novel adaptation:
Sometimes there are legal reasons why a story has not yet been made into a movie. Any good book, and certainly famous ones, usually some producer already owns the rights or an option to it for a certain period of time. During that time, it may either just be shelved or the producer is trying to get the story written and made into a movie, which means finding funding and the talent to make it happen.
That said, there is no harm in writing an adaptation; it will be a good writing sample for you and if the rights are or become available, maybe you will get lucky and sell it!
As an unknown writer, your best insurance is to write something so well and interestingly that people WANT to pay you for it because you are good and worth the money. If you just have a good idea, but your writing is terrible, yes, there is a chance that the idea may be lifted by someone and someone else will write it better or sell it or get it made.
You are free to write anything you want and use them as writing samples. Some projects might just end up being a calling card for you, exhibiting your talents, and that is great.
Writing entirely original material is a safer bet if you are strictly looking to make a sale.
Jaden,
Thank you for this informative site!
I ordered the “10 day screenplay instruction” by Jonathan Browne and Paypal has charged me $49 on April 20. They are supposed to send me a .pdf which I haven’t seen yet. Do you know anything about Shamrock New Media and this product that they sell?
Thanks for your time!
Hi again,
I just heard from Shamrock after I had sent an email asking where my stuff is. They sent me the .pdf. Hopefully the product is better than their delivery!
Monica
Hi Monica — Glad to see they worked it out and sent you the product.
Hi, does anyone know if The American Screenwriting Competition is legite? I looked on their site and it says it is endorsed by Final Draft, WAB but i cant find anything on them. It also says it has press from CNC, Rolling Stone and 15 other big names, but no links, hmmm..
love any feedback, deadline today, but im unsure,
thanks!
Nice site, thanks for your investigative work. Anyone know of or have experience with the Silver Screenwriting Competition? Just wondering about it before I actually submit to it.
Thanks.
Hey Monica H. is the 10 day screenplay any good? Can you forward me the pdf pls?
I have entered several screenwriting contests, here is my experience with them.
Scriptapalooza – Quarterfinalist
NexTv – current quarterfinalist
Nicholl fellowships – Great contest but did not place.
Writemovies.com – Don’t bother
New American Screenplay – Haven’t heard from but seems legit.
Wilson Wheaton – Did not place but won’t bother with them again
All sports festival – waste of money
Creative world awards – haven’t heard back yet.
Golden Brads – seems like a good contest
Big Break – seems like a big break will happen for me in this one.
Script pimp – dissapointed as no email informing me anything then I see quarterfinalist announced on their site – give my money back crooks.
Nantucket Film Festibal – Did not place. Seems like a good contest.
Silver screen writing comp – Did not place. There are better contests out there.
2010 Writers Block – Have not heard results yet.
Zoetrope – Just entered after learning about it from this site.
Xplace — Thank you for your thorough examination and report on screenplay competitions!
With such success, maybe you should make a website for yourself where producers can find you and read about your accomplishments and script teasers?
Thanks Jaden, will look into a site once I make a short film.
Monica H. show me the money!
Hi,
Just wondering if screenplay competitons are really worth while in trying to get your foot in the door. I live in Scotland, UK & have six fully completed screenplays (working on another 8 at the moment). Over the past four years I’ve entered the six completed screenplays in different contests. Here’s what happened —
Hollywood Gateway (no longer exists but got in the finals)
Writemovies.com (got in the finals)
Silver Screenwriting Contest (got in the semi-finals)
PAGE Awards (quarter finals)
American Screenwriting (flatshoe.com) – (quarter finals)
Writemovies.com (again) – (got in the finals)
It just seems that, regardless of getting as far as the finals, it’s just one winner takes all and all other finalists are forgotten about, despite most of these contests advising on their website they will work hard at exposing writers with potential (surely if you’re in the finals; you have potential).
Is the worth while to keep trying these type of contests or am I wasting my time? What is the absolute best one to try.
(p.s. – i advise anyone NOT to enter writemovies.com. It’s a complete and utter waste of time, effort & money).
Also, do you have any views on bluecat screenplay contest? I know it offers script analysis to EVERY entrant, but when you check their website it doesn’t mention anything about exposure if you win — just a cash prize!?
Gary B — Hello. I admire the quantity of scripts you have written and your efforts to get them out there.
All my thoughts about screenplay competitions are written in the article above.
Yes, only the winner and maybe the top finalists will get any exposure to real agents and producers, even in the best of competitions. The rest of finalists in competitions usually don’t get those kinds of breaks.
You have a solid body of work behind you. Time to start pounding the pavement!
At your stage of your writing career, I suggest 2 things:
1) Make a website for yourself that has a general bio, resume, and full script writing sample.
2) Write query letters to agents, asking if you may send them your script. Give a brief 1 paragraph pitch about 3 of your scripts and see if an agent is interested in any of them.
LEGAL HOLLYWOOD AGENTS:
http://www.wga.org/agency/agencylist.asp
I am not sure what you should do as a British citizen, so maybe call one of the agencies on the list and ask them what would be the best procedure for a non-US-citizen to submit scripts for Hollywood movie-making consideration. If you want to come back here and tell us the answer, that’d be swell.
I am thinking that all they would care about is finding a great script and would not be worried about from what country it came.
Just make sure all of your scripts have copyright and ONLY send your best scripts to agents who have replied to your query letter and accepted to read your script(s).
If you haven’t yet, please read my article:
Do I Need an Agent?
http://www.screenwritingforhollywood.com/screenwriting-tips/do-i-need-an-agent
COPYRIGHT:
http://www.copyright.gov/forms/
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Thanks for visiting.
Good luck Gary!
I wrote a screenplay. An agent loves it. Says it was very well written but nobody else has read it since I gave it to him. I know things are bad in LA but maybe he just isn’t the one to sell it.
My question is about competitions. Are they worth it? Also, the Zoetrope competition says the material must not be based on non original work. Mine has two SUGGESTED songs in it that aren’t mine. I mentioned in trhe screenplay that these are just suggestions. Taking them out would leave a hole in the script. Would these disqualify the screenplay from the competition??
Jim — Hello.
If you have an agent interested, you are already way ahead of what any screenplay competition can offer you.
Ask the agent directly if s/he is interested in representing you and if s/he will be trying to sell the screenplay for you. If yes, then ask what is the action plan and what you can expect, time wise and otherwise.
If no, then ask if that agent could recommend any other agents to you who may be a better fit for you. Also, continue showing it to other agents until one signs you on as his client.
Regarding SONGS IN SCRIPTS, that is a great question. I will write a full post about it.
In the meantime, don’t worry too much about song usage in your description and mood, but do try to avoid using lyrics. I usually play it safe by writing, “A song like…” As only a suggestion, it gives description, without being unlawful or having unrealistic expectations on the budget or legal team.
For spec scripts (scripts for sale and writing samples), it is ok to suggest certain songs, but only do it if it is absolutely crucial to the telling of the story. Otherwise, leave it up to the director and music composer, that’s their job.
[...] Top 8 Screenplay Contests of 2009 and the Scams [...]
Jaden,
This year I entered different versions of the same script in three competitions, Scriptapalooza, the Nicholl, and the Big Break. I did not intend to enter the same script this many times, the process of revision dictated my entries. In other words, the more I revised the better it got. This was reflected in how the contests judged my entries. Scriptapalooza rejected it outright. The Nicholl selected me as a quarterfinalist (the top 326 out of 6500). The Big Break selected me as a semifinalist.
My experience with Scriptapalooza was fine, I sent them an improperly formatted script and they were right to trash it. My experience with the Nicholl was excellent. All communication from them was cordial, even when they sent me the “sadly your script did not advance to the semifinal round” email. The Big Break on the other hand was an unqualified disaster from the beginning, even as I was advancing through the rounds.
I think that for whoever wins the Big Break, the contest may be a good thing. It really might open door for its finalists. But the contest is totally disorganized and I would not submit to it again.
1. The quarterfinalist announcement came in the form of a link to their online magazine. If you think getting a “sadly your script did not advance…” email is nervewracking, imagine scanning a list of 218 screenplays, written in really small print, looking for your title. My screenplay made it through this round, but my heart nearly didn’t.
2. On August 23rd I received an email from an employee at Final Draft saying that my script was a semifinalist and in the running to be a top ten finalist. The email contained a link to the list of semifinalists. (If you check Final Draft’s website you can still see this list of supposed semifinalists.) The problem with the list, it was identical to the list for the quarterfinalists. It still has 218 screenplays on it. The fact that the lists were the same really reduced my excitement over being a “semifinalist”.
3. At that time, (the error has since been corrected) a note accompanied the list saying that on Monday August 27th another list of the top 35 screenplays would be posted. It also said that all entrants would get an email notifying them of their status in the competition. There is no Monday August 27th! Monday was the 30th, not the 27th. That’s a high school mistake. That’s like submitting a screenplay with an opening 16 pages of voiceover narration.
4. Yesterday, Monday August 27th or 30th depending on whose calendar you use, I began relentlessly checking my email every hour on the hour from 9 o’clock California time onward. Nothing. At five o’clock California time I got on the Final Draft website to see it their were some kind of update. And that is how I found out I did not advance.
5. I have yet to receive an email.
I hope that this post discourages people from entering this competition. The ambiguity, disorganization, and lack of respect, is not worth a 15000 dollar reward.
I would love to know what you think about my experience here, and whether or not it might prompt you to downgrade your estimation of the Big Break.
Trevor
Trevor —
Firstly, CONGRATULATIONS on doing so well in the competitions. That is great.
Thank you for sharing your experiences.
I am not surprised about your experience with Big Break. For me, just ordering the Final Draft screenwriting program, which is the main software screenwriters use, was a nightmare. It took a month and several phone calls just for me to receive the Final Draft software… It should be very simple to drop a CD in the mail and mail it. So yes, dealing with Final Draft for a screenwriting competition is probably not so pleasant either, I imagine. I included them in my top 8 solely based on the prize money and their leverage in the entertainment industry.
Due to your, my, and others’ experience with them, I will add a note to that competition.
Thank you!
Jaden
I had the same problem when I electronically upgraded to version 8 of Final Draft, which I had to do in order to enter the Nicholl. Several days (and many phone calls to customer support) later, I finally had the software on my computer. Perhaps this was a harbinger of my current complaints.
Thank you for your words of encouragement. Sincerity radiates from them, which makes me appreciate them all the more.
I wonder what you think about me entering this same script In the American Zoetrope competition. My knowledge of Hollywood is exactly as large as whatever David Trottier decided to include in his book. I feel that by entering three large competitions with the same script I run the risk of: 1. seeming desparate(which is probably true) and 2. duplicating readers. I feel like #1 is in my own mind? How could they know I am desparate to have a job writing screenplays rather than working as an orderfiller at a grocery distribuition wharehouse? #2 feels like a real possibility to me, I just don’t know.
I have written six other screenplays, it’s just that I only bought the Trottier book at the end of May, and all my focus has been on this first screenplay. I don’t want to give up on it yet.
Your other opinions have the ring of truth to them, I would be grateful for one more.
Trevor
Trevor — Thank you for your appreciation and honesty here.
1. There is not a writer who is not desperate! :D Welcome to the club.
2. You definitely will not duplicate readers. All these competitions have their own network of people, all very different people. And as I have said before, you are lucky if anyone even reads it!
Keep improving your script and keep entering. Nothing wrong with that. Showing passion in your chosen field is positive, not negative. Showing drive and ambition and the will to win are all good traits.
Zoetrope is one of my favorites. The people I have dealt with there were human and awesome. Do report back about your experience with them if you enter.
(Please note, that I added a note to Big Break in this post and also, notice that I did not include them in my 2010 lineup, due to complaints. )
Trevor —
PS. I used to work in the legal department for entertainment companies and I managed payments to writers. I can’t tell you how many calls I got, begging me to release their payment because of a house mortgage or whatever. Heard lots of sob stories. Even the big time writers are desperate and hungry and want their $80,000 check right now. The ones who were polite to me got the money and the demanding a-holes got to wait a little longer and went back to the bottom of the processing stack. Good manners go a long way.