Resources
ScreenCraft's industry leading Family-friendly Screenplay Competition has led to winners signing with literary managers and optioning their scripts. This year's jury includes reps and execs from Gotham Group, Walden Media, Stagecoach, Neshama Entertainment and more!

Final Deadline in 22 days

Deadlines

Oct 31

Early

Nov 30

Regular

Dec 31

Final

Announcements

Feb 1

Quarterfinalist

Feb 21

Semifinalist

Mar 20

Finalist

Apr 17

Winner

Accepting TV and Feature Scripts

Broad family-friendly storytelling continues to be at the forefront of box office and television success. Whether you have a faith-based movie, a great story for kids, or a four-quadrant film or TV series, we want to read your script if it’s appropriate for an audience of all ages.

Past family competition winners and finalists have had their work optioned, signed shopping agreements, and have signed with managers at companies like Zero Gravity and Valley Entertainment. 

Other ScreenCraft winners have gone on to sell their scripts to major studios and have been hired by companies like Universal, Netflix, Amazon, CBS, and many more. ScreenCraft’s winners are also highly sought after by literary managers and agents who are open to signing to new writer clients.

Grand Prize Mentors

Notes

Receive feedback notes to strengthen your script

Meeting

Virtual meeting to discuss feedback and ask questions

Insight

Learn and gain perspective on next steps to take with your project

Jury

Ross Siegel

Literary Manager, Gotham Group
Ross is a literary manager and producer at The Gotham Group (MAZE RUNNER FRANCHISE, worldwide gross +$1B). He's currently producing the feature comedy ATTACK AT COMIC CON, alongside veteran producer John Davis (PREDATOR franchise, GAME NIGHT) for Universal Pictures, among many other high-level features and series. He also has a five-picture deal with Bazelevs Production to produce Screenlife movies, akin to Bazelevs hit films SEARCHING and UNFRIENDED.

JULIA FRILEY

Director of Development, Walden Media & AFG
Julia Friley is the Director of Development at Anschutz Film Group (AFG) and Walden Media, where she works to create and develop film and television projects that explore humanity’s complexity while being addictively entertaining – and always with a dash of hope thrown in.
Since joining AFG in 2020, she has been involved in the creative development and production of Netflix’s beloved series The Baby-Sitter’s Club, the animated underdog adventure Rumble on Paramount Plus, AppleTV+’s record breaking sci-fi feature Finch, and the girl power spooks of A Babysitter’s Guide to Monster Hunting at Netflix.

MARLIESE RUCH

Literary Coordinator, Stagecoach
Marliese works closely with Stagecoach literary clients, assisting in the development of their scripts and ideas, and sets key meetings and pitches with high level producers and executives. With an eye toward the kids & family space, she focuses on bringing in IP for their animation and live action clients. Stagecoach clients have staffed on shows such was WEDNESDAY, STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS, and ONCE UPON A TIME.

IAN MALONE

VP of Production & Development, Neshama Entertainment
Ian Malone is Vice President of Production & Development at Neshama Entertainment, where he produces original films for a variety of streaming services. He previously worked as an executive producer for Netflix, CBBC, The CW, Nickelodeon, and the CBC, among others. His credits include Degrassi: The Next Generation, the BAFTA Award-winning The Next Step, and films The Manny, Meet The Killer Parents, and Twisted Neighbor. He was nominated for a Writers Guild Of Canada Award for his work on Todd & The Book Of Pure Evil. He lives in Toronto.

Nathan glovinsky

Agent Trainee, UTA TV Literary
Nathan works in UTA's TV Literary department, where he's since assisted a covering agent, a partner, and a board member. He was a member of Outfest's 2022 Screenwriting Lab Selection Committee and also reads for Sundance's annual episodic lab programs.

Prizes

Grand Prize

The overall grand prize winner in either feature or TV category will be welcomed to the ScreenCraft Writer Development Program and receive personal introductions and phone calls with one or more top Hollywood literary manager(s) who are looking for talented emerging Film & TV screenwriters.

ScreenCraft's genre specific relationships include companies like Hallmark Media, Nickelodeon, Netflix, Disney+, Amazon, and over 150 other Hollywood managers, agents, producers, and development executives.

ScreenCraft has a proven track record for getting writers signed with managers, agents, and staffed in writing rooms.
Personal Introduction to industry professionals
Accepted into the ScreenCraft Writer Development Program
$1,000 Cash
An exclusive invitation to a Finalist+ workshop to position yourself and your writing to the industry

Runner-Up Prizes

Feature Winner

$500 cash award

Accepted into ScreenCraft Development Program

An exclusive invitation to a Finalist+ workshop to position yourself and your writing to the industry

FINALISTS

A guaranteed meeting with an industry professional

An exclusive invitation to a Finalist+ workshop to position yourself and your writing to the industry

TV PILOT WINNER

$500 cash award

Accepted into ScreenCraft Development Program

An exclusive invitation to a Finalist+ workshop to position yourself and your writing to the industry

Previous Success Stories

See More Successes

Shiwani Srivastava

Signed with Manager (Affirmative Entertainment) & Agent (Paradigm Talent Agency)

"I am not based in Los Angeles. I am in San Francisco and I thought the only way to get out there is to start entering contests and see what happens. And because of ScreenCraft, an opportunity did knock. They put me in touch with a manager, like he really understood what I was trying to do with my stories. ScreenCraft put me in touch with a producer and we ended up taking it to a major studio, who expressed interest in my script, which is beyond my wildest imagination. I was so glad that I just kept writing, kept writing, kept writing stories that I believed in. Eventually, everybody has some opportunity, some luck and you have to be ready, and I think ScreenCraft really helped me be ready."

Davia Carter

Signed with Manager at & Agent and Staffed on multiple shows (QUEEN OF THE SOUTH, DEBRIS)

"The week of Fellowship meetings was invaluable; I’m fairly certain I wouldn’t have a career without it. I met with executives at Netflix, Universal, and Bad Robot (naming a few). The dozen-plus meetings I took taught me something that would have taken years to learn without ScreenCraft: meeting etiquette. I’m in awe of how comfortable I am in meetings now. I have ScreenCraft to thank for that."

Joanna Pickering

Signed with Manager at 3 Arts Entertainment

"Going from a mathematician to the dramatic arts and ending under the umbrella of 3 Arts. I create lots of turning points for myself. The goal of every writer is to create something into existence, to get financed, and produced. And so, the seemingly impossible task of attracting agents and managers. It’s too big a step to think of at once. You need to break it down and stay close to the writing. Focus on its development and needs as a piece. The rest will come. Writing competitions are a great way to make deadlines for yourself. Having a submission deadline helps you focus to finish or move onto the next draft. You also get helpful feedback on the work before sending it to agents and managers. I was delighted to be selected for the ScreenCraft Development Program. "

As Featured In

ADD-ON PRIZE OPPORTUNITY

This optional add-on prize category will identify one winner to learn, workshop, and strengthen their project with guidance from an industry mentor. The mentor will select one writer/writer team that includes this unique add-on benefit with their entry.

LISA ALFORD

Development Executive - Johnson Production Company
Lisa Alford is a development executive at Johnson Production Group. Prior to joining Johnson Production Group, Lisa worked at TriStar television where she specialized in identifying IP that supported TriStar’s mission to feature diverse, authentic characters and champion underrepresented voices. Lisa came up at Sony Pictures Television where she worked as a production coordinator in the Television Movies and Miniseries department and in the writers room on the WGN hit series OUTSIDERS. In her current role, Lisa shepherds projects from the concept phase through story development, production, and post.
Only projects submitted to the ScreenCraft Family Competition AND that select this add-on are eligible for consideration in this category. Additionally, all projects that place in the Top 10 of the competition will automatically be considered.
Rules
Eligibility
Selection Criteria
Additional Legal
  1. Submissions are accepted via electronic submission only.
  2. Entry fees are as listed on the site and checkout form. No coupon or discount is applicable on a previous entry.
  3. Optional feedback from a professional reader may be requested at the time of entry. Requests for feedback can be done through Coverfly.
  4. TV pilots may be any length -- however the standard 1/2 hour is between 20 - 40 pages, and the standard hour-long is between 40 - 70 pages. Feature screenplays must be a minimum of 75 pages and a maximum of 150 pages. Any submission longer than 120 pages will incur a $1 per page overage fee for each page over 120.
  5. There is no limit to the number of projects you may submit.
  6. Entries must be received on or before the deadline dates by 11:59PM Pacific Time, and submission fee payment must be made in full at time of the submission. All entry fees are non-refundable.
  7. All submitted material must be original, and all rights must be wholly owned by the writer(s).
  8. Material must be submitted by the writer. Material written by writing teams must be submitted by one of the writers, with consent of the other(s).
  9. If a writing team is chosen as a winner, prizes will be given to the person who submits the project. Each team is responsible for dividing or sharing the prize money.
  10. Substitutions of either corrected pages or new drafts of the entered material will be allowed for a limited time with a $6 reentry fee through Coverfly. Please proofread your script carefully before submitting.
  11. It is recommended that original material be registered with the WGA or The Library of Congress before submitting to any competition, however we do not require registration.
  12. Contact info may be included on the cover page of the screenplay, however it is not required.
  13. ScreenCraft claims no ownership nor option on your work. All ownership and rights to the scripts submitted to this contest remains with the original rights holders.
  14. The decision of the judges will be final and cannot be contested in any manner. There is no score on a scorecard that guarantees advancement to the next level as advancement will be based on all scores in the competition.
  15. ScreenCraft reserves the right to change deadline and announcement dates at any time.
  16. ScreenCraft reserves the right to amend these rules at any time.
  1. All writers at least 18 years of age are eligible. However, a writer who has earned more than $50,000 (or equivalent currency) from professional writing services for film or TV in the preceding 12 months or $500,000 (or equivalent currency) from professional film or TV in the proceeding 10 years is not eligible. (Contest winnings not included.)
  2. All persons from anywhere in the world are eligible; however the material submitted must be in English (occasional dialogue in other languages is acceptable, if subtitle translation is provided).
  3. All material submitted to other competitions or contests are eligible for this contest.
  4. There are no requirements as to when the material was written.
  5. Material should be submitted in standard screenplay format, font, spacing and margin.
  6. We have no preferences regarding title page content. Title and name of writer would suffice.
  7. All material must be submitted electronically as a PDF. Broken files or non-PDF files may be accepted, but if the file cannot be read ScreenCraft will not judge the submission.
  8. Prize winners may be required to sign an affidavit of eligibility and proper tax documentation before prizes are released.
  9. By entering the competition, user acknowledges their eligibility for the competition. ScreenCraft will verify all eligibility requirements at the finalist stage of the competition and before distributing any prizes.
  10. Scripts or projects based on underlying material not owned by the writer are accepted as samples, so long as the script itself is indisputably written by the writer and that the script does not contain any plagiarism.
  11. ScreenCraft reserves the right to amend these rules at any time.

The winners will be chosen based on the following criteria: 

  • Voice
  • Concept
  • Story
  • Structure
  • Characters
  • Dialogues
  • Genre Conventions

In addition to the scoring criteria for the script, ScreenCraft may conduct interviews and send questionnaires to learn more about the entrant, their voice, perspective, and goals to help identify the winning projects. Top scripts are ready by the industry jury who votes for their favorite scripts at their sole discretion.

Mentorship Selection:

  1. Only writers who submit to the competition and include this add-on at the time of entry or who make it to the Top 10 of the competition, are eligible to be considered for this prize opportunity.
  2. The winner of this prize will be selected solely by the specified industry professional(s). The selected winner of this prize will engage with the specified industry professional(s) in an educational development capacity.
  3. The approach and manner in which the industry professional(s) and winner interact is at their discretion. ScreenCraft will have no involvement in the process beyond facilitating an introduction.

Criteria for Winners and Finalists:

  1. The winners and top finalists may be contacted by interested industry representatives, such as managers, agents or producers. 
  2. Entrants may be required to submit further information to assist in the judges’ verification of eligibility. 
  3. Any entrant may be deemed ineligible as a Finalist or Winner at the sole discretion of ScreenCraft. 
  4. All recognition, placements, and winners are chosen at the sole discretion of ScreenCraft.
  5. Finalists may be required to sign and return within seven (7) business days of receipt a notarized Affidavit of Eligibility and a Release and Indemnification and proof of valid passport and any other documents that ScreenCraft or any other partner may require before receiving prize payment. Failure to respond to the initial notification within ten (10) days or return of notification will result in disqualification. 
  6. We reserve the right to amend these rules at any time.
  1. COPYRIGHT AND OWNERSHIP: ScreenCraft or any other partner, employee or agent associated with this contest claims no ownership nor first right of option to any original screenplay submitted to this contest. All ownership and rights to the scripts submitted to this contest remains with the original rights holders until and unless other agreements are made.
  2. PUBLICITY: Except where prohibited by law, participation in the contest constitutes each entrant’s consent to ScreenCraft and its agents’ and contest sponsor’s use of entrants’ names, likenesses, photographs, and/or personal information for promotional purposes in any media, worldwide, without further payment or consideration. All uses of a entrants’ information are in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
  3. REFUND POLICY: All entries are non-refundable.
  4. SITE TERMS OF SERVICE. By entering this competition, the user agrees to all ScreenCraft Terms of Service in addition to these rules and eligibility criteria.
  5. DATA MANAGEMENT AND PRIVACY. Entries for this competition are managed on the submission platform Coverfly, and ScreenCraft (a d/b/a of Red Ampersand, Inc) uses other data management tools, including but not limited to, Google Services and Amazon Web Services, to securely manage your data. ScreenCraft is not accountable for any data hacks (internal or external) or user errors that may release scripts or writer data unintentionally.
  6. ENTRY CONDITIONS AND RELEASE: BY ENTERING THE CONTEST YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU HAVE READ AND AGREE TO THESE CONDITIONS. You agree to release and hold harmless ScreenCraft, ScreenCraft.org, its subsidiary, parent and affiliated companies, Prize contributors, judges, screenplay readers, Sponsors, and any other organizations responsible for administering, advertising or promoting the Contest, and every one of their respective members, directors, employees, agents and representatives (collectively, the “Released Parties”) past and present from and against any and all claims, expenses, and liability, including but not limited to damages and negligence to property and persons, including but not limited to invasion of privacy, defamation, slander, libel, violation of right of publicity, copyright, infringement of trademark or other intellectual property rights relating to a participant’s Entry, participation in the Contest and/or acceptance or use or misuse of Prize; provided however, that such release will not apply to any commercial exploitation of the script by a Released Party in violation of your rights under applicable copyright law; and (c) indemnify, defend and hold harmless the ScreenCraft.org and its Sponsor, agents and employees from and against any and all claims, expenses, and liabilities (including reasonable attorneys fees) relating to an entrant’s participation in the Contest and/or entrant’s use or misuse of Prize. Employees of ScreenCraft and their immediate families are ineligible to participate in this contest. Any such submission will be immediately disqualified. ENTRY TO THIS CONTEST IS VOID WHERE PROHIBITED or restricted by any Federal, State or Local law. Voided entries will be refunded. Recipients’ eligibility will be verified before the grant is awarded and the winner may be required to sign an affidavit of eligibility. By entering the contest, you authorize us to use any trusted third-party online and cloud-based services and databases for hosting, managing and/or transmitting your submission file(s).
  7. ScreenCraft reserves the right to amend these rules at any time.

Scripts we Were INspired By

The Haunting of Hill House
It
The Shining
Lovecraft Country
Scream
Get Out
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WRITER RECOMMENDED FEEDBACK

Kelley Yakey Berberich

ScreenCraft judges are able to give constructive feedback that is beyond the quality of feedback we have had before. They definitely know your script before giving guidance. We really appreciate the written review!
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