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ScreenCraft
ScreenCraft Horror Competition
2024
Reads in Coverfly
Active Since 2013
Our jury is scary good, featuring screenwriter Guy Busick (SCREAM VI), and more. “The industry’s #1 horror screenplay contest.” – IndieWire
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About

Horror is one of the best genres for emerging talent and has helped launch countless careers. This year, we bring horror heavyweights to our jury including writer and producer Guy Busick of the hits SCREAM VI, READY OR NOT, and CASTLE ROCK.

The ScreenCraft Horror Competition has a long history of creating success for our winners and finalists, many of whom have gone on to sign with companies like Bellevue Productions, Kaplan Perrone, Affirmative Entertainment, Zero Gravity, Story Driven, and more.

All finalists will be invited to an exclusive Finalist+ workshop on how you can best position yourself and your writing to the industry.

So whether you’re writing a contained, socially-relevant horror movie, or a big horror TV series, our jury wants to read your script.

GRAND PRIZE MENTOR

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The Grand Prize Winner this year will receive a mentorship with filmmaker, actor, and producer Jim Klock (Green Book) which includes a personalized round of notes, virtual meeting, and project development insight.

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Benefits

THE JURY
The top scripts are considered by our incredible industry jury looking for horror projects.


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PATRICK WHITE

Creative Executive, Lit Entertainment Group

Lit Entertainment Group's Patrick White is a Creative Executive. Lit Entertainment Group was founded in 2019 and has produced Disney/Fox’s FREE GUY and Amazon/Skydance’s film THE TOMORROW WAR, HBO Max sci-fi series RAISED BY WOLVES, and the recent ABC/Hulu series PROMISED LAND. 

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DANIEL PERRY

Agent, BUCHWALD

Daniel is a Film & TV Literary Agent at BUCHWALD, representing prolific, iconic, and award-winning writers, directors, producers, and multi-hyphenates. BUCHWALD was launched in 1977, and is an industry leader in representation. 

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JON HERSH

Manager, Housefire Management

Jon Hersh is an independent literary manager working with writer and writer/director clients in film and TV. Jon created Housefire Management in 2017 with the intent of finding bold voices with incendiary material. Since then, his lients have gone on to develop film and TV projects with Universal, Netflix, Amazon, Disney, Lionsgate, Paramount Players, AMC, Nickelodeon, Spyglass, and many others. His clients are regularly on the annual Black List, and in 2022 his client was #1 on the list. Before breaking into management, Jon was a Development Executive at Broad Green Pictures, a fledgling film financier and distributor.

GUY BUSICK

Screenwriter and Producer

Guy Busick is a successful screenwriter and producer. Busick co-wrote the latest installment in the SCREAM franchise, SCREAM VI, with James Vanderbilt for Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Entertainment. Busick has developed projects with Chris Carter, Mark Gordon, John Davis, Evan Katz & Manny Coto and M. Night Shyamalan. Busick wrote the hit film READY OR NOT (2019) for Fox Searchlight in addition to CASTLE ROCK (2019) for Hulu, WBTV and Bad Robot as well as the horror comedy STAN AGAINST EVIL (2016-2018) for IFC.

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MARC MANUS

Founder, Persist Ent

Marc Manus is a former award-winning photojournalist who attended USC film school before entering the field of artist representation. His first job was with manager Cathryn Jaymes, who represented Academy Award-winning writer/director Quentin Tarantino, among others. Over the last fifteen years, Marc has held positions at various management companies including, most recently, Zero Gravity (Netflix’s OZARK). As a partner at World Builder Entertainment, the company behind the TROLLS animated feature franchise, Marc continued to guide a select roster of creators from around the globe who have film and television projects at the major networks, streamers and studios. In 2024, he founded new management company Persist Ent.

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MJ GROGAN

Director of Development, ACE Content

MJ is the Director of Development at Ace Content. ACE Content develops and produces premium original content for studios, distributors, media networks and brands including feature film, episodic television, such as THE WAY I SEE IT.

THE PRIZES

Grand Prize Winner

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


ScreenCraft's genre specific relationships include companies like Blumhouse, Netflix, HBO Max, AMC, 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.


They'll receive:

  • • Personal Introduction to top industry professionals
  • • Accepted into the ScreenCraft Development Program
  • • $1,000 cash award
  • • An exclusive invitation to a Finalist only workshop to position yourself and your writing to the industry
  • • Free 6-month membership to The Tracking Board


Feature & TV Winners

  • • $500 cash award
  • • Accepted into the ScreenCraft Development Program
  • • An exclusive invitation to a Finalist only workshop to position yourself and your writing to the industry
  • • Free 6-month membership to The Tracking Board


Finalists

  • • An exclusive invitation to a Finalist only workshop to position yourself and your writing to the industry
  • • Free 6-month membership to The Tracking Board


MENTORSHIP 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.


This year's mentor is Seth M. Sherwood  screenwriter of Devil In Me, Hulu's Light as a Feather, Hellfest, and Leatherface.


Seth is a Los Angeles based, Emmy-nominated screenwriter, director, and producer. His feature screenwriting credits include LEATHERFACE, HELL FEST and uncredited on-set script work for LONDON HAS FALLEN. On the TV side, Seth has staffed on two teen-horror shows with Awesomeness TV: THE UNSETTLING and LIGHT AS A FEATHER for Hulu. He has also developed original pilots with Amblin TV, Valhalla Entertainment, and Crypt TV. His first video game, THE DEVIL IN ME released in November 2022.


Only projects submitted to the ScreenCraft Horror 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.


Writer Success

2024 Winners on Coverfly

See Other Placements

Announcements

Jan 17th
Semifinalists
Feb 7th
Finalists
Feb 28th
Mentorship Winners
Feb 28th
Winners

Rules

At the program's request, Coverfly will automatically remove your title page for you if you include one when submitting to this program.

1. Submissions are accepted via electronic submission only.

  1. 2. Entry fees are as listed on the site and checkout form. No coupon or discount is applicable on a previous entry.
  2. 3. Optional feedback from a professional reader may be requested at the time of entry. Requests for feedback can be done through Coverfly.
  3. 4. Entries may be any length --  the standard 1/2 hour is between 20 - 40 pages, and the standard hour long is between 40 - 70 pages, and the standard feature is between 85 - 120 pages. Any script submission longer than 120 pages will incur a $.50 per page overage fee for each page over 120 if it does not include feedback and $1 per page if the entry does include feedback.
  4. 5. There is no limit to the number of projects you may submit.
  5. 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.
  6. 7. All submitted material must be owned by the writer(s), however the material may be based on other works not owned by the writers.
  7. 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).
  8. 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 any prizes awarded as they deem fair (whether there is a cash value or not).
  9. 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.
  10. 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.
  11. 12. Contact info may be included on the cover page of the screenplay, however it is not required. ScreenCraft uses Coverfly to manage submissions and automatically removes cover pages before scripts are read by the judges.
  12. 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.
  13. 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.
  14. 15. ScreenCraft reserves the right to change deadline and announcement dates at any time.
  15. 16. ScreenCraft reserves the right to amend these rules at any time.