Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay Competition
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About
Now in its 50th year, the Atlanta Film Festival (ATLFF) - an Academy Award®-qualifying festival - is the Southeast’s preeminent celebration of cinema and the flagship production of the Atlanta Film Society. One of the largest and longest-running festivals in the country, ATLFF showcases both emerging and established artists’ works. Recent festivals saw audiences of over 28,000 film lovers joining over 300 attending filmmakers in support of moving images that push the boundaries of independent cinema.
Every spring, our 11-day festival - recognized as the Best Film Festival by Creative Loafing, Sunday Paper, 10 Best, and Atlanta Magazine, as well as the Best Spring Festival by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution - presents approximately 200 local and international works selected from over 9,400 submissions (consisting of 7,000+ films and 2,400+ screenplays) representing 50+ countries. ATLFF was named a “Top 50 Festival Worth the Entry Fee”, one of the “25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World” by MovieMaker magazine, and one of USA Today’s ten best film festivals.
The Atlanta Film Festival is proud to present the 17th Annual Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay Competition in 2025.
ATLFF Screenplay Competition
The Atlanta Film Festival has a four-decade-long history of discovering and nurturing new filmmaking talent, having shown early works by Robert Rodriguez, Spike Lee, and Victor Nunez. The Screenplay Competition was founded in 2008 to expand this tradition by recognizing the foundation of the filmmaking art form. Recently, the Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay Competition was recognized as one of MovieMaker magazine’s “15 Submission-Worthy Screenwriting Competitions of 2021, 2022, and 2023.”
The 2025 Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay Competition is devoted to finding the best screenplays from around the world and offering their authors the opportunity to take part in a once-in-a-lifetime writing workshop and mentorship program with professionals in the industry.
Three feature film screenplays, one pilot screenplay, and one short film screenplay are chosen from submissions to take part in one-on-one mentorship meetings. Not only do they get notes on their winning screenplay, but the winners also get to build meaningful relationships with their mentors and network with the diverse and experienced crowd of filmmakers and industry insiders who attend the Atlanta Film Festival every year.
Winners of the Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay Competition have gone on to be honored by the Black List, selected for the Sundance Directors’ Lab, sign with representation, option their winning scripts, and write/direct critically and commercially successful indie films.
Benefits
The Atlanta Film Festival prides itself on a commitment to furthering the careers of filmmakers and writers who are selected for the festival and who win the screenplay competition. With that in mind, we prioritize once-in-a-lifetime opportunities!
Short Film Screenplay Winner
One winner will be chosen in the short film category. This winner will receive:
● A cash prize of $250
● Trophy
● Travel stipend and 2 nights of accommodation to the 2025 Atlanta Film Festival
● A mentoring meeting with a short film filmmaker with extensive experience with production and the festival circuit, designed to give our winners the chance to sit down and talk about the next steps for their script and their career, and to develop what’s intended to be a lasting relationship with a like-minded and accomplished filmmaker.
● An All-Access Badge to the 2025 Atlanta Film Festival
Pilot Screenplay Winner
One winner will be chosen in the pilot category. This winner will receive:
● A cash prize of $350
● Trophy
● Travel stipend and 2 nights of accommodation to the 2025 Atlanta Film Festival
● A mentoring meeting with a writer working in either the television or web series industry, designed to give our winners the chance to sit down and talk about the next steps for their script and their career, and to develop what’s intended to be a lasting relationship with a like-minded and accomplished filmmaker.
● An All-Access Badge to the 2025 Atlanta Film Festival
Feature Screenplay Winners
Three winners will be chosen in the feature film category. These winners will receive:
● A cash prize of $500
● Trophy
● Travel stipend and 2 nights of accommodation to the 2024 Atlanta Film Festival
● Exclusive access to our annual Atlanta Film Festival Screenwriters Retreat. This intimate, invitation-only, and all-expenses paid program offers our winners the chance to meet industry professionals and workshop their screenplay in a scenic setting, designed to give our winners an extended opportunity to discuss next steps and to develop what’s intended to be long-lasting relationships with like-minded and accomplished filmmakers.
● An All-Access Badge to the 2025 Atlanta Film Festival
2025 Winners on Coverfly
Announcements
No announcement dates listed.
Rules
At the program's request, Coverfly will automatically remove your title page for you if you include one when submitting to this program.
Before submitting, please read through all the rules and terms below. By submitting your project, you acknowledge that you have read and agreed to all of the following. All projects that have been submitted by our final deadline and that adhere to the following terms will be considered for inclusion in the 2025 Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay Competition.
If you have any further questions, please visit our FAQ at https://www.atlantafilmfestival.com/screenplay-submission-faq
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
The Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay Competition is open to any writer from anywhere in the world. However, the Atlanta Film Festival prides itself on highlighting the work of independent and emerging writers and filmmakers. Therefore, it is preferred, but not required, that applicants have not had previous screenplays produced by non-independent companies or groups.
To be eligible for consideration, submitted screenplays should not be optioned, purchased, or otherwise produced. If your screenplay is optioned, purchased and/or produced during the course of the competition, please contact us immediately.
UPDATED DRAFTS & DUPLICATE SUBMISSIONS
● After a submission is received and processed, updated or revised drafts of that submission or associated screenplays cannot be accepted.
● Applicants can submit as many UNIQUE screenplays as they’d like to the competition. Each submission requires an application, payment, and PDF.
● Duplicate submissions are not allowed. Any duplicate submissions of the same screenplay, with or without revisions, will be disqualified without refund. Please be sure to carefully review and edit your screenplay before submitting.
SUBMISSIONS WITH MULTIPLE WRITERS
Screenplays with more than one author or contributor are eligible, as long as all are identified in the application material. Please make note of each author’s name in your submission. Should a screenplay with two or more writers be named a winner, the award will be divided equally among the authors. A work without adequate attributions may be disqualified.
FORMATTING
Screenplays should be formatted according to general industry standards. Pages should be numbered and must be typed in 12 point Courier font with customary screenplay margins. Entries must be in English. Dialogue in another language is acceptable, so long as an English translation is provided.
While the competition has no specific rules regarding title pages, it is recommended that the title page includes the title, author(s), and any relevant registration or copyright information.
Screenplays must be submitted as a PDF. Any other format will not be accepted and can result in automatic disqualification and a forfeiture of the submission fee.
FEEDBACK
All screenplays will be reviewed by the reading committee and festival staff. Due to the high volume of submissions, feedback, notes, and coverage are not included with entry.
DEADLINES
Please keep track of the deadlines closely to submit within specific submission windows. The only difference in deadlines are the associated submission fees. All deadlines are set for 11:59pm Eastern Daylight Time (with the exception of our final deadline on November 3, 2024, at 11:59pm Eastern Standard Time).
Any submission with an unpaid balance after a deadline will be required to pay the subsequent deadline’s submission fee. Failure to pay the appropriate fee will result in disqualification without refund. Any entry without a submission fee paid in full by the final deadline will be disqualified.
The full list of deadlines (and associated submission fees) can be found at: atlantafilmfestival.com/submit-your-screenplay.