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Manchester Film Festival Screenplay Competition
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Manchester Film Festival
Manchester Film Festival Screenplay Competition
2026
Active Since 2017
Prestigious screenplay award of the BAFTA-qualifying Manchester Film Festival, with writers warmly encouraged to attend the buzzing ten-day event.
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About
COVERFLY UPDATE
In light of the current uncertainty around the future of Coverfly, Manchester Film Festival's intention is to judge all submissions for the 2026 Screenplay Competition as usual, regardless of whether Coverfly is still operating or not at the time of the festival (March 2026). Prizes and judging standards will remain as advertised. By submitting to this festival, you permit Manchester Film Festival to store your personal data (including email) temporarily, and to contact you directly about your results.
This approach is subject to some change depending on Coverfly's actions. Writers will be notified via email of any significant changes. For more information please contact felix@scriptupstudio.com. Manchester Film Festival is a real-world festival run by real-world filmmakers and wants the best for its writers, regardless of which platform they submit through.
INTRODUCTION
After a highly successful 2025 edition, Manchester Film Festival is excited to join forces with ScriptUp once again for its 2026 Screenplay Competition.Now in its 12th year, the BAFTA-qualifying Manchester Film Festival is proud to champion independent work, providing screenwriters with a chance to have their scripts read and appraised by filmmaking peers and industry insiders.
While the competition is run from the UK, international submissions are encouraged.
Unlike some other competitions, the Manchester Film Festival Screenplay Competition prides itself on being associated with a thriving in-person festival. Wherever they place, writers are encouraged to join us in Manchester in March 2026 to make the most of our 10-day programme of screenings, industry talks and networking events.
Competition coordinator ScriptUp is a UK-based script consultancy with a six-year track record of working alongside production companies, studios and individual writers to develop and improve their scripts. With a team made up of working screenwriters, they ensure that every submission is read thoroughly and judged fairly.
SELECTION PROCESS
All submissions will be read by a team of industry readers with a strong background in screenwriting appraisal. Scripts are judged across seven creative and commercial criteria.
- On the announcement date, February 3rd 2026, the top third of submissions will be ranked as Quarterfinalists and will receive Manchester Film Festival laurels.
- At the same time, the top twenty screenplays will be ranked as Semifinalists and will receive a free Filmmaker Pass to the 2026 Manchester Film Festival in addition to Semifinalist laurels. The Filmmaker Pass allows writers to network with film professionals, take in all screenings for free, and attend after-parties.
- From the twenty Semifinalists, five screenplays will be selected as Finalists.* These writers will receive a free Filmmaker Pass to the 2026 Manchester Film Festival, where their scripts will be read and critiqued by an industry jury, as well as being featured at the festival's Screenplay Showcase event, with the finalist writers invited to present their projects in front of our filmmaker audience.
* This selection will include at least one short script, one TV script and one feature script.
- During the festival week, each of the jury members provides scores and full written feedback on the finalist screenplays, which will be compiled into a Finalist's Report.
- The script with the highest aggregate jury score will be crowned the Overall Winner at the festival's main prize-giving event in March 2026 at the Odeon Great Northern, Manchester.* The overall winner will be awarded a Manchester Film Festival statuette alongside other prizewinners in the festival.
* Location and time subject to change. In-person attendance isn't compulsory.
INDUSTRY JURY
The jury for this year's competition will be made up of executives, writers and agents from leading companies within the industry. Juries from past years have included:
- • Lare Oyefusi, Commercial Planning, Disney+
- • Rupert Stonehill, Film & TV Agent, Independent Talent
- • Charlotte LeMaire, Film Advisory, Endeavor Content
- • Henry Holmes, Script Development, Gaumont & PBJ Agency
- • Shanika Hyslop, Editor, Bloomsbury Publishing
- • Camila Legaspi, Chief Content Officer, Latina Media Ventures
- • Beatriz Menéndez, Film & TV Department, Curtis Brown
- • Archie Thomson, Screenwriter & Winner of C21 Drama Prize
- • Ella Troup, Producer, iGeneration Studios
CONTACT
Feel free to contact the ScriptUp team to ask any further questions: https://www.scriptupstudio.com/contact
Benefits
QUARTERFINALISTS (top third) will receive:
• Manchester Film Festival Quarterfinalist laurels.
• 20% discount on 2026 festival passes.
SEMIFINALISTS (top 20) will receive:
• Manchester Film Festival Semifinalist laurels.
• Invitation to Manchester Film Festival 2026 with full Filmmaker Pass (free access to all screenings, talks, events and after-parties).
FINALISTS (top 5) will receive:
• Manchester Film Festival Finalist laurels.
• Full reads from industry jury.
• Comprehensive creative and commercial notes from all judges.
• Invitation to Manchester Film Festival 2026 with full Filmmaker Pass (free access to all screenings, talks, events and after-parties).
• An extract of your screenplay performed in the Screenplay Showcase event - a rehearsed reading by professional Manchester-based actors in front of an industry audience.
Announcements
Feb 3rd
Quarterfinalists
Feb 3rd
Semifinalists
Feb 3rd
Finalists
Mar 21st
Winners
Rules
- - Screenwriters from all countries are welcome to enter. Submissions must be in English.
- Multiple entries are allowed, but each screenplay must be submitted separately.
- - Scripts submitted to the competition must not have been previously optioned, purchased or produced at the time of entry.
- Screenplay must be the original work of the entrant. Adaptations are accepted but you must own all copyright. At no point will Manchester Film Festival ever have any rights over your work.
- Once submitted, no revisions or updates will be accepted.
- The Manchester Film Festival Screenplay Competition readers’ and judges' decisions are final. By applying to this contest each participant agrees to hold the Manchester Film Festival, ScriptUp, our judges, and sponsors immune from any competition disputes, claims, liabilities, and expenses.
- Entrants retain all rights to their submitted screenplays. The competition and its judges will not share, sell, or distribute submitted scripts outside of the competition evaluation process.
- Short scripts, TV scripts and feature scripts are assessed in the same competition bracket. Animated scripts are welcome too. We believe that quality writing will shine through, regardless of the format.
- If the Manchester Film Festival and/or ScriptUp helps a writer gain representation, option, sell, or have their screenplay produced, then we are entitled to state this on our website and any other platform.
- Scripts that do not meet eligibility requirements or fail to comply with submission guidelines may be disqualified without refund.
- By entering the Screenplay Competition, you authorise the organiser to use any trusted third-party online, cloud-based, and email services and databases for hosting, managing, and/or sending/transmitting your submission file(s).
- The organiser, judges, and affiliates are not liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from participation in the competition. Entrants agree to indemnify and hold harmless the competition, its affiliates, and its representatives from any claims, disputes, or legal actions related to the submitted screenplay.
- By entering, participants acknowledge that they have read and agree to abide by these official rules and terms. The organiser reserves the right to update these rules as needed, with notice provided to entrants where appropriate.