OutHere: An LGBTQIA+ Screenwriting Contest
Enter Now
Final Deadline is 5 days and 13 hours from now
Mar 11th
Open
Apr 12th
Regular
May 10th
Final
Shore Scripts
OutHere: An LGBTQIA+ Screenwriting Contest
2024
Reads in Coverfly
Active Since 2024
$1,500 Cash Grand Prize. Plus an opportunity for five (5) Finalists to meet and receive feedback directly from the Judges. For screenwriters who want to celebrate LGBTQIA+ stories.
Accepting Features, TV Pilots, Shorts, and Web Series
Enter Now
Final Deadline is 5 days and 13 hours from now
About
Are you ready to take your story from a budding idea to a prize-winning screenplay that captivates audiences and champions the spectrum of LGBTQIA+ experiences?
This is your moment!
We know how challenging the journey from concept to completion can be, especially when juggling personal commitments. That's why we're ecstatic to launch OutHere: A LGBTQIA+ Screenwriting Contest, a platform dedicated to spotlighting and championing LGBTQIA+ stories that resonate with joy, community, and family.
In collaboration with Polari and Pride Reads, we're on a mission to showcase contemporary LGBTQIA+ stories. We're offering five (5) screenwriters the opportunity to meet with our inspiring Judges panel, giving your LGBTQIA+ story the attention and nurturing it deserves.
JUDGES THIS YEAR INCLUDE
LUKE OLIVEIRA-DAVIES - Founder and creative producer at the award-winning Polari Creative. Founded in 2020, Polari is an award-winning production company committed to championing stories from diverse perspectives and uplifting the voices of underrepresented creatives both upfront and behind the scenes.
BETHANY BLACK - Comedian, Actor, and Writer for Frankie Boyle's New World Order, and Late Night Lycett, Bethany is blessed with a sharp tongue and a desire to overshare. She is critically acclaimed for her personal, confessional style of comedy.
DREW HUBBARD - Founder of Pride Reads, the groundbreaking screenplay development service offering sensitivity and authenticity reads for queer/lgbtq+ manuscripts and scripts specifically for gay/queer male and non-binary characters.
JOY GHARORO-AKPOJOTOR - 2020 Screen International Star of Tomorrow, Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor is a producer whose work focuses on Black, Queer, and Female-led content for Film and TV. Joy runs Joi Productions, which received a BFI Vision Award.
The Grand Prize Winner will receive a $1500 Cash Prize to spend however they see fit and follow-up feedback from Luke and Drew to help them craft the very best draft of their story.
Five (5) Top Finalists will receive free coverage feedback from Shore Scripts and get online with this year’s Judges to get feedback on their scripts and the latest industry advice.
Fifteen (15) Finalists will have the opportunity to join Shore Scripts private alumni where they can network with other winners, readers, and members of the Shore Scripts team, and our directors roster and take part in exclusive live events and access specially provided learning materials.
With a legacy of propelling over 100 writers into successful careers with industry giants like Sony, Blumhouse, Film4, and Hulu, we're eager to discover writers of LGBTQIA+ stories who are ready to make their mark.
It’s about crafting a screenplay that stands out and prepares you for the industry.
This contest is open to screenwriters from around the world, inviting initial submissions of a logline, a one-page synopsis of your full script, and the first five (5) pages of your screenplay from projects that embody the essence of LGBTQIA+ joy, community, and family.
The Top 5 Finalists will be required to submit their full screenplay after selection to determine the Grand Prize Winner.
Key Dates:
Entries Close: May 10th, 2024
Judges Panel Meeting: May 30th, 2024 - 11 am BST.
Top 5 Finalists submit their full screenplays by June 14th, 2024
Grand Prize Winner announced: June 21st, 2024
Submissions must be in English, original, and personal. We're looking for authentic, engaging stories that reflect the diversity and vibrancy of LGBTQIA+ lives.
By participating, you get a chance to transform your narrative into a recognized screenplay that not only demands attention but also celebrates the richness of LGBTQIA+ experiences, all without Shore Scripts claiming any rights over your work.
FOR ALL THE INFO: https://www.shorescripts.com/outhere-screenplay-contest/
SHORE SCRIPTS | DISCOVERING NEW SCREENWRITING TALENT FROM AROUND THE WORLD.
Prices & Deadlines
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May 10th
Final
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|---|---|
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OutHere Standard Submission
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$40.00
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Benefits
* Grand Prize Winner - $1500 in Cash and follow-up feedback from Luke and Drew to help them craft the very best draft of their story.
* Five (5) Top Finalists will receive free coverage feedback from Shore Scripts and get online with this year’s Judges to get feedback on their scripts and the latest industry advice.
* Fifteen (15) Finalists will have the opportunity to join Shore Scripts private alumni where they can network with other winners, readers, and members of the Shore Scripts team, and our directors roster and take part in exclusive live events and access specially provided learning materials.
Take a look at our alumni and see how Shore Scripts can kick-start your screenwriting career: http://www.shorescripts.com/success-stories/.
Placing in Shore Scripts contests will boost your rating on Coverfly’s Red List. At the end of 2023, over 100 scripts by Shore Scripts writers were listed in Coverfly's Top 10%.
Plus, you can grab your free Submission Guide to creating joyful LGBTQIA+ stories directly from our website: https://www.shorescripts.com/outhere-screenplay-contest/
Announcements
May 17th
Finalists
May 24th
Top 5 Finalists
Jun 21st
Winners
Rules
* For the first round of this contest we are reading the logline, a one-page synopsis, and the first five (5) pages of longer scripts, a minimum of 20 pages long excluding the title page, for completed Features, TV Pilots, Short Film scripts and Animation screenplays.
* Progression through the contest involves the selection of a Top 5 Finalist shortlist who will be invited to an online meeting to make a short oral online presentation to the Judges. In the same meeting, the writers will have the opportunity to receive feedback and answer any questions the Judges may have. Thereafter, the Top 5 Finalists will be required to submit their full script – be that Feature screenplay, TV Pilot, Short Film, or Animation. No other documents or supporting materials are required.
* Writers from all countries are welcome to enter. All scripts and synopses must be written in English.
* The cash prize can be spent on whatever the winner sees fit to help them finish their project.
* The contest development prizes will be solely focused on the script you entered the contest with. Calls and/or coverage with our Judges will be arranged to fit the schedules of all parties.
* All ages can enter. Under 18’s need to get their parent’s permission.
* All genres are welcome.
* Please only include the Script Title on the title page.
* You may submit as many scripts as you wish.
* Scripts should be formatted at size 12 Courier.
* We prefer entries to be submitted as PDF documents.
* Submitted file sizes should be below 15 MB.
* All submitted screenplays must be the writer’s original work, or they own the copyright. If a writing team enters, then both/all writers must consent.
* Shore Scripts will never hold any rights over your project.
* To help the environment, Shore Scripts only accepts electronic entries.
* Each writer, or writing team, may not have earned more than $50,000 in screenwriting fees in the preceding 18 months. This clause is in place to help us support emerging talent. (Contest and Fellowship awards and writing fees received outside of fiction screenwriting do not count toward this total).
* Shore Scripts staff and associates are unable to enter the contest.
* You may enter a newer draft of an already submitted script for another. There will be a small fee involved. To find out more tap this link to the Resubmission page.
* The winners consent to Shore Scripts using their name, script title, and any other relevant information for promotional purposes on their website. This will be used to inform other contestants and the media of the results.
* If Shore Scripts helps a writer gain representation, option, sell, or have his/her screenplay produced, then we are entitled to state this on our website and any other platforms whenever we see fit.
* The decision of Shore Scripts is final. By applying to this fund each participant agrees to hold Shore Scripts, our judges, and sponsors immune from any competition disputes, claims, liabilities, and expenses.
* By entering Shore Scripts, you authorize us 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).
FOR ALL THE RULES & FAQ: https://www.shorescripts.com/rules-faq/#outhere-rules.