ScreenCraft
ScreenCraft Comedy Competition
2021
Coverfly-exclusive
Reads in Coverfly
Active Since 2014
Open to pilots and features, opportunities include mentorship with Funny or Die, a Q&A with Tze Chun, project development with established screenwriters, and a jury behind comedies like PEN15 and NO QUESTIONS ASKED
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About

Comedies can be classic, uplifting, farcical or even wreck havoc on convention wisdom. Ripe with memorable characters and unforgettable dialogues, comedies touch on universal themes that are relatable and maintain a laugh-out-loud status. If your feature or TV pilot is not afraid to make us think or laugh, we want to read it! 

ScreenCraft’s past winners have gone on to sell their scripts to major studios and have been hired by companies like Universal, Netflix, Amazon, Millennium, 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. Over 100 ScreenCraft writers have signed with top management companies and agencies like 3 Arts, Anonymous Content, CAA, WME, UTA, Paradigm, Lit Entertainment, and many more. 



Benefits

THE JUDGES

Get in front of this phenomenal jury that loves great comedies!

 

KRISTIN KONIG

Talent & Literary Manager, MGMT Entertainment

Kristin Konig is a Talent and Literary Manager at MGMT Entertainment, representing actors, writers, producers, and multi-hyphenates. Clients include Dan Levy (Emmy-winning writer/actor/producer SCHITT’S CREEK), Janet McTeer, June Diane Raphael, Samantha Mathis, Sean Hatosy, and more.


SETH GORDON

Director and Producer, Exhibit A Film Company

Seth Gordon started in documentary film and went on to direct several studio feature films: FOUR CHRISTMASES, HORRIBLE BOSSES, and IDENTITY THIEF, all of which grossed over $100M domestically. Gordon has directed eleven pilots for Sony Television and all of them have gone to series. They include: THE GOLDBERGS, THE GOOD DOCTOR, SNEAKY PETE, LINCOLN, and ATYPICAL. Most recently he directed the AppleTV pilot of FOR ALL MANKIND. With his production company Exhibit A, he premiered a new ABC comedy UNITED WE FALL in July 2020.


LANG FISHER

TV Writer and Showrunner

Lang is Co-Creator and Executive Producer of the acclaimed Netflix series NEVER HAVE I EVER. She was a writer and producer on three seasons of BROOKLYN NINE-NINE, five seasons of THE MINDY PROJECT, and staff writer on the Emmy-nominated final season of 30 ROCK, where an episode she co-wrote was named to Variety’s “25 Best TV Episodes of the Decade." Lang got her start writing for The Onion and won a Peabody for The Onion News Network.


CAROLINE RECHSTEINER

Director, Comedy Development, Warner Bros. Entertainment

Caroline Rechsteiner is Director of Comedy Development at Warner Bros. Television, the studio behind broadcast hits such as MOM, YOUNG SHELDON and GOD FRIENDED ME, and streaming and cable shows SHRILL, THE KOMINSKY METHOD and TED LASSO, among many others.


PHIL AUGUSTA JACKSON

TV Writer and Co-Producer

Writer, Television Producer and Performer Phil Augusta Jackson is Co-Executive Producer of HBO's INSECURE, was a writer on BROOKLYN 99, and his new show GRAND CREW premieres on NBC in the Fall of 2021. He got his start in Comedy at New York's renowned Upright Citizen's Brigade.


BRANDON LOUREIRO

Manager of Development, Strong Baby Productions

Brandon is helping to build a slate of projects in both film and television at Jonah Hill’s Strong Baby Productions. Brandon was previously a Development Coordinator at Paramount Pictures and also worked in production and development at Lionsgate, DreamWorks Animation, and Fox.


ROBERT GATI

Comedy Orginal Programming Executive, Hulu

Rob Gati is a Comedy executive in Hulu’s Originals department, where he has overseen series such as PEN15, RAMY, CATCH-22, DOLLFACE, FUTURE MAN, CASUAL, and DIFFICULT PEOPLE, amongst others.  Gati also launched Hulu’s new animation initiative, with recent shows including SOLAR OPPOSITES, CROSSING SWORDS, ANIMANIACS, and an upcoming slate of Marvel animated series.


THE PRIZES

On top of all top scripts being read by this incredible jury, the winners will receive prizes and industry outreach. Dozens of ScreenCraft winners have signed with managers, sold their scripts, option projects, been staffed, or been hired for open writing assignments. Check out some of thesuccess stories here.

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 and phone calls with one or more top Hollywood literary managers who are looking for talented emerging Film & TV screenwriters.

All winners’ project info and log lines will be circulated and recommended to our network of over 60 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 top literary managers

  • Accepted into the ScreenCraft Writer Development Program

  • $1,000 Cash

  • Complimentary Badge for the 2022 ScreenCraft Virtual Summit 

  • Lifetime subscription to Arc Studio Pro

Feature Winner

  • $500 cash award

  • Accepted into ScreenCraft Development Program

  • 50% off 2022 ScreenCraft Virtual Summit

  • Lifetime subscription to Arc Studio Pro

Pilot Winner

  • $500 cash award

  • Accepted into ScreenCraft Development Program

  • 50% off 2022 ScreenCraft Virtual Summit

  • Lifetime subscription to Arc Studio Pro

Writer Success

The money and the meetings were great - but the real value for me was the validation that I was on to something with this project. Sometimes it's hard to know when your only readers are the people already in your corner. It's nice to have confirmation from completely objective eyes.
Amanda Verwey
2021 Winner
My experience with the ScreenCraft Comedy Competition was one that I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend. I made the choice to get feedback every step of the way, and - along with some peer feedback - it helped to hone my screenplay, Seldon Seen, to the point that it made the 2021 Nicholl Fellowship quarter finals. The readers approached the story in the spirit it was intended, not trying to change it to suit their personal tastes. It was clear that they read it fully, and their notes were entirely actionable.
Peter R. Feuchtwanger
2020 Finalist
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Coverfly Program Insights
Coverfly vets all programs on its platform, but not every program is right for every writer. Program Insights help you decide where to submit your work.

2024 Winners on Coverfly

Top 1%
TV Script  · Comedy  · 36 Pages
A period comedy about a brilliant nurse desperate to become Victorian London’s first female doctor who takes up grave robbing to master human anatomy and runs afoul of menacing gangs and misogynist doctors.
Jon writes most of his comedy scripts with writing partner Jay Thomas. He writes more dramatic pieces alone in front of a large fireplace. Jon's feature film, SEXUAL ANIMALS, was distributed by Gravitas Ventures in December 2020. His 1st and 2nd loves are Film and TV, but Jon also has a BFA in Theatre from Michigan State University, if you’re into t...
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Show 1 more writers
Top 3%
TV Script  · Comedy  · 34 Pages
When baby bisexual Alice responds to her long-term boyfriend’s proposal by asking to open up their relationship, her picture-perfect life spirals into queer chaos. One small step for bisexuals, one giant mess for Alice—she's made her bed, now she’ll have to suck and fuck in it.
  • IATSE Member
    Verified WGA Member
Los Angeles
Ari Friedman is a queer, bicultural writer, director and clown who grew up in an Ultra-Orthodox Jewish-Guatemalan home, only to turn around at 25 and get her hand tattooed like a schmuck. She recently co-wrote the penultimate series finale episode of STAR TREK: DISCOVERY. Previously, she was the writers’ assistant on Discovery, as well as on THE COO...
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Top 2%
Feature  · Comedy  · 100 Pages
When jaded single mom Kathy Keating visits her ex-husband at his secluded upstate home, she falls in love with him all over again, only to discover that he's concealing a terrifying secret: his house is bound to an old witch’s love spell, and all who know its power are willing to kill for it.
West Hollywood, CA
Zef Husain is a writer, comedian, and improviser living in LA. An east coast transplant and confused child of immigrants, Zef has performed and written sketches at UCB, Westside Comedy Theater, and many other stages around town. He specializes in comedy, but also dabbles in other genres like horror, sci fi, and action. He loves martial arts movies, ...
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Announcements

Jul 7th
Semifinalists
Aug 4th
Finalists
Sep 1st
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, between February 1, 2021 and April 30, 2021.

  2. Entry fees and deadlines:

    1. $49.50 until the early deadline on February 28, 2021

    2. $69.50 until the regular deadline on March 31, 2021

    3. $79.50 until the final deadline on April 30, 2021

  3. Optional feedback from a professional reader may be requested at the time of entry. Requests for feedback after an entry is submitted will not be accepted.

  4. Feature screenplays must be a minimum of 75 pages and a maximum of 150 pages. TV pilots must be between 25 and 75 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). All writers must be credited on the title page.

  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 $5 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. 


We want to set you up for success, and here are a few basic screenplay etiquettes that will help your screenplay.