ScreenCraft Drama Competition
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About
Hollywood has a long history of celebrating great dramas. In fact, the vast majority of Academy Awards for Best Picture have gone to great dramatic films. Dramas balance the tragedy and comedy in a story, while constantly raising the stakes. Throughout the centuries, great dramatic storytelling has inspired us to be better than we are. Our judges are looking for TV pilots and feature screenplays that demonstrate strong command of the craft, with unique voices and diverse perspectives. Whether you’re writing a sweeping period drama, a tense crime drama or a contained relationship movie, we want to read your film or TV script!
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
With a focus on emotional impact, whether you’re writing a romantic drama film, or a historical epic TV series, our judges want to read your script.
Screenwriter, TV Creator & Exec Producer
Aaron Guzikowski is the Creator and Executive Producer of the scifi series RAISED BY WOLVES. He wrote the Oscar-nominated film “PRISONERS” for Warner Bros, as well as THE WOLFMAN and PAPILLON starring Charlie Hunnam and Rami Malek. He is also the Creator and Exec. Producer of the Sundance Channel thriller series “THE RED ROAD” starring Jason Momoa.
SACHA BEN HARROCHE
Academy Award-Nominated, Independent Spirit Award-Winning Producer
Sacha Ben Harroche is the producer of 2021’s breakthrough drama THE SOUND OF METAL (Academy Award-Nominee, Best Picture; Winner, Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature). He also produced Director Chloé Zhao’s film THE RIDER, which was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award, the Humanitas Prize and won the Gotham Award, among others.
ERIC HAYWOOD
TV Writer, Co-Exec Producer and Director
Eric Haywood has written for PRIVATE PRACTICE and Showtime’s SOUL FOOD, Fox’s drama hit EMPIRE, and most recently was co-executive producer for Starz’s POWER and ABC's FOR LIFE. He is currently a co-executive producer for NBC’s MANIFEST, and began his career directing and producing music videos featuring such artists as Usher, Cee-Lo Green, Outkast, Ice-T, and Tupac Shakur.
MARK BOMBACK
Screenwriter, TV Creator & Exec Producer
Mark Bomback is creator and Exec. Producer of Apple TV+’s DEFENDING JACOB. Feature screenwriting credits include THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN, WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES, DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, INSURGENT, THE WOLVERINE, UNSTOPPABLE, LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD, DECEPTION, and upcoming WHITE BIRD.
Senior Vice President, Television, Color Force
Nellie Reed serves as Senior Vice President of Television at Color Force, the company behind multi Emmy and Golden Globe-winning shows POSE, AMERICAN CRIME STORY: VERSACE, THE PEOPLE VS OJ SIMPSON: AMERICAN CRIME STORY, as well as films such as THE HUNGER GAMES, CRAZY RICH ASIANS and more. Ms. Reed oversees the current TV production slate as well as buying and development of future projects.
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 the success stories here.
Grand Prize Winner
The overall grand prize winner in either feature, TV or short 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.
The top 3 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
Announcements
Rules
At the program's request, Coverfly will automatically remove your title page for you if you include one when submitting to this program.
Submissions are accepted via electronic submission only, between February 1, 2021 and April 30, 2021.
Entry fees and deadlines:
$49.50 until the early deadline on May 31, 2021
$69.50 until the regular deadline on June 30, 2021
$79.50 until the final deadline on July 31, 2021
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.
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.
There is no limit to the number of projects you may submit.
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.
All submitted material must be original, and all rights must be wholly owned by the writer(s).
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.
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.
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.
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.
Contact info may be included on the cover page of the screenplay, however it is not required.
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.