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ScreenCraft
ScreenCraft Sci-Fi & Fantasy Screenwriting Competition
2020
Coverfly-exclusive
Reads in Coverfly
Active Since 2015
Our prestigious jury includes execs from Zero Gravity Management, ACE Content, and industry pros behind great franchises like STAR WARS and X-MEN. SEVERANCE writer Kari Stringham-Drake joins as VIP Mentor!
View Latest Season
This season has closed, but there's a new season open now!

About

Now open for Features, TV Pilots, and Shorts!

The 2020 Sci-Fi & Fantasy Screenwriting Competition is open for screenplay entries! Whether you’re writing a contained science fiction drama or an epic fantasy saga, we want to read your TV, feature film or short scripts. The jury is out of this world — with judges who love sci-fi and fantasy — from top companies including MGM Television, Circle of Confusion, Agency for the Performing Arts and 21 Laps! See more about this year's judges below. Don’t miss the industry’s #1 sci-fi & fantasy screenwriting competition. Mark your calendar for the final deadline. 

Benefits

The 2020 Sci-Fi & Fantasy jury includes executives from MGM Television, Circle of Confusion, Agency for the Performing Arts and 21 Laps:

Rashonda Joplin

Creative Executive at MGM Television, the legendary studio behind such projects as THE HANDMAID’S TALE, TEEN WOLF, STARGATE UNIVERSE, and FARGO.

Casey Minella

Manager at Circle of Confusion, management and production company whose clients include The Wachowski Siblings, the writing directing team behind sci-fi films like V FOR VENDETTA, CLOUD ATLAS, and THE MATRIX films.

Halle Mariner

Agent at Agency for the Performing Arts, talent and literary agency whose clients have been behind such projects as LOST, STAR WARS, and TWILIGHT.

Julia Camus

Development Coordinator at 21 Laps, the production company behind STRANGER THINGS and ARRIVAL.

Writer Success

2023 Winners on Coverfly

See Other Placements

Announcements

May 27th
Semifinalists
Jun 17th
Finalists
Jul 15th
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.

Submissions are accepted via electronic submission only, between January 1, 2020 and March 31, 2020.

Entry fee for each feature film screenplay is $49 until the early deadline on January 31, 2020, then $59 until the regular deadline on February 29th, then $69 until the final deadline on March 31, 2020.

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.

Screenplays must be a minimum of 75 pages and a maximum of 150 pages.

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 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.

All ownership and rights to the scripts submitted to this contest remains with the original rights holders.

ELIGIBILITY:

All writers at least 18 years of age are eligible. However, a writer who has earned more than $50,000 (or equivalent currency) from professional writing services for film or TV in the preceding year is not. (Contest winnings not included.)

All persons from anywhere in the world are eligible; however the material submitted must be in English (occasional dialogue in other languages is acceptable, if subtitle translation is provided).

All material submitted to other competitions or contests are eligible for this contest.

There are no requirements as to when the material was written.

Screenplay and intellectual property must be wholly owned and submitted by the writer(s).

Material should be submitted in standard screenplay format, font, spacing and margin.

We have no preferences regarding title page content. Title and name of writer would suffice.

Entries for this competition are managed on the submission platform Coverfly.

Adaptations are ineligible unless the underlying rights are owned by the writer or the work is in the public domain.

The recommended length for feature film scripts is 100-120 pages. Scripts over 120 pages are fine and will be accepted, however please note that there is a small page overage charge of $1 per every page over 120 pages to compensate the judges for the extra time invested in reading longer scripts.

Feature screenplays longer than 150 pages will not be eligible.

All material must be submitted electronically as a PDF or it will not be eligible.

The winners will be chosen based on the following criteria: (i) originality; (ii) plot/story structure; (iii) characterization; (iv) visual inventiveness; and (v) overall impression. The winners and top finalists may be contacted by interested industry representatives, such as managers, agents or producers. Entrants may be required to submit further information to assist in the judges’ verification of eligibility. Any entrant may be deemed ineligible at the sole discretion of ScreenCraft. Finalists may be required to sign and return within seven (7) business days of receipt a notarized Affidavit of Eligibility and a Release and Indemnification and proof of valid passport and any other documents that ScreenCraft or any other partner may require before receiving prize payment. Failure to respond to the initial notification within ten (10) days or return of notification will result in disqualification. We reserve the right to amend these rules at any time.


COPYRIGHT AND OWNERSHIP

ScreenCraft or any other partner, employee or agent associated with this contest claims no ownership nor first right of option to any original screenplay submitted to this contest. All ownership and rights to the scripts submitted to this contest remains with the original rights holders until and unless other agreements are made.


PUBLICITY

Except where prohibited by law, participation in the contest constitutes each entrant’s consent to ScreenCraft and its agents’ and contest sponsor’s use of entrants’ names, likenesses, photographs, and/or personal information for promotional purposes in any media, worldwide, without further payment or consideration. All uses of a entrants’ information are in accordance with our Privacy Policy.


REFUND POLICY

All entries are non-refundable.


ENTRY CONDITIONS AND RELEASE

BY ENTERING THE CONTEST YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU HAVE READ AND AGREE TO THESE CONDITIONS. You agree to release and hold harmless ScreenCraft, ScreenCraft.org, its subsidiary, parent and affiliated companies, Prize contributors, judges, screenplay readers, Sponsors, and any other organizations responsible for administering, advertising or promoting the Contest, and every one of their respective members, directors, employees, agents and representatives (collectively, the “Released Parties”) past and present from and against any and all claims, expenses, and liability, including but not limited to damages and negligence to property and persons, including but not limited to invasion of privacy, defamation, slander, libel, violation of right of publicity, copyright, infringement of trademark or other intellectual property rights relating to a participant’s Entry, participation in the Contest and/or acceptance or use or misuse of Prize; provided however, that such release will not apply to any commercial exploitation of the script by a Released Party in violation of your rights under applicable copyright law; and (c) indemnify, defend and hold harmless the ScreenCraft.org and its Sponsor, agents and employees from and against any and all claims, expenses, and liabilities (including reasonable attorneys fees) relating to an entrant’s participation in the Contest and/or entrant’s use or misuse of Prize. Employees of ScreenCraft and their immediate families are ineligible to participate in this contest. Any such submission will be immediately disqualified. ENTRY TO THIS CONTEST IS VOID WHERE PROHIBITED or restricted by any Federal, State or Local law. Voided entries will be refunded. Recipients’ eligibility will be verified before the grant is awarded and the winner may be required to sign an affidavit of eligibility. By entering the contest, you authorize us to use any trusted third-party online and cloud-based services and databases for hosting, managing and/or transmitting your submission file(s).