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ScreenCraft
ScreenCraft True Story & Public Domain Competition
2021
Coverfly-exclusive
Reads in Coverfly
Active Since 2018
The demand for films and television series based on existing IP has never been higher. Oscar-winning screenwriter Akiva Goldsman joins as this year's VIP Mentor!
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About

This unique ScreenCraft competition was launched after industry producers, executives and managers consistently asked for the same thing: screenplays based on pre-existing intellectual property. True stories and works in the public domain (published before 1923), have a long history of Hollywood success. 

Winners’ projects will be circulated to our wide network of industry professionals, with the goal of setting up the winners with production companies and studios, and introducing the top writers to literary managers and agents. 

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 Hollywood judges who love true stories and public domain properties.


BLYE FAUST

Oscar-Winning Producer

Blye Faust is the Academy Award-winning producer of SPOTLIGHT, and partner in film and television production company, Based On Media, which focuses on authentic, inclusive portrayals of the human experience to reframe and widen our collective perspective.


ROBIN SWICORD 

Oscar-nominated Screenwriter and TV Writer

Robin Swicord is a screenwriter and television creator, of MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA, LITTLE WOMEN, (WGA-nomination), MATILDA and PRACTICAL MAGIC as well as THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON for which she was nominated for an Oscar. Recently she co-Executive Produced and wrote episodes of Ava DuVernay’s Netflix Emmy Award-nominated mini-series WHEN THEY SEE US.


JUSTIN WOLF

Manager, Lighthouse Management + Media

Lighthouse Management is a full-service talent management, production & media company. The production company behind BOMBSHELL and the TV show RATCHED, clients include Jason Bateman, Mark Ruffalo and the writers and filmmakers behind BOOKSMART, PRETTY LITTLE LIARS and THE BIG SHORT.


KAYLON HUNT

VP, Development and Production, JuVee Productions

Kaylon Hunt is Vice President of Development and Production at Viola Davis’s JuVee Productions. A film, television, documentary and VR production company with an overall deal at Amazon Studios, JuVee is behind EMANUEL, on the 2015 shooting at Emanuel AME Church, co-produced by Stephen Curry, LILA & EVE, TROOP ZERO, and HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER, among many more.


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 Development Program
  • $1,000 Cash
  • Complimentary Badge for the 2022 ScreenCraft Virtual Summit
  • License to either of your choice: Final Draft or WriterDuet Pro screenwriting software

Feature Winner
  • $500 cash award
  • Accepted into ScreenCraft Development Program
  • 50% off 2022 ScreenCraft Virtual Summit

Pilot Winner
  • $500 cash award
  • Accepted into ScreenCraft Development Program
  • 50% off 2022 ScreenCraft Virtual Summit

Short Winner
  • $500 cash award
  • 50% off 2022 ScreenCraft Virtual Summit

Writer Success

2024 Quarterfinalists on Coverfly

See Other Placements

Announcements

Jun 9th
Semifinalists
Jul 7th
Finalists
Aug 11th
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 January 1, 2021 and March 31, 2020.

  2. Entry fee for each screenplay is $49.50 until the early deadline on January 31, 2021, then $69.50 until the regular deadline on February 28, 2021, and then $79.50 until the final deadline on March 31, 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 screenplay 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 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.