Stage 32
Stage 32 TV Comedy Screenwriting Contest
2021
Active Since 2021
Stage 32 is proud to announce our 5th Annual Television Comedy Screenwriting Contest! Open to TV comedy pilots!
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This season has closed, but there's a new season open now!

About

It’s no secret that we’re in a new Golden Age of Television. With audiences’ increasing desires for escapism and purely bingeable TV, there is perhaps no greater demand for new material than within Televised Comedies. Series like TED LASSO on Apple+, PEN15 and RAMY on Hulu, BARRY and INSECURE on HBO, ASTRONOMY CLUB on Netflix, THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL on Amazon, critics and global audiences alike can’t get enough. Not only are these shows changing the way that we watch television but, in many cases, they’re actually changing the way that we view the world. Hilarious writers and ingenious creators have dramatically upped the game with televised comedic storytelling. The next batch of new TV comedies needs to be even better, even bolder and even more groundbreaking.

As always, Stage 32 is on the cutting edge of the industry and invites you to answer the call for gut-busting, thought provoking comedy pilots!

For the first time ever, Stage 32 is looking specifically for the most revolutionary voice in comedic television writing. Our mission is to give that writer a platform to launch their career. And true to form, we’re giving you exclusive access to professionals from across television. Your work could be read by the creative comedic minds behind “IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY”, “YOU’RE THE WORST,” “2 BROKE GIRLS”, “SCHITT’S CREEK”, “WILL SMITH’S BUCKET LIST,” “BLACK JESUS,” “SCRUBS” and more! 

Our panel of judges are not only experts in the field of televised comedy, but they are actively on the hunt for both new writers and new material.

So go ahead and make ‘em laugh! (...No pressure.) Remember that Comedy is a deceptively nuanced genre: Dark ComediesMulti-Cam Slapstick Sitcomsgrounded Single-Cam ComediesComedic HorrorSerio-Comediesbiting Satiresyou name it, we want to see it. Because in this Golden Age of Television, Comedies are more fresh, more boundary-pushing and more sought after than ever, and your story should be out there continuing to change the game. Give us all you’ve got and dare big.

Benefits

The Grand Prize Winner will be flown to Hollywood to have private one-on-one meetings with some of the most prolific writers, producers, literary managers and executives from top television companies including Will Smith's Westbrook Studios, ViacomCBS, The Cartel Management Company and the creative minds behind "IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY", "YOU'RE THE WORST", "2 BROKE GIRLS", "BLACK JESUS" and more!

ALL Finalists will not only receive exposure to our incredible panel of Television mentors, but they will also have their titles and loglines featured in the Stage 32's industry Look Book which will be sent to over 500 executives and professionals who work directly with Stage 32. If an executive requests your script or a meeting with you, we will facilitate!


As a bonus all participants who submit through Coverfly will automatically receive a FREE month membership to the Stage 32 Writers' Room (a $50 value!) After you submit email writersroom@stage32.com for your FREE gift!

competition insights image
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 Finalists on Coverfly

Top 1%
TV Script  · Comedy  · 36 Pages
A washed-up actress and single mom, jaded by years of Hollywood ageism and misogyny, cashes in on her Golden Globe-winning childhood role to gouge the Jesus crowd on the convention circuit and transform herself into a multimillion-dollar Christian lifestyle brand.
New York, NY
Frederik Ehrhardt is a writer & producer based in the US & Germany. He got his industry start as an associate producer for four-time Independent Spirit Award nominee Darren Dean. Most recently, Frederik produced the screen adaptation of Markus Potter’s Outer Critics Circle nominated Off-Broadway play STALKING THE BOGEYMAN starring Tony winner Santin...
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Top 5%
TV Script  · Comedy  · 35 Pages
After her life spirals out of control, an Air Force veteran is forced to team up with her depression, anxiety, and PTSD—manifested as a dysfunctional crew of sentient puppets—to fix her mistakes and build a life worth living.
Gorham, Maine
Rhi came here to write dark-but-kindhearted comedy and chew bubble gum… And her dentist says she's gotta lay off the bubble gum on account of the TMJ. Rooted in a lifelong over-reliance on humor as a coping mechanism and a passion for destigmatizing mental illness, Rhi's writing celebrates the tiny joys that make life worth living (e.g., sandwiches...
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Top 5%
TV Script  · Comedy  · 27 Pages
Michelle and Kenzie used to be big names in the world of voiceover... when they were kids. Now struggling actors as adults, they are thrown for a loop when their roommate (Michelle's sister and Kenzie's secret crush) books an amazing role off of her first audition ever.
Sam is a writer and filmmaker from Orlando, Florida. After defeating Crocodilos, the swamp god of Florida, in ritual combat, he trekked out to Los Angeles to tell his stories (not the one about fighting Crocodilos though; that is an honored secret). In TV, his influences are Community and I Think You Should Leave, while in features, his influences a...
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Announcements

Aug 20th
Semifinalists
Sep 3rd
Finalists
Sep 24th
Winners

Rules

ENTRANT TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Void where prohibited by law.

This Stage 32 Contest is an international contest. Must be 18 years or older to submit.

Entrant agrees to Stage32.com terms and conditions.

This Stage 32 Contest is not a game of chance. All material is read and reviewed by industry professionals.

All quarterfinalists, semi-finalists, finalists and winners are subjectively determined by our judges.

There is no limit to the number of screenplays an Entrant can enter. The same screenplay cannot be submitted multiple times under different names. If so, you will be disqualified.

Entrant must not be an immediate family member or friend of any of the judges or their respective companies.

Entrants must submit screenplays and payment online.

Entry fees will not be returned or adjusted.

No waivers are available for this contest.

SCREENPLAY TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Screenplays should be written in English and in standard industry format.

The rights to the Entrant’s screenplay should not have been previously optioned or sold.

The Entrant retains the rights to his or her screenplay at all times.

Entrant’s screenplay must not have been produced.

The screenplay can be submitted with or without a title page and/or contact information.

After a screenplay is entered, no new drafts or corrected pages can be made by the Entrant. No exceptions.

Screenplay must be submitted as a PDF document.

Screenplay must be the original work of the Entrant and may not be based whole or in part on any fictional or non-fictional material, published or unpublished, produced or unproduced for which the Entrant does not have rights. Neither Stage 32 nor its judges investigates or attests to the authenticity of an applicant’s statement of authorship or rights secured. By entering the competition, you are acknowledging that you have secured all necessary rights.