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Vail Film Festival
Vail Film Festival Screenplay Competition
2019
Reads in Coverfly
Active Since 2004
THE VAIL SCREENPLAY COMPETITION IS A VEHICLE FOR ASPIRING SCREENWRITERS TO HAVE THEIR SCRIPT READ BY ESTABLISHED PRODUCERS, MANAGERS, AND AGENTS.
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About

"Winning 1st Place at the Vail Screenplay Competition helped us get the film made." - Andrew Kightlinger, 1st place winner, Vail Screenplay Competition

$15,000 in Cash Prizes. $10,000 1st place feature cash prize. $1500 1st place short cash prize.

The Vail Film Festival Screenplay Competition is a vehicle for aspiring screenwriters to get their script read by established film producers, managers, and agents who are actively working at the top level of the film industry. The Vail Film Festival Screenplay Competition welcomes unproduced Feature screenplays between 70-120 pages in length, and unproduced Short screenplays between 5-40 pages in length.

Benefits

FEATURE SCREENPLAY PRIZES

  • 1st place: $10,000 cash prize.
  • 2nd place: $1500 cash prize.
  • 3rd place: $750 cash prize.
  • 4th-10th place: $100 cash prize.

1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners will be included in a national press release and have their scripts read by key decision-makers at leading entertainment companies.

SHORT SCREENPLAY PRIZES

  • 1st place: $1500 cash prize.
  • 2nd place: $500 cash prize.
  • 3rd place: $150 cash prize.

1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners will be included in a national press release.

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Coverfly Program Insights
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2024 2nd Places on Coverfly

Top 1%
The Age of the Empath
TV Script  · Sci-fi  · 60 Pages
In a near-future world where thoughts shape reality, a compassionate scientist and a group of extraordinary empaths must fight a covert, militarized faction bent on controlling humanity's consciousness. Think INCEPTION meets BLADE RUNNER 2049.
by Steve Brown 62 Accolades Other
Steve Brown
Denver, CO
Steve Brown, a graduate of the UCLA Professional Program in Screenwriting, holds dual degrees in Journalism and English from the University of Arizona. In 2023, he transitioned from corporate copywriting (for popular brands such as Nintendo and Kaplan Test Prep) to pursue his passion for film and TV. Today, he dedicates his time entirely to screenwr...
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Top 1%
HEARTRACE
Feature  · Action  · 103 Pages
A father will stop at nothing to save his dying daughter after a drug cartel hijacks her transplant heart.
by Will Bermender 24 Accolades
Will Bermender
Growing up under the wing of a CIA chemist, Will inherited a knack for mixing explosive ideas with unexpected twists — perfect fuel for his high-octane action screenplays. A detour into the corporate jungle saw him steering 20,000 souls in 95 offices across 27 countries, soaking up cultures and chaos that now bleed into his work.
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Top 1%
MAYA'S ROOM
Short  · Horror  · 15 Pages
A teenage boy is hired to house sit for a wealthy couple whose young daughter has just died. The grieving parents have only one request for the night: Stay out of Maya's room.
by Andrew William Weaver 13 Accolades
Andrew William Weaver
Denver, Colorado
Andrew is a screenwriter who specializes in offbeat horror, dark comedy, and genre scripts with a strong emotional core. Most recently, he was a 2024 WeScreenplay Short Script Lab Fellow and a winner of the 2024 Vail Film Festival Screenplay Competition. Andrew has a degree in Creative Writing from Middlebury College and worked for many years as a j...
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Announcements

Jun 30th
Winners
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