WeScreenplay
WeScreenplay Diverse Voices Lab
Spring 2021
Coverfly-exclusive
Reads in Coverfly
Active Since 2016
WeScreenplay is looking for stories from writers with underrepresented backgrounds. 6 writers will be selected to participate in a career-changing lab!
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About

Hollywood needs a perspective shift.  WeScreenplay is looking for writers with underrepresented and diverse backgrounds with cutting-edge stories. All readers for this program come from diverse backgrounds, and all entrants will be provided with at least a page of written feedback on their script from their first round judge.

Benefits

This year's judges include:


Joy Ganes -- President, Tracy Yvonne Productions
Joy is the President of Tracy Oliver's (GIRLS TRIP, FIRST WIVES CLUB) production company, Tracy Yvonne Productions, which is committed to championing diverse voices of all genres, across TV, film, and digital media.

Kesila Childers -- Vice President of Development for Paul Feig's Powderkeg 
Powderkeg is Paul Feig's (ZOEY'S EXTRAORDINARY PLAYLIST, THE OFFICE) digital content company that aims to champion new voices with a commitment to female and LGBTQ creators and filmmakers of color.

Jess Burkle -- TV Writer
Jess is a TV writer currently staffed on the CW show IN THE DARK -- and he happens to be blind himself.

Louisa Minghella -- Literary Agent
Louisa is a literary agent at Blake Friedmann Literary Agency in the UK who focuses on representing diverse talent.

Writer Success

If you are eligible, do not hesitate to apply for Diverse Voices. I have won or placed in multiple contests and none so far have gone to the lengths that the team at Diverse Voices went to in order to ensure the winners were put in front of the best agencies and management companies and production companies possible. They also delivered a highly inspiring four-day lab that far exceeded my expectations.
Daniela Saioni
Spring 2021 Winner
Absolutely go for it! You get invaluable feedback to polish your script and if you are fortunate enough to place, it's an amazing opportunity to get your work in front of reps that you might not have had access to otherwise. I'd like to say a big, heartfelt thanks to WeScreenplay for helping me connect with representation. They were the epitome of professionalism and courtesy. I don't doubt that I would be much further behind in my journey to find representation if it weren't for her help.
Soma Helmi
Spring 2021 Finalist
I was a finalist in WeScreenplay's 'Diverse Voices Screenwriters' Lab' (Spring 2021), and after that, WeScreenplay went above and beyond to share my script with reps and answer my questions to guide my next career steps. WeScreenplay sent my next pilot (PROJECT BLANCA, which is currently up at Coverfly) to Jen, who decided to rep me! Had I not placed in this competition, and had WeScreenplay not been as proactive about helping finalists' careers, I would not have made this particular connection.
Teresa Jusino
Spring 2021 Finalist
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Spring 2025 Winners on Coverfly

MELANIE FROM HR
Private
Feature  · Thriller  · 96 Pages
After being misled, a woman uses her "resources" to wreak havoc on the man who broke her heart.
  • Verified WGA Member
Studio City, CA
Born and raised in Nashville, TN, Asheleigh had two loves, ballet and writing. Realizing that dancing professionally was not for her, she worked briefly as a magazine writer then focused on TV writing. She worked on THE QUAD, before moving over to BLACK LIGHTNING. Her first credit earned her a nomination for Outstanding Writing in a Drama Seri...
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Top 1%
Feature  · Thriller  · 110 Pages
When her politically-divided church is threatened by extremists, a controversial pastor must fight to reclaim her pulpit as a skeptical FBI agent investigates her involvement in the threats.
North Hollywood, CA
Tosin is an actor, writer, director and proud son of Nigerian Immigrants now living in Kansas City, where he grew up. He is most known for "Bass Reeves" (Paramount+) and “Run The World” (STARZ), “The Chi” (Showtime), “Black Lightning” (CW), and “Julia” (HBO). On film, he stars in Amazon’s "Blackbox", "Friend Request" and "North of the 10" (B...
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Top 1%
Feature  · Thriller  · 110 Pages
Cancer surgeon Moira Caldwell uncovers a conspiracy that seeks to squeeze profits out of patients, eliminating anyone who stands in the way.
Portland, Oregon
I'm a Portland Oregon-based writer of conspiracy thrillers and dramas with a side of comedy. I'm also a cancer surgeon/scientist who adores T cells, math, visual arts, and cats. I was privileged to use my patient advocate experience as an advisor on Here Awhile starring Anna Camp, Steven Strait, and Joe Lo Truglio and was featured in the Sundanc...
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Announcements

Dec 15th
Finalists
Jan 20th
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.Void where prohibited.

2.Except where prohibited by law, participation in the contest constitutes each entrant’s consent to WeScreenplay 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.

3.BY ENTERING THE CONTEST YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU HAVE READ AND AGREE TO THESE CONDITIONS. You agree to release and hold harmless WeScreenplay, Red Ampersand, Inc., Industry Arts, LLC., WeScreenplay.com, 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 WeScreenplay.org and its Sponsor, agents and employees from and against any and all claims, expenses, and liabilities (including reasonable attorney’s fees) relating to an entrant’s participation in the Contest and/or entrant’s use or misuse of Prize. Employees of WeScreenplay 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.

4.Screenplays entered must:

a.Not include the writer’s or writing team’s name or contact information on any page of the script including the title page.

b.Include a title page with no name(s) of the writer or writing team.

c.Be submitted in PDF form and must fit all standard screenplay format guidelines. Personal formatting conventions will be accepted but must not intentionally or accidentally alter the page count of the project as determined by the judges. A rule of thumb, if your script is formatted properly and under 120 pages, it will likely not be more than 23,000 words. Anything over 120 pages will cost $1 extra per page.

d.Be owned solely by the writer or writing team listed. It may be an adaptation or reimagining of true events or fictional stories. 

e.Be written in English. However, scripts from anywhere in the world will be accepted.

f.Have pages numbered. Scripts of any length will be accepted for an additional fee, but we’d advise that scripts over 160 pages should be edited down before being submitted.

5.By entering this screenplay into the competition, you must have full permission from all co-writers and any attachments to the project.

6.Screenplays entered may be in any genre or combination of genres. All will be treated equally and read by an unbiased panel of judges.

7.Entrant’s total earnings for screenwriting for either film or tv, produced or unproduced, must not exceed $50,000 in the previous 18 months from submission or $250,000 lifetime earnings. This excludes any prize money from competitions or fellowships and only applies to fund or money transferred in exchange for an option or sale of a script, treatment, idea, intellectual property, or other writing for filming. Money earned from acting, directing, producing, or any other film work outside of writing is not included.

8.Screenplays submitted must not have been previously sold or produced unless said sale or production was completed with no financial gain to the writer.

9.For a submission to be valid it must be accompanied with the appropriate payment based on the submission deadlines.

10.All deadlines are at 11:59pm PST on the date listed. Any deadline alteration or promotion of any kind does not make any entry valid of a refund of any kind.

11.RESUBMISSIONS will be accepted. 

12.There are no refunds for any submitted screenplay. Coupons may not be applied to previously submitted scripts. Coupons deemed for WeScreenplay coverage may not be used for submission to the contest or addition of coverage to any submission unless explicitly stated or exempted on the coupon or by a WeScreenplay representative via e-mail communication only.

13.There is no limit on the number of scripts a writer or writing team may submit.

14.New drafts of an entry will be accepted at any time during the contest.

15.Prizes are awarded per script and teams of writers are expected to divide prizes on their own accord. WeScreenplay will send prizes to the writer who submits the project and will in no way be responsible for how the prizes are distributed among the writing teams.

16.The decision of the judges will be final and cannot be contested in any manner. There is no score on a scorecard that guarantees advancement to the next level as advancement will be based on all scores in the competition.

17.Scorecards can be accessed on the writer’s dashboard. Feedback and Coverage will ideally be distributed between 2 and 3 weeks following submission, but this is not guaranteed. We only guarantee that coverage will be provided before the quarterfinalist announcement.

18.WeScreenplay reserves the right to delay announcements for any reason. Delay may last up to but never more than 180 days. While we never anticipate any delays, such delays will not alter the standing of any screenplay entry and will qualify no script for a refund under any circumstance.

19.By entering the WeScreenplay contest every entrant is agreeing to all WeScreenplay Terms and Conditions listed and available before checkout. If you disagree with any terms you may not submit to the contest.

20.By submitting to the contest you are releasing your script to WeScreenplay and holding harmless WeScreenplay or any affiliates from any claims, expenses, and liabilities, including but not limited to invasion of privacy, defamation, copyright, libel, trademark infringement, slander, personal property infringement, etc.

21.Any prize winners will be required to sign an affidavit validating their entry into the contest.

22.Any cash prize winners of over $599 will be required to file a W-9 before the cash prize is distributed.

23.All prizes provided by sponsors or mentors are subject to said sponsor or mentor providing the prize. WeScreenplay will do everything in its power to collect the prize packages promised, but is not responsible for a sponsor’s failed delivery.

24.Any winners may have their name, script title, and picture used for any WeScreenplay promotions or promotions of our sponsors or affiliates. 25.Former Grand Prize, Second Prize, and Third Prize Winners of the contest may enter so long as it is NOT the same script that won in a previous year. Any other placement in former years does not disqualify the script from being entered this year.

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