SWN Feature-Length Screenplay Competition |
Summer 2023
The SWN Screenplay Competition has some of the most respected judges in the industry. Enter your script and receive many of our submission benefits.
Placement
Genre
Format
Representation Status
Grand Prize Winners
Grand Prize Winner
Feature
· Fantasy
· 92 Pages
Eleven year old Jack will take any challege, accept any dare, to prove he's afraid of nothing, for what he truly fears is losing his gravely ill mother. With the help of a scarred WWII pilot and the ghost of a Confederate soldier, Jack learns what it means to be truly brave.
Malibu, CA
After attending a screenwriting course at the AFI in Washington DC, I took Horace Greeley's advice of "Go west, young man," to try my luck in Los Angeles. I had some early success, optioned twice. I wrote spec spcripts for individuals who wished to market their stories. Now, I'm back to competing in the mainstream and hoping contest success wil...
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Finalists
Finalist
Feature
· Comedy
· 114 Pages
When a Broadway-obsessed teen has a debilitating panic attack on stage, she teams up with her popular rival to conquer her anxiety and seize the spotlight at her high school's talent show.
Philadelphia, PA
Teacher and lover of film. My writing typically explores comedic and coming-of-age themes, with a cinematic range spanning from Promising Young Woman to Valley Girl to Rachel Getting Married to Lost in Translation.
Greta Gerwig is my hero.
Fun fact: I share a birthday with Molly Ringwald from Sixteen Candles.
Finalist
Feature
· Horror
· 95 Pages
After recovering the diary of his dead sister, a teenager finds he has the ability to speak to her through it.
NY, NY
Writer/Director
Finalist
Feature
· Drama
· 117 Pages
A put upon Muslim emergency/trauma pharmacist who lives by a moral code, is at the end of his rope. He sees a new chance at life when he meets a desperate and mysterious girl - his dream girl - at the hospital where he works in need of saving her grandmother. In order to help her, he slowly slips against his moral code and pulls the drug heist of a ...
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Vasanth Santosham
No bio available.
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Finalist
Feature
· Action
· 110 Pages
When skyrocketing crime and moral decay threaten to wipe their tiny boomtown from the map, a pair of kinfolk cops resort to desperate, unorthodox measures to save it.
Austin, Texas
Duane Graves has produced work showcased at Sundance, SXSW, Slamdance, & Tribeca. He co-wrote/directed THE WILD MAN OF THE NAVIDAD, released by IFC. Graves also co-wrote/directed the Western KILL OR BE KILLED, released by RLJE. Named by Coverfly as one of the best up and coming screenwriters, he is currently developing EDELWEISS with Kim Henkel, co-...
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Finalist
Feature
· Thriller
· 89 Pages
After a disturbing obsession lands him fired from his dreary office job, a troubled man abandons society to embark on a bizarre quest to cure himself.
Austin, Texas
Duane Graves has produced work showcased at Sundance, SXSW, Slamdance, & Tribeca. He co-wrote/directed THE WILD MAN OF THE NAVIDAD, released by IFC. Graves also co-wrote/directed the Western KILL OR BE KILLED, released by RLJE. Named by Coverfly as one of the best up and coming screenwriters, he is currently developing EDELWEISS with Kim Henkel, co-...
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Finalist
Feature
· Historical
· 112 Pages
During the Mexican American War, Lieutenant Ulysses Grant befriends a Mexican woman who helps African Americans escape bondage. During the Civil War, the woman is sent to the United States to seek General Grant's help in preventing France from destroying the duly elected government of Mexico and becoming an ally of the Confederacy.
Austin, TX
Tina Juárez's screenplay on the Mexican American War, LABYRINTH OF DESTINY, was a 2018 Academy Nicholl Finalist. Her script on the birth of the Republic of Mexico, THE BANNER, is a Semifinalist in the 2024 Academy Nicholl Screenplay Competition. Her script, SOUTH WIND COME, a contemporary thriller keyed to the poetry of the 16th century Spanish mys...
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Finalist
Feature
· Drama
· 109 Pages
Forced to choose between the career he craves and the father who abandoned him as a child, a Kiwi writer/director wreaks havoc on his personal and professional life as he pursues a project with a Hollywood legend.
Auckland, NZ
Ever since Gregor saw Holly Hunter wipe tears from her eyes as she watched his film ‘Avondale Dogs’, he's been hooked on leading audiences through the emotional gamut - joy, pain, fear, and laughter. The whole shebang. Finalist, Semi-Finalist and Quarter-Finalist in fourteen international screenwriting contests, Gregor rates making Holly Hunter cry ...
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Finalist
Feature
· Historical
· 110 Pages
Though haunted by the childhood memory of his father's murder for leading a slave rebellion, an African American slave joins Mexico's struggle for independence after witnessing the execution of the author of the first law against slavery on the North American continent.
Austin, TX
Tina Juárez's screenplay on the Mexican American War, LABYRINTH OF DESTINY, was a 2018 Academy Nicholl Finalist. Her script on the birth of the Republic of Mexico, THE BANNER, is a Semifinalist in the 2024 Academy Nicholl Screenplay Competition. Her script, SOUTH WIND COME, a contemporary thriller keyed to the poetry of the 16th century Spanish mys...
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Finalist
Feature
· Horror
· 107 Pages
A filmmaker goes missing while investigating Paradise Found, an animal sanctuary harboring a dark secret. Her filmmaking partner and brother set out to find her, leading them to cross paths with a dogged detective investigating the sanctuary for reasons of his own.
Sylvan Beach, New York
As a kid I wrote skits for me and my little brother to perform for our grandparents and fell in love with acting. However, I lacked the clarity and focus to realize that "doing the work" is more important than having talent. Decades later I finally put in "the work". Learning how to break down a scene re-ignited a love to write scenes. Writing feat...
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Semifinalists
Semifinalist
Feature
· Thriller
· 124 Pages
When his date's car is broken into and her laptop stolen, a repressed office worker hunts the homeless thief across Los Angeles to reclaim his masculinity
Los Angeles, California
Delusional idiot writing about delusional idiots.
For the past ten years, I've been conducting a participatory anthropology on rare types of White People, and my life's work is to transmit my findings through scripted television and film.
#gobruins
Semifinalist
Feature
· Thriller
· 112 Pages
When his life becomes derailed as a result of debilitating night terrors, a shy teenager turns to the only person who can unlock the secrets of his unique mind. Finally uncovering his true purpose, he soon transforms his perceived affliction into the ultimate weapon against evil.
Las Vegas, NV
My dream has always been to get something produced, and that dream is what motivates me day in and day out. There is zero chance I leave this earth without also leaving my mark on it...and my latest TV pilot MELVIN is the way I will finally do that.
Semifinalist
Feature
· Fantasy
· 84 Pages
When an airliner is forced to make a dramatic water landing whip-smart but now missing “gamer girl” GIOIA (joy-ah) MONTOYA gets transported into her own seemingly real-life video game of contrasting magnificent beauty yet demonic terror as she’s pursued by three revenge-seeking assassins all the while seeking a round-trip ticket from the perfection ...
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Tucson, Arizona
As a newscast producer/writer for 10 years at two #1-rated TV stations, an executive producer and news director running 6 TV newsrooms at ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX affiliates including in Sacramento, Pittsburgh and Columbus, I’ve written a 17-episode procedural with the raised stakes involving real-life and intense dramas that any of us could confront a...
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Semifinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 112 Pages
Criminal lovers goes on the run from a biker gang after stealing their drugs, and clashes with street thugs, and demon greaser twins on a haunted highway.....
Pittsburgh, PA
Samuel Fisch studied Screenwriting at Point Park University in Pittsburgh, PA. His favorite film genres are horror, sci-fi, fantasy, action, and comedy. Samuel's developing numerous feature scripts, and TV shows. His inspirations come from George Romero, Stuart Gordon, John Carpenter, Wes Craven, George Miller, Steven E. De Souza, and Walter Hill. S...
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Semifinalist
Feature
· Thriller
· 85 Pages
A college graduate on the way to her first big-city job is abducted when an infamous serial killer escapes during a prisoner transport—to survive, she must overcome her debilitating fear of confined spaces or become his next victim.
Swansboro, NC
I'm a retired Commander. I served on active duty in the U.S. Navy for 30 years. I have a passion for screenwriting and storytelling. I like to write stories about real-life situations with a twist of suspense and horror. I like using “The Screenwriter’s Bible” and “Save the Cat” as tools of the trade. When writing scripts, I pin down the title and l...
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Semifinalist
Feature
· Drama
· 130 Pages
A bumpy "Walk On The Wild Side" with Warhol superstars Jackie Curtis, Holly Woodlawn and Candy Darling - based on my book 'Superstar in a Housedress' (2005).
Atlanta, Georgia
Craig B. Highberger is the award-winning writer-producer-director of "Superstar in a Housedress " (2004) about the life and legend of his friend, Andy Warhol Superstar Jackie Curtis 100% Rotten Tomatoes "Bitchy, catty, moving, and hilarious." - New York Magazine, "Fascinating, tastefully over-the-top tribute. Craig Highberger delivers the goods." ...
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Semifinalist
Feature
· Drama
· 95 Pages
A naive psychology intern is paired with a teenage girl hell-bent on self-destruction and risks his budding career by rejecting the chief psychiatrist's treatment protocol.
Chicagoish, IL
Licensed clinical psychologist for 20 years, in the mental health field for 30. I own and run three private practices that focus on non-medication solutions.
Semifinalist
Feature
· Sci-fi
· 109 Pages
In a larger-than-life 1870s America run by gun-toting industrialists, a frustrated female scientist overcomes blowhard misogynists to lead a daring mission to the moon and back. Complete with moon dogs, space cannons and Ulysses S Grant inventing the cheeseburger.
Milton Keynes, GB
I make a living writing speeches for liberal politicians and tech execs, which has taken me to Downing Street and Silicon Valley and other fascinating and ridiculous places. But I want to write movies.
Moonscope
Private
Semifinalist
Feature
· Sci-fi
· 102 Pages
"Moonscope," set in 2098, an astronaut, Allen, struggles to survive stranded on the Moon after he witnesses the earth disappear.
David Hunter Fein
No bio available.
Semifinalist
Feature
· Comedy
· 138 Pages
Life cycle of a long-term gay marriage.
Beverly Hills, CA
Attorney, pianist, writer. Order changes regularly.
Semifinalist
Feature
· Other
· 111 Pages
A family fights to stay united after the matriarch performs an unthinkable act.
Whyalla, SA, AU
Dave is a multi award winning writer/director who knows almost all of the words to Tubular Bells. His short films have screened in some of the worlds most established festivals, but never in his parents living room. Dave has several feature films in various stages of development, and while he is highly independent, his mother still buys his undies.
Semifinalist
Feature
· Drama
· 99 Pages
When two women ride into the Montana wilderness to scatter a loved one's ashes, they must confront their own damaged lives and death itself to earn another chance at living.
Poulsbo, Washington
Laura was a professional firefighter for almost twenty-two years, and at one point got her writing fix crafting and revising fire department training manuals. Eventually, the terrors and triumphs of the job inspired her to attempt something that makes running into burning buildings look easy – crafting decent fiction.
Semifinalist
Feature
· Thriller
· 102 Pages
When a grieving doctor forebodes the gruesome murder of a novelist who received his dead wife’s heart, he must confront the limits of his sanity as he races to find the killer and stop the murder before it happens on Halloween.
Irvine, CA
Shiva Ramanathan discovered the magic of storytelling when an egg hit him squarely during his stage debut. It kickstarted an adventure even Indiana Jones would admire. From a degree in Communication to community theater, Shiva discovered a companion in writing through life’s exhilarating highs and soul-crushing lows.
While his screenplays have garn...
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Semifinalist
Feature
· Drama
· 117 Pages
When her beloved American teacher is brutally murdered after the divisive 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, a defiant young Korean-American journalist must reconcile her own divides to expose a devious killer hiding in plain sight.
Tarpons Springs, Florida
Over the last 20 years, Nancy Stearns Bercaw has straddled existences in South Korea, Kenya, Singapore, the UAE and USA. She has written for the New York Times, Washington Post, Huffington Post, Korea Herald, The Hindu, U.S. News & World Report, and others. She is also the author of two memoirs, “Brain in a Jar” and “Dryland.” Nancy happens to be...
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Semifinalist
Feature
· Drama
· 115 Pages
A cynical teen and her estranged father are saved from death at the hands of a drug lord by an ancestor who teaches them the protective power and connective ability of Love.
Austin, TX
Tina Juárez's screenplay on the Mexican American War, LABYRINTH OF DESTINY, was a 2018 Academy Nicholl Finalist. Her script on the birth of the Republic of Mexico, THE BANNER, is a Semifinalist in the 2024 Academy Nicholl Screenplay Competition. Her script, SOUTH WIND COME, a contemporary thriller keyed to the poetry of the 16th century Spanish mys...
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Semifinalist
Feature
· Action
· 88 Pages
Two estranged friends reunite and launch their makeshift investigation squad they had from their youth, to solve a missing person case that still haunts them today. Little do they know; this case will unearth a much larger drug and murder scheme that is plaguing their town.
Hamilton, ON, CA
Andrew Hopps is a screenwriter from Hamilton, Ontario. His feature script, “Across All Galaxies,” was optioned with Coup Studios after placing in the top five in the Big Deal contest. He signed a shopping agreement for his pilot, “The Branch.” His pilot, Time Hustlers, won the Inroads Fellowship (2020) and sits on The Redlist in the top two perc...
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Semifinalist
Feature
· Drama
· 124 Pages
After losing her passport, spoiled Chinese teen Yan finds herself in a US children's immigration center, where she encounters a circumcised Nigerian girl who escaped a Mexican cartel, an Eastern European boy who chased dud missiles for a living, and a Chinese boy who discovered love on his smuggling journey to the US. A revolutionary cross-cultural ...
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Beijing, PA, CN
Weiyang Liu is a Beijing-born writer, director, and actor who spent his high school years in Pittsburgh, PA. He began his onscreen career in China at 17, starring in television series and leading campaigns for renowned brands such as BMW, Nike, Pepsi, Huawei, Ford, P&G, Buick, Tencent Games, MasterCard, and more.
At 23, Weiyang shifted his focus ...
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Semifinalist
Feature
· Action
· 126 Pages
'A Fairy Tale' is a transgressive crime drama about two abused teenagers in rural 1960s Illinois who discover love and liberation during a violent crime spree that unfolds during the worst tornado outbreak in U.S. history.
San Clemente, CA
Every film starts with a screenplay one person refuses to ignore.
I have three simple screenwriting rules:
1) Do not bore.
2) Tell my story. I'm never going to be able to tell a story that appeals to everyone so I tell my story to the best of my ability and hope people enjoy it in the spirit it was written.
3) Interesting things ...
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Quarterfinalists
Quarterfinalist
Feature
· Sci-fi
· 120 Pages
Estranged NASA pilots must overcome a rocky past and even rockier asteroid field to rescue miners trapped in the core of a rogue asteroid before NATO launches an attack to obliterate it as an approaching global killer.
VA
Raised in a small New England town, encouraged by his father, Matthew wrote science fiction and painted a Star Wars battle mural on his bedroom wall. In time, his love of well-told action and sci-fi stories for film led to an optioned spec script, an action/adventure in the spirit of Indiana Jones, before moving on in his profession as a veterinary ...
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Quarterfinalist
Feature
· Thriller
· 90 Pages
Two men end up in a bind after discovering someone involved in criminal activity.
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
After showing random magic tricks to strangers in front of a local theater in Tallahassee, Fl, Justen Ramsey discovered you can get paid for writing movies. He has an irrational fear of aliens and checks his cars back seat for assassins after seeing "Let Me In" in high school. Luckily he is a Quarterfinalist in the Emerging Screenwriters - Genre Scr...
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Quarterfinalist
Feature
· Drama
· 99 Pages
When a Korean-American college student begins a relationship with a sugar daddy, she is faced with the question: can a price tag be empowering if you put it on yourself?
Los Angeles, California
Lover of rock music and outer space. My scripts tend towards the elevated, character-driven end of the spectrum, and involve young, diverse, and current perspectives. My writing is influenced by my literary background and diverse palate for stories: I keep up with novels, poetry, and plays. I craft thought-provoking narratives packaged in an enterta...
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Quarterfinalist
Feature
· Drama
· 104 Pages
After a tragic accident claims her mother and sister, Layla decides to seek solace at a treatment center where she befriends another grieving patient Adam. Together, Layla and Adam find healing and hope through astral travel, forging a bond that transcends grief.
Dubai, Dubai, AE
Mohammed Mamdouh was born in Egypt and raised in the United Arab Emirates. He holds a Master of Fine Arts in Film from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. He's won numerous awards locally and his work has been selected in film festivals across the globe.
Quarterfinalist
Feature
· Adventure
· 115 Pages
A young interracial married couple at the end of their rope, decide to change everything by going out on the road to find a better life. Simultaneously, an established LA record producer is about to lose his company due to a lack of new artists. Their stories parallel one another until they evolve into a duality.
Las Vegas / Los Angeles
No bio available.
Quarterfinalist
Feature
· Action
· 108 Pages
Two sisters -- elite government agents -- find themselves on opposite sides of the battlefield as they fight to survive a clandestine war between rival vampire dynasties.
Cary, North Carolina
Richard is the author of several spec screenplays, with a particular focus on the fantasy, science-fiction and supernatural genres. An award-winner and multiple finalist, his work consists of diverse, character-driven stories, with a sense of adventure, humor and heart. Richard's first co-writing effort, 'Harker: The Awakening' , is currently avail...
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Quarterfinalist
Feature
· Action
· 118 Pages
In the tumult of the Korean War, orphaned Dorian finds family, love, and purpose when he joins the Puerto Rican 65th Infantry regiment, fighting alongside the Borinqueneers, where he learns to "Pray Like Angels and Fight Like Demons."
Loveland, CO
I was born in New York City and raised in New Jersey, the son of poor immigrant parents. Growing up in an ethnic neighborhood and subsequently attending University allowed me to see two Americas. The one as a stranger immigrant, the other as an upper-middle-class professional. The worlds never reconciled. Writing is where I self-medicate, my drug...
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Quarterfinalist
Feature
· Animated
· 108 Pages
A little cat boy and a little bunny girl travel on a magic train to make new friends and to locate and rescue a benevolent queen.
Ofallon, IL
In five years of entering contests, I've won accolade after accolade non-stop, even accumulating multiple Top 1% ratings. My specialty is works with the perfect blend of comedy, drama, and heart to bring out the best in mankind. With every contest I enter, I grow smarter and more mature as a writer.
Quarterfinalist
Feature
· Sci-fi
· 97 Pages
When the First Mars Colony is taken hostage it’s up to two inaugural sheriff applicants, each on Mars to escape their own broken lives, to put aside their differences long enough to rescue the colonists and expose a sinister plot to rule the world.
Raised in a small New England town, encouraged by his father, Matthew wrote science fiction and painted a Star Wars battle mural on his bedroom wall. In time, his love of well-told action and sci-fi stories for film led to an optioned spec script, an action/adventure in the spirit of Indiana Jones, before moving on in his profession as a veterinary ...
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Quarterfinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 99 Pages
A mysterious stranger called "The Riverman" tells 3 scary stories in the sewer, which we'll not forget.....
Pittsburgh, PA
Samuel Fisch studied Screenwriting at Point Park University in Pittsburgh, PA. His favorite film genres are horror, sci-fi, fantasy, action, and comedy. Samuel's developing numerous feature scripts, and TV shows. His inspirations come from George Romero, Stuart Gordon, John Carpenter, Wes Craven, George Miller, Steven E. De Souza, and Walter Hill. S...
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