The Beverly Hills Screenplay Contest is an international screenwriting competition dedicated to discovering and showcasing the work of the world’s best new emerging screenwriters in the city globally recognized as the center of the movie and television industries. We celebrate and share your passion for storytelling by helping to advance the careers of talented screenwriters, connecting our winners with working industry producers, agents, managers, and development executives.
This year’s contest will see over $20,000 worth of cash and prizes awarded to Winners across 14 official competition categories!
Far more important that money or prizes, and in partnership with our industry leading sponsors, we actively publicize and promote the winners of the contest to both media and industry, helping to gain invaluable recognition within the community and hopefully kick-start a lucrative and successful career.
Awards
First, and most importantly, the very best screenplay entered into competition, as determined by the judges and chosen from among all competition categories, will be crowned the overall Grand Prize Winner, the contest’s highest and most prestigious award.
Next, our Official Judges will carefully select and award a Gold, Silver, and Bronze Winner for each of the official 14 competition categories.
Last but not least, 5 Official Finalists will be chosen from among the highest scored remaining entries in each official category.
Promotional Services
The Winners of the competition will be included in our annual press release announcing the results of the competition to the industry entertainment media. This press release is sent out internationally as well as directly to our contact list of producers, agents, managers, and development executives. All inquiries received as a result of this press release will be sent directly to you or your stipulated contact.
Additional prizes and benefits packages include:
International Screenwriters' Association Membership
A complimentary one-year membership will be awarded to all Beverly Hills Screenplay Contest entrants, regardless of whether or not your project is selected as a Winner or Finalist.
The International Screenwriters' Association is a global community that provides screenwriters access to hundreds of valued resources. You start by building a profile: share your training, experience and exciting success stories, then upload your screenplays. Once you tag them, ISA approved Industry Professionals can search the database by using the information you provide. The more you share, the more you'll be searched and matched with the perfect producer, agent or manager.
The Gold Prize Winner of the Comedy category will receive a complimentary advisory meeting with industry executives, Rona Edwards and Monika Skerbelis.
Hollywood industry professionals, Rona Edwards and Monika Skerbelis of Edwards / Skerbelis Entertainment, together have over 25 years of experience in the film industry, having worked in development for major studios (Universal, 20th Century Fox, Paramount), production companies (Michael Phillips Productions, John Larroquette’s Port Street Films, Fern Field’s Brookfield Productions), and have had movies produced and/or in development with Warner Bros., VH1, ABC, USA, HBO, Lifetime, CBS, Phoenix and Ed Pressman, to name a few. Additionally, they are the authors of the critically acclaimed book, “I Liked It, Didn’t Love It: Screenplay Development from the Inside Out” and the BRAND NEW, "The Complete Filmmaker's Guide to Film Festivals."
Sony Creative Software
All Gold Winners will receive of copy of Imagination Pro 4, and the Grand Prize Winner will receive an exclusive Vegas Pro Suite collection.
Sony Creative Software inspires artistic expression with its award-winning line of products for digital video, audio, and music production, as well as industry-leading technology for DVD production and Blu-ray Disc™ authoring. Sound Forge™ Pro, ACID™ Pro, and Vegas™ Pro software have defined digital content creation for a generation of creative professionals. These signature product lines continue to advance media production by providing powerful, accessible tools. Today, there is a Sony Creative Software application for every level of expertise, including a full line of consumer software based on the company's professional applications. The company’s customers span the globe and include professionals in the film, television, video game, and recording industries, as well as students, educators, and hobbyists.
TV Writers Vault Membership
A one-month membership, including one full month of free posting for your winning project, will be awarded to the Gold Prize Winners of the TV Original Pilot and TV Existing Series competition categories.
The Television Writers Vault is the first and only Industry website to bring new TV Show Ideas from everyday people like you to global broadcast on networks, including; Discovery Channel, SyFy, A&E, OLN, UKTV, TV4, and others. Site provides electronic proof of review and direct contact with requesting Producers from hundreds of major television companies using the site to scout new concepts and scripts for development.
Scripped Pro Lifetime Membership
All Silver Winners from the Feature Screenplay Categories will receive a Pro Lifetime Membership, courtesy of Scripped.
Scripped is a Web-based software solution for screenwriters. It allows you to format your scripts to industry standards without having to download software to your computer. Access your scripts from anywhere, at anytime with any computer and an Internet connection. Scripped runs frequent writing contests with cash prizes and potential industry exposure. With 100,000 writers using Scripped from over 100 countries, we are true believers that screenwriting is an international phenomenon. Everyone has a great screenplay and we want you to write it on Scripped.?
Scrivener 2 Software
All Gold, Silver, and Bronze winners from the Action/Adventure & Comedy competition categories will receive a free download of screenwriting software Scrivener 2. All participants and entrants are eligible to a receive a 20% off discount by using the promo code BEVERLYHILLS.
Developed by Literature & Latte, Scrivener is a powerful content-generation tool for writers that allows you to concentrate on composing and structuring long and difficult documents. While it gives you complete control of the formatting, its focus is on helping you get to the end of that awkward first draft.
ScriptCrawler Coverage Services
The overall Grand Prize Winner will receive a complimentary Extended Comments Coverage and 30-minute phone consultation package, courtesy of ScriptCrawler.
ScriptCrawler Coverage works with experienced story analysts who provide coverage for major studios and production companies, as well as “Big 3” agencies like ICM and CAA. That means your coverage comes from the "gatekeepers" for agents, executives, actors, and directors. Their seasoned story analysts provide honest, direct, real-world feedback.
Selling Your Screenplay - Professional Screenwriting Tools
The overall Grand Prize Winner will receive a free membership to Selling Your Screenplay's suite of professional screenwriting tools.
The lucky recipient will receive their very own Screenwriter Website to highlight their career as a screenwriter, list log lines, synopses, and background information. You will also gain access to their Screenwriting Forum, where you will receive personal career coaching and counseling from produced screenwriter Ashley Scott Meyers. In addition, Ashley Scott Meyers will help you prepare your log lines, query letters, and synopses so you can make professional high-impact submissions to over 1000 agents, managers, and producers using Selling Your Screenplay’s fax and email query letter submission service.
All persons entering the Beverly Hills Screenplay Contest must adhere to the following Competition Rules:
All intellectual property rights, ownership, and title to entries submitted remain the property of the entrant. We assume no rights to your work.
Scripts should adhere to the following length guidelines:
If you have a question that you do not see answered here please email us atinfo@beverlyhillsscreenplaycontest.com and we will get back to you right away.
I live outside the United States. Can I still enter the contest?
Yes, entrants from anywhere in the world are eligible to enter the contest. However, all scripts should be submitted in English.
What kind of payment methods do you accept?
We accept credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover) as well as PayPal.
If I win will I have to assign you any rights to my script or any percentage of future profits?
Absolutely not. You retain 100% of ALL rights to your work. Participation in our contest does not convey any rights or future profits to us whatsoever.
Can I submit my screenplay online?
Yes. We encourage you to submit your script digitally through our online entry form. We prefer .PDF format but we also accept Movie Magic, Final Draft and Microsoft Word and Text files. We also accept hardcopy entries by mail. You will be given instructions for mail or online upload during the online entry form.
How will you use the contact information I give you?
Your contact information will only be used by our staff to communicate to you directly about your entry's status in the contest. We will NEVER share your information with any other person or business.
Can I enter my screenplay in more than one category?
Yes, you may submit your screenplay into multiple categories if appropriate. It’s entirely up to you. The price of the first category is included in your entry fee, and you may enter a project into additional categories for an additional $10 each. No matter how many categories you enter, you only need to provide us with one copy of your script.
Do you accept novels or short stories?
No, we do not accept novels or short stories.
Do you accept scripts for animated films and musicals?
Yes. Most of these scripts are entered in the Family Film category, but they can also be entered into any other category you feel is fitting, such as Sci-Fi, Horror, etc.
I entered the contest last year. Can I submit the same script again this year?
Yes. We always encourage writers to develop and improve their work. So as long as your screenplay has not won an award in our contest previously, you are welcome to submit it again. It will be considered in the same manner as any new screenplay entry.
Can I submit more than one screenplay?
Yes, you may enter as many scripts as you like into the contest, but you will need to submit each one separately using our online entry form.
My screenplay is longer than 150 pages. Will it be disqualified?
No, your script will not be disqualified if it is longer or shorter than the lengths we specify; however, we highly recommend that you adhere to our standard guidelines. The Judges who are reading and evaluating your work are industry professionals, and any deviation from standard page count and format may put you at a disadvantage.
What information do you want on the title page of my script?
Please send us a standard title page including the title of your script, author’s name(s), address, phone number and email address. This is for our record keeping purposes only and will not be shared with any other third parties, ever.
Will entering early increase or decrease my chance of winning?
Entering early will not affect your chance of winning, but you will receive a discount for earlier entries. We like to give our Judges as much time as possible to read and evaluate all of the submissions.
What if my script doesn’t arrive by the deadline?
The deadlines apply to the date of postmark or electronic transmission. As long as your entry and payment are postmarked or transmitted electronically on or before the deadlines you're all set.
How will I know you received my entry?
If you’re submitting your script by mail and you’d like confirmation that we received it, you may include a self-addressed stamped postcard which we will return to you. If you submit your script online, you’ll receive an email message from us with a Screenplay Tracking Number assigned to your entry.
Can I send you the revised pages or an updated script after I have submitted?
Once you’ve submitted your entry we cannot accept any rewrites, revisions, or corrected pages under any circumstances. If you wish to submit a new draft of your script, you may enter it as a new entry using our online entry form. However, unless you’ve made extensive and substantial revisions, we do not encourage this.
After the contest will you send me my Judges’ comments about my script?
Only if you choose the option to receive Judge’s Feedback when you enter. If you choose to receive Judge's Feedback, your professional screenplay judge will write for you a multi-page candid and professional assessment of your screenplay consisting of his or her detailed thoughts, criticisms, and constructive ideas about your screenplay, along with thorough feedback regarding your script's strengths, weaknesses, characters, pacing, plot, structure, marketability and overall quality and originality. This feedback will contain a detailed explanation of how your script scored and why and will be emailed to you in PDF format.
When will I receive my Judge’s Feedback?
Your Feedback will be emailed to you in .PDF format no later than 1 week subsequent to the announcement of the Winners and Official Finalists, but oftentimes we try to return feedback within just a couple weeks after entry.
Our panel of Official Judges is comprised of professional screenplay readers and working industry professionals with combined decades of experience reading, evaluating and recognizing quality in screenplays and cinematic storytelling.
Further, we offer all writers the option of receiving detailed feedback from our expert judges so you can see exactly how your script was scored. By providing screenwriters with articulate, comprehensive, and constructive feedback, screenwriters receive a wealth of valuable insights and ideas for further developing both their stories and their craft.
Your judge will prepare a multi-page, candid and professional assessment of your screenplay consisting of his or her detailed thoughts, criticisms, and constructive ideas about your screenplay, along with thorough feedback regarding your script's strengths, weaknesses, characters, pacing, plot, structure, marketability and overall quality and originality. This feedback will contain a detailed explanation of how your script scored and why and will be emailed to you in PDF format.
Evaluation Process
Judging is completely anonymous. Even so, no judges are assigned entries to evaluate if any conflicts of interest are apparent.
During each round of evaluation, the judges are assigned screenplays randomly. The judges thoroughly read each assigned screenplay and return their scores along with a personal assessment including commentary and specific reasoning as to how and why an entry was scored.
Judging Criteria
All entries are judged on a subjective numerical scale giving equal weight to each of the below attributes.
Concept
The general idea of the story.
Presentation
The professionalism and presentation along with adherence to industry standard script formatting as well as correct spelling, punctuation, grammar, and usage.
Structure
The structural design or framework of the screenplay. A good screenplay should include the effective and well-planned use of each act and sequence and plot point.
Plot
The series of conflicts, obstacles, events, and actions contained within and used to advance the story.
Pacing
The pace and timing with which plot elements occur and characters develop.
Character
The originality, believability, distinctiveness, and purpose of the characters contained with the story.
Dialogue
The quality of communication and verbal exchanges between characters used to advance the story, deftly and subtly provide exposition, and add depth to characters.
Theme
The overall subtext or message behind the story. Hint – this should be subtle.
Style/Tone
The overall quality and style of the screenwriting and use of the medium to effectively communicate visual messages, information, and story.
Commercial Potential
The overall appeal and viability of a screenplay in the Hollywood marketplace.