Rules
• All writers from all countries are welcome to enter the competition; however, all scripts must be submitted in English, and entry fees must be paid in U.S. dollars.
• Scripts must be the original work of the author(s) and may not be encumbered by any third party.
• Scripts that have been sold, produced for a profit, or are currently under option are not eligible.
• Novels, short stories, stage plays, treatments, synopses, reality show concepts, and/or spec scripts for existing TV series are not eligible. Your script must be an original screenplay or teleplay.
• Screenplays adapted from your own self-published books, plays, or other source material are eligible if you have retained all rights to your work.
• Adaptations from other works are permissible provided you have the writer’s written permission to adapt the work.
• Adaptations of works in the public domain are permissible.
• Scripts are accepted via the site or other 3rd party platforms in PDF form only. No printed materials are accepted.
• Collaborative work is eligible; the writers are responsible for the distribution of the competition prize(s).
• The writer understands that a script analysis can take up to 90-days turn-around time and may not be received before the end of the contest.
• Promotions must be used at the time of submission and will not be added to previous submissions.
• Multiple entries are permissible.
• Once a script has been entered into the competition, we will only accept substitutions of new drafts or corrected pages if you contact us within 24 hours. After that, under no circumstances will we accept changes. If you wish to submit a revised draft of your script, you must enter it as a new submission and pay the appropriate entry fee.
• Writers under the age of 18 years old must have parent or legal guardian’s permission to participate.
• Competition applicants must accept without reservation the decisions rendered by the judges.
• Writer understands that it is his/her sole responsibility to register Material with the U.S. Copyright Office and/or with the Writer’s Guild of America or the appropriate agency in his/her country.
• Payments to be accepted via Paypal or Credit/Debit on our site. Most major credit cards are accepted.
• By entering this competition, and in the event you are declared a finalist, you understand and accept that Creative Screenwriting will be free to use your name and likeness for advertising or promotional purposes without additional consideration.
• Contestants are under no obligation to participate therein.
• Contestants may submit their screenplay to any other person, competition, producer, agent, publisher, and/or organization and will retain all rights to their screenplay.
• No agreement for compensation, other than the prizes, has been implied.
• Prizes may be distributed in the rate of 1 package per person based on the highest placement and not per winning screenplay, depending on the request of the sponsor.
• The cash prizes will be distributed within 90 days of winner notification.
• Decisions of the Judges are final and may not be disputed. The Judges will adhere to our competition guidelines; however, the competition and its administrators may not be held responsible for any errors or omissions on the part of the Judges.
• Length requirements are as follows: 1). Full-Length Features: 80-120 pages. 2). TV Pilots: Up to 70 pages.
• If you order feedback you may be charged separately $2 for each page over 120 pages, or the reader may only read the first 120 pages.
• Please do not enclose synopses, casting suggestions, letters, resumes or photos with your submission. They will not be forwarded to the Judges.
• You understand that your logline and screenplay will be reviewed by our staff and/or our panel of Industry Judges for evaluation. You also understand that any one of the staff or judges may have been or may be exploring ideas similar to yours, and you hereby waive any claim that Creative Screenwriting Magazine or Creative Screenwriter LLC, its staff or judges may have misappropriated any ideas or portions of your submission logline or screenplay.
• The writer understands and accepts without reservation that he/she is an independent contractor and that Competition Administrators are not responsible for withholding any taxes or payments to any government agency, at any level, be it state, local or federal.
• Except where prohibited by law, participation in the contest constitutes each entrant’s consent to Creative Screenwriting 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.
• BY ENTERING THE CONTEST YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU HAVE READ AND AGREE TO THESE CONDITIONS. You agree to release and hold harmless Creative Screenwriting and Creative Screenwriter LLC. 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 Creative Screenwriting and its Sponsor, agents and employees from and against any and all claims, expenses, and liabilities (including reasonable attorneys fees) relating to an entrant’s participation in the Contest and/or entrant’s use or misuse of Prize. Employees of Creative Screenwriting 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 cash is awarded and the winner may be required to sign an affidavit of eligibility. By entering the contest, you authorize us to use any trusted third-party online and cloud-based services and databases for hosting, managing and/or transmitting your submission file(s).
• To enter the Creative Screenwriting Unique Voices Screenplay Competition you must agree to the Rules.
FAQs
Q: What are the announcement dates?
A: Finalists: July 28th, 2020 - Genre Winners & Grand Prize: Week of August 27, 2020
Q: How do I enter The Creative Screenwriting Screenplay Contest?
A: Complete the form on the ENTRY page.
Q: What forms of payment do you accept?
A: We accept PayPal, and Credit/Debit Card payments.
Q: Do you accept check or money order by mail.
A: No; all payments must be made through our site payment portal or through PayPal.
Q: I would like to mail you a hardcopy of my script. How can I do that?
A: In an effort to maintain a green company, we only accept PDF versions of your screenplays and TV Pilots through our website or one of our partner websites (the ISA and FilmFreeway).
Q: Should I include my contact information on my title page?
A: No. please do not include your name and contact info. You should list the Title only.
Q: Who will be reading my screenplay/judging the contest?
A: The final panel of judges will be comprised of screenwriting and other industry professionals, including but not limited to producers, managers and established writers.
Q: Can I enter my Short script as a TV Pilot?
A: It is not recommended. TV Series generally last 5 seasons. If you have not planned for your work to be a long running series, please do not submit it as a TV Pilot.
Q: Do I maintain the rights to my screenplay?
A: YES, you retain all the rights to your screenplay. The Creative Screenwriting Screenplay Contest seeks to support and empower writers, rather than claim their hard work for ourselves.
Q: Do I need to submit a Synopsis?
A: Synopses are not required and are not considered during the judging process.
Q: Can I submit a screenplay under a pen name?
A: Yes, you may use whatever name you wish, understanding that this is the name The Creative Screenwriting Screenplay Contest will use to promote your script, should you win.
Q: Does my screenplay have to be registered with the Writers’ Guild or another organization?
A: No, but we do recommend registering your work with the WGA West, the Library of Congress Copyright office or other similar organization in your country. It’s really easy and a VERY smart thing to do.
Q: Is an adaptation of a published novel or other work written by someone else eligible?
A: You must have the legal rights to adapt the book to enter your screenplay. Either the original work must be in the public domain, or you must have the author’s permission to adapt it. Spec scripts without written permission will not be considered.
Q: Can I send you a revised copy of my script or make edits to my genre or logline?
A: Once we have received your entry, you have 24 hours to contact us about any replacements you need to make. After the 24-hour period is through, NO script revisions will be accepted FOR ANY REASON. If you would like to enter a revised version of your screenplay, you may do so as a new entry.
Q: What stops you from taking my idea and developing it yourself?
A: Our panel of judges is comprised of respected industry professionals, and they have no intention of stealing your material.
Q: Do you accept Shorts and Web Series?
A: Not at this time.
Q: What about series intended for streaming (Netflix, Hulu, ABC Digital, etc.)
A: Generally-speaking it depends on script length; any Pilot over 20 Pages should be entered as a TV Pilot (like Stranger Things, Catastrophe, etc).
Q: What’s the minimum/maximum required page length?
A: Guidelines for suggested page lengths:
Features: 70 to 120 Pages
TV Pilots: 20 to 70 Pages
Q: My Feature script is over 120 Pages. Will I be disqualified?
A: Scripts that run over suggested page lengths will not be disqualified; however, extra pages can affect everything from pacing to structure to marketability, so we would advise you to get your script as close as possible to where the industry expects it to be.
Q: Will I be charged more if I go over 120 pages?
A: The entry fee does not change. However, if you purchase feedback, we will need to invoice you $2 per page above 120 for the Reader.
Q: Can I enter two scripts in one document?
A: You may enter up to three scripts per entry, but all scripts MUST be in their own individual PDF document.
Q: Can I submit an episode from my series besides the TV Pilot for consideration?
A: We would advise against this, as our judges consider all TV episodes as if they are the first in the series. No one would read a film script that starts on page 20.
Q: What genres do you accept?
A: We accept all genres. We understand scripts can be categorized in many genres. Please pick from the genre below that best reflects your screenplay. You are welcome to enter in more than one genre, but another entry fee is required. Action, Adventure | Comedy | Drama | Western | Family, Holiday | Mystery, Crime | Horror, Thriller | Historical Fiction, Biopic | Sci-Fi, Fantasy | Young Adult (YA)
Q: Can I enter in more than one genre?
A: You are welcome to enter in more than one genre, but an additional entry fee is required.
Q: Can multiple scripts from one writer place in the Semi-Finalists, Genre Winners and Grand Prize list?
A: Yes, some writers may have more than one script reach any level. We’re looking for the absolute best scripts we can find.
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