May 20, 2021
Jun 08, 2021
Jun 08, 2021
Jun 08, 2021
Winners to be Announced: 6pm PST on June 8th on Creative Screenwriting.
Creative Screenwriting is once again teaming up with several creative partners looking for Features and TV Pilots with unique voices and original stories. Our goal with this contest is to discover great writers then connect their authentic stories to those creative partners. We are looking for the best writing in all of these genres: Action/Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Family/Holiday/Young Adult, Mystery/Crime, Historical/Biopic, Horror/Thriller, Sci-Fi/ Fantasy, Sports and Western.
We are genuinely looking for your unique perspective - with special consideration for Diversity, LGBTQ, Sports, Young Adult, Female Thrillers, Kaufman-esque Mind-Benders and original Holiday Stories, but there really is no limitation. Our focus is to build a slate of talented writers underrepresented in Hollywood today.
Show us your most original work!
Grand Prize (1 overall winner)
$2,500
The Grand Prize Winner will be selected from the Genre Winners and receive $2,500 Cash, a 60 Minute Pitch Consultation with Jess Hinds ($400 value), a 60 Minute Writing Consultation with the Editor of Creative Screenwriting, and a Featured Article on Creative Screenwriting. The winning script will be considered by Creative Screenwriter Productions and shared and promoted to industry partners looking to produce unique work.
Genre Winners (10 Total)
$500 Each
Ten outstanding writers will be selected, one from each of the ten genre categories, to receive $500 Cash and a class with Jess Hinds of Meditative Writing ($315 value). Winning scripts will be shared and promoted to industry partners looking to produce unique work. Genre Winners will go on to be considered for the Grand Prize.
A Class with Jess Hinds of "Meditative Writing"
Jessica S Hinds is an award winning writer, teacher and creator of Meditative Writing©. She wrote the award winning film Stranger at Home, and best screenplay winner The Mending Wall (Stonefair International Film Festival, Oregon Film Awards Gold Winner). She has been a finalist in over a dozen major competitions and festivals including the Austin Film Festival, O’Neill Conference, Made In NY Writers Room, The Van Gogh Award and The Heidman Award. Her plays have been developed and produced at theaters across the country including La MaMa, Cherry Lane, Rattlestick Playwright's Theater, Primary Stages, The Amoralists, The Flea, The Claque, and the New York Artists' Community. She received her MFA in Dramatic Writing from the New School for Drama.
CREATIVE SCREENWRITING
Founded in 1994, Creative Screenwriting has grown into the premiere magazine for screenwriters. During the 90s we were a printed magazine, publishing 25,000 copies six times a year. In the new millenium we launched the Screenwriting Expo, which in 2006 attracted over 5,000 writers, and resulted in our popular Screenwriting Expo DVD series.
Now Creative Screenwriting operates as a web magazine, bringing you articles from screenwriting journalists in Hollywood and around the world.
• 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.
• By submitting to this contest, your email address will be added to the contest database as well as the Creative Screenwriting Magazine newsletter for weekly updates, contest promotions and other notifications. You may unsubscribe at any time.
1st 20 Pages
So much of the opportunity available to your script is spent within the first twenty pages. You need to make sure the hook, teaser, cold open… grabs the reader and presents you like it should. This analysis will give you those answers.
General Feedback
You know your work inside and out, now it’s time to get a second opinion. We’ll read your full script, and you’ll receive a detailed personalized critique on what we see, what we think, and suggestions on where to go next.
Deep Dive
For those looking for an extensive breakdown of the inner-workings of their creative material. Writers who select this feedback will receive suggestions on how to improve overall writing and commercial appeal.
• 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.
• By submitting to this contest, your email address will be added to the contest database as well as the Creative Screenwriting Magazine newsletter for weekly updates, contest promotions and other notifications. You may unsubscribe at any time.
(If you have posted a Writing Gig, please click the red GIG REQUESTS button to view your submissions. If you are a writer and want to be considered for the TOP 25, you must be an ISAConnect Member)
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