Nov 21, 2015
Dec 13, 2015
Dec 20, 2015
Dec 30, 2015
Welcome to the Marquee Lights Competition! We discover new screenwriters and filmmakers, offering a $500 cash award to the top screenplay and short film. We invite you to enter the 2015 Marquee Lights Competition!
BEST SCREENPLAY: $500 Cash
One winner will be selected from the combined finalists in all categories.
1. Screenplays submitted to the competition must NOT have been previously optioned, purchased, or produced at the time of entry.
2. Screenplays submitted to the competition must not have received awards from other competitions over $50,000 at the time of entry.
3. Screenwriters of submitted material must be 18 years of age or older. Effective as of the date of submission, each writer or writing team may not have earned more than $50,000 or the foreign equivalent (jointly or individually) for work as a screenwriter and/or fictional television writer. Screenwriters who have had previous feature screenplays produced and distributed by non-independent means are ineligible.
4. All judging decisions are final and may not be disputed. Marquee Lights Competition and its administrators may not be held responsible for any errors or omissions during the judging process.
5. To enter the Marquee Lights Competition, you must agree to its Terms and Conditions. Entrants are responsible for submitting the correct PDF. No refunds.
6. Screenplays and short films must be original. Adaptations must have life story rights and/or clearances. The screenwriter is responsible for all copyright clearances.
7. In the event a winning screenplay or short film has multiple writers, the cash prize will be sent to the contact person listed at the time of submission. It is the responsibility of the contact person to divide and distribute the cash prize with the other writers.
8. Under no circumstances will substitutions of either corrected pages, new drafts, or re-edited short films be accepted after initial submission.
9. Submitted material will not be returned. Entry fees will not be returned under any circumstances.
10. Members and employees of Marquee Lights Competition, parent company, and their immediate families are not eligible, nor are any competition judges and their immediate families.
11. Entries must be transmitted electronically on or before midnight Pacific Standard Time on the deadline in order to qualify for that entry rate. Any submissions transmitted after the Late Deadline will be disqualified.
12. Writers who reside in countries other than the United States are welcome to enter the contest; however, all scripts must be submitted in English and entry fees must be paid in U.S. dollars. Entry in the competition is void where prohibited by law.
FAQ
My screenplay is based on another literary work written by me. Can I submit it to the competition?
Yes. If you have personally written a book or play which has never been published or sold, or if you have self-published your work and retained all rights to it, you may submit an adaptation of your own material. If your source material has been published, sold, or is currently under option by or to any third party, your screen adaptation of this material is not eligible.
My screenplay is based on actual historical events. Can I submit my screenplay?
Yes, as long as your screenplay does not violate any other author's copyrighted material.
If I win, will I have to assign you any rights to my script or any percentage of future profits?
No. You retain all rights to your work.
How are the cash prizes paid?
Cash prizes will be paid via PayPal. Winners will need a PayPal account.
Submission Guidelines
1. The title page should only have the title of the screenplay. Do not put your name or any other identifying information on the title page or on any other page. Our judging process is anonymous. Film credits are allowed.
2. Screenplays must be in English, formatted in 12-point courier font.
3. Do not manipulate the screenplay formatting in order to meet the required page count. As a standard rule, 1.5" left, 1" right and 1" top and bottom dimensions are acceptable.
4. Screenplays with manipulated formatting will be disqualified. No refunds.
5. Submit a PDF (under 5 MB) of your screenplay. The competition does not accept any other file type. Hard copy submissions are not accepted.
6. Pages must be numbered. Before you submit your script, please check to make sure there are no missing or duplicated pages.
7. Marquee Lights Competition is not responsible for screenplays stolen or lost in transit.
8. We recommended script registration with the U.S. Copyright Office.
