So, a bunch of contest deadlines are coming up, and I'm debating whether or not I should enter.  I'm looking towards Nicholl and AFF (Austin Film Festival).

I sort of have a 'Why not?' attitude towards all this, I figure there's not much to lose (other than ~$100 in entry fees... that's a lot for me, I'm still a student haha).  Even though I know I won't win the grand prize, just making the quarterfinals or semifinals is good enough for me.  The only thing holding me back and causing me to debate this is that I'm not sure the script is the best it can be, and the deadlines are looming.

Hey Rock,

Why not enter? For the money, you get months of anticipation and some possible reward from the experience.

Who's to say you won't make the finals or hell, go all the way?

That's the beauty behind contest...

You just don't know.

I usually only enter one or two tops per year, but this year, I think I have a strong enough script to put into several contest.

I'm not sure what the AFF contest you mentioned is, but the PAGE AWARDS is a great one to get into and submissions are open.

Now the NICHOLL, from what I've heard is kinda the top catch out there. You best bring your A game for it.

I wish you all the best, and dont be shy. Get in there and do it.

It is, after all, a way to get your work out there.

Shawn.....><

Rock,

I've been thinking about whether to enter Nicholl's or not too.  Unfortunately I don't have anything near complete enough to submit.  If you have something that you feel is fairly complete, submit.

Your name will pass through the minds of people who actually have the ability to change your life.  

The worst that can happen is that you don't make it to the next round.  The best that can happen is that your script gets purchased, produced, and you thank all of us here at Simply Scripts in you acceptance speech at the Academy Awards.

Jordan

Quoted from Nomad The best that can happen is that your script gets purchased, produced, and you thank all of us here at Simply Scripts in you acceptance speech at the Academy Awards.

Ha! I wonder who'll be the first one. Assuming one of us makes it this far - judging from the talent on display though, it's impossible not to.

Yeah, Nicholls seems like the better choice but you need a really good script to make it to the finals. I think every winner has their script voted onto The Black List - so essentially, you're completing with professionals.

But I still think it's great to enter, some competitions even offer feedback so you can improve your script and send it in the next year.

So I was looking up the Nichols, and I am a little unclear about something... is it just for film students?  I am in no way a film student, nor do I plan to be one since I already have a B.S. and a J.D.  I do however have a passion for writing, one scifi script that I completed with my brother, a sequel that we are in the middle of writing, and about a dozen other story ideas for scripts I would like to write down the road.  

I have a "day job" but I would love to get some of my scripts produced on the side if they are good enough (which I think the idea for our scifi script is really good, and finishing the sequel will make it even better because from there we have the plot outlines for another 13 movies in the series).  Obviously, I have a regular job and a family that are my primary concerns (and the same is true for my brother), but that doesn't mean that we want to put out a half-ass script.  Thus, we do put a lot of time into our stories, characters, and dialogue and we are trying to fine-tune the formatting issues that we have.

Is this a contest my brother and I should consider entering?  (We wrote the script together equally)  If not, what contests would you suggest are a better fit for us given what I have told you?

Thanks for the help.  Everyone on this site has been very helpful, and I am trying my best to soak up yall's advice like a sponge.

I'm new to this whole thing, so my question is- do some of you that enter contests or look at contests to enter:
Do you put a priority on entering ones that provide feedback?

Is is worth the extra fee to order feedback from some contests that offer it for an additional charge?

Is is stupid to enter a contest and NOT order feedback?

There are competitions that offer feedback, but that shouldn't be priority in choosing a competition.  Those that offer representation (or a shot at it) or the chance of getting the winning script in producers' hands is the most important.  

Of course, the competition has to be a reputable one and not some bullshit fly-by-night competition.

There are genre-themed screenplays that can work to your advantage.  The horror-themed competitions usually are closing up in the next few weeks.

For a list of competitions, along with people's opinions of them, visit moviebytes.com.


Phil

Thanks for the link, Phil. I've been on that site before and it does help.

Not having much experience in this, though, it's been hard to gauge if purchasing feedback / scores (which sometimes doubles the price of involvement in the contest) is worth it.

It seems like if you've been through this process a few times and seen or understood how your material was viewed by judges, you wouldn't be flying in as blind.

Keep in mind that contests that offer feedback give you only a page or so.  While this feedback may offer something you haven't considered, it's unlikely you'll get any more feedback than you would by posting here.


Phil

OK. This is all stuff I don't know (it's actually a long list).

Thanks...

If you want feedback, be active here.  You can get 50 different people (and more) commenting on your script.  After you've tweaked your work, based on everyone's opposing views, then you should enter competitions that best suit your needs.


Phil