Hi everyone.

I was wondering what competitions everyone is doing this year and perhaps even their past experiences with the ones I have in mind. I’m leaning towards the film festival ones as I can at least put down “… recognized by Austin Film Festival” and I think they’d look good on a CV. Also, I’m trying to narrow it down to ones which offer some kind of compensation (prizes, feedback, etc.).

1. Script Pipeline TV Writing - as far as I know this is a high profile one.
2. Austin Film Festival - high profile one.
3. Screen Craft Comedy.
4. Nashville Film Festival.
5. Creative World Awards.
6. Shore script.

7. Page Awards - another high profile one with lots of entries.
8. Scriptapalooza.

Oh and the BBC comedy is coming up too and that’s free. Annoyingly I can’t do Nichols Fellowship as its for features only.

Lastly - this is the list I’ve been using. It’s a really great PDF filled with all the competitions this year - month by month, early to late, etc.
https://i2drx21yqgq2odk6e1pvzq2c-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Coverflys-2019-Guide-to-the-Best-Screenwriting-Competitions-Fellowships-and-Labs.pdf

You forgot the biggest Nichols

Quoted from JohnI You forgot the biggest Nichols

The original list was provided by Coverfly, specifically those contests that allow entry via Coverfly.

It's a helpful list, but you should also check out MovieBytes.com for a more comprehensive list. And by comprehensive, I mean it includes a lot of crud alongside the good contests.

I generally pick three a year I am going to enter. Always:

- Nicholls
- PAGE

Plus one alternate. I've entered Shore, Scriptapoolza, Final Draft, Blue Cat, Script Pipeline. To me, this bunch is pretty much the same thing with a slight shout out to Shores and a shout back at Blue Cat (I think it is falling in prestige).

On Nicholls - my view is your wasting your $$ unless you have some socially relevant script.

I've stopped entering them, though I've won at Nashville twice, just not sure of the actual value of them in terms of getting more of my scripts produced.

I will be entering BBC, not because it's free but because it's UK centric.

It's worth mentioning that our very own Matias Caruso won Page in 2014 and now has a number of scripts in development in Hollywood - check out the interview I did with him here - https://anthonycawood.wordpress.com/2016/12/27/interviews-matias-caruso-proof-that-nice-guys-and-gals-sometimes-finish-first/

Whatever you do enter... best of luck!

I'm with Anthony on the BBC vibe, although the fact that's free is also a great motivator for me as it doesn't feel like it's exploitive.

Quoted from AnthonyCawood I've stopped entering them, though I've won at Nashville twice, just not sure of the actual value of them in terms of getting more of my scripts produced. I will be entering BBC, not because it's free but because it's UK centric. It's worth mentioning that our very own Matias Caruso won Page in 2014 and now has a number of scripts in development in Hollywood - check out the interview I did with him here - https://anthonycawood.wordpress.com/2016/12/27/interviews-matias-caruso-proof-that-nice-guys-and-gals-sometimes-finish-first/ Whatever you do enter... best of luck!

Read the interview. Nice read! Good work, AC.

Oh right. You think comps can be exploitative? High profile ones or the smaller ones?

It's strange, from my query research for managers - they don't really care about you (comps, who you are, etc.). They care more about what you're selling - the logline. Which is understandable.

On the other hand, agents want to know who you are and that you have experience and can write. They want to see the competitions in the query. Then again, as far as I know, agents hardly ever read your query.

Hmm. Perhaps I'll just do a few? Or at least, do more research. I questioned the director of script competitions at Austin Film Festival. If you win anything they reimburse you for air fare/hotel. That's pretty cool.

Dark Horse - Winning a big one is never gonna do you any harm with agents/managers/producers etc. But the odds are astronomical with Page getting something like 8000 entries - but as Matias proved, it can be won.

And 'Award Winning Screenwriter' looks good on the CV too ;-)

As far as Matias goes, Mr. Z here at SS, he had a loooong track record of winning smaller comps and won almost monthly at MP which made him a legend there. He also worked his ass off learning the craft. He studied and studied and studied some more then wrote wrote and wrote. That's the type of writers that win.

There was also a woman at MP long time ago when it first started out. She was there maybe a year before she left. In the time she was there though, it became clear that she was an exceptional writer. She too would win the monthly comps regularly. She went on to win and become one of the Nicholls Fellows last year. It takes HARD work to get there!

Usually, most people can tell their writing stands a notch above others even at an early stage. :)

The thing about most competitions is that at the lower levels, your fate is in the hands of readers like us, doing reads for $25 or so.  It's typically not professionals at production companies doing the read until you get to the semi-finals.  I tend to not put a lot of stock in them, even though I've entered a few in the past.  I did get a couple of people reach out to me about management opportunities after doing well in one of the competitions.  So I'm ambivalent about them.  I did enter the Atlanta Film Festival with a TV pilot and finished as a semifinalist, and I also entered the Austin Film Festival and Page with the same script.   At the end of the day, I think very, very few people actually get recognized out of them.

I think competitions are like high school exams with an element of the lottery thrown in. They can help you get up one rung from the bottom of the ladder if you do well, but once you start work, the high school diploma no longer bears any relevance and it is the work experience that counts.

Agents have a long list of writer's banging on their doors. I've spoken to a few of them and they only check out the winners of Nichol and Page. They prefer to get new writer's via recommendations from producers they trust.

So the real trick it is networking. That means getting your script produced and making relationships so one day the right person with the right connections is impressed with you and recommends you to an agent/manager.

Winning competitions may get your script noticed by a producer so they are worth doing but just pick a few that are high-profile like you are doing. The next step though is networking, getting you script out there to people looking to make cheap indy films and making stuff happen.  

I don’t think they’re great for getting produced or bad - somewhere in the middle reality lies.

I save the Nichols and Page for what I think is my best script at the time. This ear is the same one one as last, but I got coverage and made a number of major changes (it made top 80% in Nichols and finals at Austin.) So I think it’s ready.

I will then throw one or two newer ones in lesser comps -  See how they do and maybe send them to Nichols and page next year.

They don’t hurt and I’m a very competitive guy. Same as picking boxes for the super bowl - a crapshoot.

Cleaning up two scripts, hopefully have them ready for Page.  If I get them done in time (April 15 is Page late deadline) it would mark my first foray into the comp world.

Quoted from JohnI I don’t think they’re great for getting produced or bad - somewhere in the middle reality lies. I save the Nichols and Page for what I think is my best script at the time. This ear is the same one one as last, but I got coverage and made a number of major changes (it made top 80% in Nichols and finals at Austin.) So I think it’s ready. I will then throw one or two newer ones in lesser comps -  See how they do and maybe send them to Nichols and page next year. They don’t hurt and I’m a very competitive guy. Same as picking boxes for the super bowl - a crapshoot.

Best of luck to you.

Quoted from SAC Cleaning up two scripts, hopefully have them ready for Page.  If I get them done in time (April 15 is Page late deadline) it would mark my first foray into the comp world.

Excellent. It is a fun journey