Making Money in Screenplay Contests and Getting Your Script Sold

As an aspiring screenwriter, your first priority should be to develop your craft to a point that you feel you are writing professional quality screenplays. Please trust me when I tell you this is not going to happen on your first screenplay. I’ve read hundreds of screenplays written by developing screenwriters and I have never read a first draft that didn’t need considerable work. Ask any experienced screenwriter and they will tell you their first screenplay was crap, even though at the time they believed it to be a masterpiece. Take the time to truly learn your craft before you go out into the marketplace with your work or before you risk your ego in one of the major screenplay competitions. The best way to get your screenplay sold is to write something exceptional. You won’t be making money in screenplay contests if your work isn’t the best it can be. The most important lesson to learn is that writing is rewriting. If you want a script that’s valuable and/or competitive, you’ll need to spend a considerable amount of time crafting that work to its full potential.

Getting your script sold is a matter of getting it into the hands of a decision maker – someone who has the authority to purchase your screenplay. One way to go about this is to submit your script to one of the major screenplay competitions and win; or in some cases, just place near the top. There are likely hundreds of screenwriting contest out there but only a few will give you the juice to garner attention from producers and Hollywood studios. Understand making money in screenplay contests is different than trying to get industry attention. The smaller, lesser known contests may be a great way to pick up some prize money but they probably won’t do much to launch your screenwriting career. Take your time when planning your contest strategy and pick the contests that you believe will give you the best opportunity to achieve your personal goals.

Without question the top-of-the-line screenplay competition is the Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting, presented by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences – the people who give out the Oscars. Up to five screenwriters are awarded $30,000 fellowships in this competition. This is one of those contests that will get you attention if you just advance to the finals. The first and quarterfinal rounds are judged by industry professionals who are not members of the Academy. The semifinal round is judged by Academy members drawn from across the spectrum of the motion picture industry. The finalists’ scripts are judged by the Nicholl Committee. You can enter up to three scripts per year. If you’ve earned more than $5,000 dollars from a sale or option, you cannot participate in this competition. In 2009 there were more than 6,000 entries which is about the average over the last few years.

The Disney/ABC Writing Fellowship was created in 1990 in partnership with the Writers Guild of America West. If you are one of the winners in this competition you actually become an employee of Disney/ABC with a $50,000 annual salary. For this contest, you’ll need to write a spec script of a broadcast or cable network series that is in production for broadcast during the current television season. You’ll need to be able to legally work in the United States because if you win you’ll have to come to Burbank, CA and go to work for Disney.

The Sundance Screenwriters Lab is a unique competition because the prize is participation in their prestigious writer’s workshop, a five day event held right before the Sundance Film Festival in January. Each year the Feature Film Program selects 12 projects for the January Screenwriters Lab. Sundance provides airline travel, accommodations, and meals in addition to the extensive creative and strategic support. You’ll be working on your script with established writers in an environment that encourages innovation and creative risk-taking. This is an intensive program of script development to help you fully realize your script’s potential. Some participants are invited back for an additional workshop in June. This is one of those competitions that’s worth noting on your professional resume.

The Austin Film Festival Screenplay/Teleplay Competition is another of the most respected competitions and provides unique networking opportunities. During the Austin Film Festival, writers who have advanced to the final rounds will be recognized and this will get you attention from the filmmakers, agents, and managers in attendance. Many production deals are made in Austin every year and if you have one of the top scripts, you’ll definitely be taking a meeting or two. All Semifinalist and Finalist scripts are included in the Producer’s Book that is distributed to more than 300 managers, agents, producers, and industry professionals. Prizes for screenplays range from $1,000 - $5,000. You are allowed to submit more than one script with a separate application fee for each. This is a fun event and honestly is a great place to make industry connections.

The Screenwriting Expo Screenplay Competition is part of the annual screenwriting convention held in Los Angeles. This is a fantastic event with seminars, opportunities to pitch your script to industry professionals, a chance to meet working screenwriters, and a number of exhibits to help you advance your craft. The screenplay competition offers a $20,000 Grand Prize and four Genre Prize winners receive $2,500. There are also prizes for Best Love Story, Comedy, TV, and even a short script category. The big prize winners also get a significant amount of industry exposure as part of the prize package. I highly recommend attending the Screenwriting Expo at least once. This will give you a chance to hear directly from agents, managers, screenwriters, producers and give you the opportunity to ask questions and acquire first-hand information about what it takes to sell your screenplays.

Scriptapalooza uses the resources of over 90 producers, managers, and agents to read their contest scripts. This means there’s a chance your script can be purchased before it wins the competition or perhaps you’ll get the attention of a producer who wants to meet with you to work on another project in development. In addition, Scriptapalooze continues to promote the semifinalists and higher finishing scripts for one full year. The First Place Prize is $10,000 and all other finalists receive screenwriting software and promotional services with no cash reward.

The Page International Screenwriting Awards were established by an alliance of Hollywood producers, agents, and development executives and are considered one of the most important sources for new screenwriting talent. One of the exceptional aspects of this competition is their wide variety of genre prizes which means your comedy will not have to compete with a drama. There is a $25,000 Grand Prize plus Gold, Silver and Bronze Prizes in each of the ten genre categories offering $1,000, $500, and $250 prizes. This contest is judged by working professionals and offers participants the opportunity to get some real exposure. Additional publicity and industry exposure is also part of the prize package.

These are some of the most prestigious screenwriting competitions and there are a few others that are equally worthwhile. I’ve provided a link box with links to these contests as well as a directory with links to about 78 screenwriting contests. Keep in mind not all contest wins are valuable for promotional purposes. For the most part, industry professionals don’t care about contest wins unless they are in one of the well-respected competitions like the Nicholl. Also know, that some unscrupulous people are out there charging screenplay contest entry fees just to collect your money and run. Don’t send your work out to any contest - do some research and know for certain you’re dealing with a legitimate competition. Finally, make sure you register your work with the Writers Guild of America and/or with the U.S. Copyright Office via their websites. Screenplay competitions are a way to make some money and an opportunity to get the exposure you need to get your work sold.