Some screenwriters love them and some screenwriters hate them. But have no doubt, screenwriting competitions are growing in number.
In this post I won’t list all the SCREENWRITING COMPETITIONS you can enter, because you can find a full list by clicking on the link or doing your own research on Google.
When deciding whether or not screenwriting competitions are for you it’s usually a good idea to decide what outcome you want.
Do you want to sell you script? Do you want to get a screenplay agent? Or do you want to win a screenwriting competition and see where you script stands when judged against your peers.
AGAINST SCREENWRITING COMPETITIONS
1) They aren’t a good barometer — while it’s true that you might have written a great script, the judges who assess your screenplay will be subject to bias and personal tastes and as a result they might not always be able to recognize quality when they see it. But, in general, they get it right more often than they get it wrong.
2) limited options — you might have seen it before: you are only able to enter a screenwriting competition under certain conditions. Often these conditions are that you have (a) never sold a script before (b) are not represented by a screenplay agent and (c) have not submitted your screenplay to another competition. Many screenwriting competitions can place unwelcome restrictions on a writer.
So you need to decide exactly what it is you want and how long you can wait for before you enter one of the bigger screenwriting competitions.
FOR SCREENWRITING COMPETITIONS
1) exposure — do well in a screenwriting competition and you can get some great exposure. You can network with some other screenwriters and meet seasoned industry professionals.
2) feedback — if you don’t have an agent and you enter a screenwriting competition you can get some great feedback from the judges on your script. They can tell you your strong points and your weak points. As with all feedback, you don’t have to agree with it, but if you keep getting the same feedback it’s good to take note.
3) get a screenplay agent — agents are often on the lookout for new talented writers. And screenwriting competitions provide an excellent way for agents to get acquainted with a new writer and their work. Place high in a screenwriting competition and you might just find yourself inundated with calls from a bunch of screenplay agents who desperately want to meet you.
4) sell your script — placing well in a screenwriting competition can often lead to a direct sale as producers are keen to secure the rights to your screenplay if they think you have written a hot commodity.
5) benefits — by this I don’t mean the naughty kind 😉 What I’m refering to are the benefits provided by the screenwriting competition itself. These benefits might include cash, direct access to industry professionals, laptops, screenwriting software etc.
As you can see, there are certainly a lot of benefits from entering a screenwriting competition, and, as a former screenplay agent myself, I can attest to the effectiveness of competitions. Enter the right competition and they can open a lot of doors for you.
They key to remember is that once you get your foot in the door, you have to keep writing quality screenplays to stay there.
*Jennifer Sloane has worked as a screenplay agent in Los Angeles and Nashville for the last five years. Jennifer loves good movies, music and animals. A former television and movie executive, Jennifer currently heads business development at Script Mailer (a company that connectsscreenwriters with agents).