Competition presented by: Scriptapalooza
See more contests presented by Scriptapalooza.
The information included in on this page was provided by Mark Andrushko, President, Scriptapalooza, on March 5, 2020 and supplemented with information from scriptapalooza.com.
Competition Information
“From choosing our judges to creating opportunities, our top priority has always been the writer. We surround ourselves with reputable and successful companies, including the many producers, literary agents, and managers who read your scripts.
“Our past winners have won Emmys, been signed by agents, managers, had their scripts optioned, and even made into movies.
“But the most important prize of all is this: Scriptapalooza will promote, pitch, and push the Semifinalists and higher for a full year. No other competition in the world does that.”
— Mark Andrushko, President, Scriptapalooza
| Competition Name | Scriptapalooza Screenplay & Shorts Competition |
| Competition Website | https://scriptapalooza.com/home/ |
| Contact Information | Phone: 310-594-5384 |
| Competition Type | Competition |
| Number of years offered | 23 years |
| The information included on this page was provided relative to: | The 2020 Script Competition |
| Total number of scripts entered in the previous year | 2954 |
Entry Dates and Fees
| Opens for Entries | October 1, 2020 | Entry Fee: TBD |
| First Submission Period | October 1, 2020 to December 14, 2020 | Entry Fee: TBD |
| Final Submission Period | December 15, 2020 to January 4, 2021 | Entry Fee: TBD |
Type of Scripts Accepted
| Features | 80 to 140 pages |
| Shots | Under 40 pages |
Scripts that fall outside the requested page counts will be disqualified.
Type of Genres Accepted
| Feature-length | All genres accepted. Genre-specific judging categories: Action/Adventure Comedy Drama Family Science Fiction/Fantasy Thriller/Horror Historical |
| Teleplay Pilot | All genres accepted. |
Features and Shorts are judged separately.
Advancement Tiers, Awards and Prizes
Promotion: Scriptapalooza will promote, pitch and push the top 100 writers for a full year.
Entrants will be informed as to who their contact information and script/s were sent.
Features
| First Place Winner | $10,000 Cash Access to over 150 producers thru Scriptapalooza’s Network for a full year Writer’s Studio from Write Brothers (Outline 4D, Movie Magic Screenwriter and Dramatica Pro) 1 year of International Screenwriters’ Association CONNECT Membership Admission to Robert McKee Story Seminar in New York or Los Angeles 1 year online subscription from Backstage InkTip Script Listing & InkTip Magazine: Listing of your script on InkTip and publication 5 CoverFly tokens for peer feedback on your script 12 Year Intellectual Property Registration from Creators Vault |
| Second Place Winner | Access to over 150 producers thru Scriptapalooza’s Network for a full year Writer’s Studio from Write Brothers (Outline 4D, Movie Magic Screenwriter and Dramatica Pro) 1 year of International Screenwriters’ Association CONNECT Membership 1 year online subscription from Backstage InkTip Script Listing & InkTip Magazine: Listing of your script on InkTip and publication 5 CoverFly tokens for peer feedback on your script 8 Year Intellectual Property Registration from Creators Vault |
| Third Place Winner | Access to over 150 producers thru Scriptapalooza’s Network for a full year Writer’s Studio from Write Brothers (Outline 4D, Movie Magic Screenwriter and Dramatica Pro) 1 year of International Screenwriters’ Association CONNECT Membership 1 year online subscription from Backstage InkTip Script Listing & InkTip Magazine: Listing of your script on InkTip and publication 5 CoverFly tokens for peer feedback on your script 4 Year Intellectual Property Registration from Creators Vault |
| 10 Runners-Up | Access to over 150 producers thru Scriptapalooza’s Network for a full year Writer’s Studio from Write Brothers (Outline 4D, Movie Magic Screenwriter and Dramatica Pro) 1 year of International Screenwriters’ Association CONNECT Membership |
| 30 Finalists | Access to over 150 producers thru Scriptapalooza’s Network for a full year Movie Magic Screenwriter and Dramatica Writer’s Dreamkit from Write Brothers 6 month International Screenwriters’ Association CONNECT Membership |
| Genre Winners | Prizes in all 7 Genres: Action Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Family, Science Fiction, Thriller/Horror and Historical. Also, each Genre Winner will get $500. |
| Semifinalists | Access to over 150 producers thru Scriptapalooza’s Network for a full year. |
Shorts
| 1st Place Winner | $2000 Cash Access to over 150 producers through Scriptapalooza’s Network for a full year 5 Year Intellectual Property Registration from Creators Vault |
| 2nd Place Winner | Access to over 150 producers through Scriptapalooza’s Network for a full year 5 Year Intellectual Property Registration from Creators Vault |
| 3rd Place Winner | Access to over 150 producers through Scriptapalooza’s Network for a full year |
8 Semifinalists prizes to be announced
15 Quarterfinalists prizes to be announced
Advancement Notifications
| Entrants | Advancement notifications are sent directly to entrants via email. |
Judges
| Judge Credentials | Scriptapalooza verifies the credits of all judges. All first-round judges are established producers, managers and agents. Scriptapalooza judges the second round and above. |
| Judges Seeking New Writers or Material | Scriptapalooza’s 90 producer judges that (between them) read all entires, are seeking new writers or material. These judges inform competition organizers as to their genre of preference. If a judge is interested in a script or writer, that judge can contact the writer. |
Judging Process
| Judge knowledge of script prior to reading | Judges may be provided with a script’s genre prior to reading. |
| Script qualities the competition looks to advance | Great storytelling and great writers. Does not judge on budget or genre, but rather the quality of the writing. This criteria is the same for every round of competition. “Every script that is entered into Scriptapalooza is read by either a producer, manager or agent. We do not use ‘readers’ or ‘regular people’ because they cannot do anything with your script. We go right to the source — a producer, manager or agent, they can make a difference, they can option your script, buy it, set-up a meeting or go straight to the studio with it.” — Mark Andrushko, President, Scriptapalooza |
| Judging Criteria | Some or all judges are provided with evaluation criteria and must fill out a score sheet. |
| Reading Page-Count Requirement | For every round of competition, judges are required to read scripts in their entirety. |
| Rounds | All first-round judges are established producers, managers and agents. After these judges finish their evaluations, they each email Scriptapalooza the titles of the scripts they think should advance to the next round. Then, Scriptapalooza reads and evaluates those recommended scripts and determines which scripts make up the Quarterfinalists, Semifinalists, Finalists, Runners-Up, and Winners. |
Submission Information
| Submission Pathways | |
| Rights | Entrants retain all rights to their entered script and other submitted materials. |
Script Eligibility Requirements
| Page Length | Features: 80 to 140 pages Shorts: Scripts that fall outside the requested page-lengths will not be disqualified. |
| Adaptations | Accepted. |
| Scripts based on true events | Accepted. |
| Previous or Concurrent Competition Entry Restrictions | A script cannot be entered if it has won the competition previously. |
| Script purchases, options, production, etc. | Scripts that have been sold, produced for a profit, or are currently under option are not eligible. |
| Copyright | Not required. |
| WGA Registration | Not required. |
Writer Eligibility Requirements
| Age Restrictions | Entrants must be at least 18 years of age. |
| International Submissions | Accepted. |
| Multiple Writers | Accepted. |
Written Critiques
| Critique Name | Feedback |
| Fee | $115. |
| Purchase Opportunity | Critique can be purchased during competition entry. |
| Receipt | Critique will be sent to entrant approximately 3 to 4 months after competition entry. |
| Length of Critique | 4 to 5 pages. |
| Number of Critiques | One per purchase |
| Critique Contents | Logline Synopsis In addition to General Notes, critics evaluate: Premise Structure Character Dialogue Setting Pacing Tone Transitions |
| Critics | Scripts are evaluated for written critiques separately from the competition and therefore the written critiques entrants receive are not written by their competition judge/s. Critiques are written by Screenplay Analysts who are required to have at least 10 years coverage experience. A critic’s individual credentials are not included with the critique. |
Screenplay Competitions 