9 Best Screenplay Contests 2024 for Writers and Producers

Deadlines are coming up, and the best screenplay contests 2024 offer more than just accolades—they deliver actionable feedback, career-defining networking, and insights shaped for working writers and producers.

We’ve sorted this year’s top competitions based on their speed, quality of feedback, and ability to connect you with decision-makers.

Discover which contests match your needs for improvement, collaboration, and industry-ready results.

1. Greenlight Coverage’s $2,500 Screenwriting Contest

We built our contest for professionals who demand speed, meaningful feedback, and real career impact. If you want script validation within days, not months, you belong here. Our server-side security gives you peace of mind while our instant reporting unleashes your next rewrite.

Key Ways Our Contest Powers Your Progress:

• Immediate script coverage. Upload your screenplay and receive full studio-style analysis within minutes—not weeks. Get your synopsis, logline, and marketability analysis side by side.
• Results matter. Our $2,500 cash prize and premium finalist feedback means every page gets top-level notes, flagged strengths, and structural improvements — just like the notes used in studio story departments.
• Rewrite support on your terms. Dive into actionable strategy, including AI-driven scene breakdowns, while using our direct Q&A tool to clarify any insight, any time.
• Secure, private, and reliable. No user scripts are used to train our AI. You control your intellectual property.
• Strategically designed for serious writers and producers who must meet multiple contest deadlines, manage tight production windows, and need fast, actionable feedback they can actually put to use.

Our contest solves a core problem: How do you get feedback that gives you a true roadmap for rewrites, instead of generic blurbs or form letters?

With our feedback, you know what works, what doesn’t, and what producers look for. Submit to Greenlight when you want robust notes with zero waiting.

2. Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting

For writers seeking a career-altering breakthrough, the Nicholl Fellowships are the industry’s gold standard for original feature scripts by non-professionals. Every year, thousands enter for a shot at $35,000 and, more importantly, Academy validation.

Here’s why this contest stands out:

• Massive $35,000 cash fellowships for up to five winners ensure that only the top scripts—original, feature-length, and unproduced—move forward.
• True career launchpad: Winners routinely earn staff writer gigs, option deals, and industry buzz. The contest has produced writers who won and were nominated for Oscars.
• Finalists join Academy mentors and alumni in exclusive networking at Oscars events, not just a check—isolation ends the day you win.
• Blind, craft-focused selection process levels the playing field for emerging talent ready for the next step.
• Best for: Feature writers eager for professional validation, studio attention, and entry into an influential community.

No other competition delivers such sustained alumni success. If your goal is to be recognized and hired by top producers, Nicholl is the one that industry leaders watch every fall.

3. Austin Film Festival Screenplay and Teleplay Competition

Writers aiming for genuine craft growth and high-level networking should circle the Austin Film Festival. Known as “The Writer’s Festival,” AFF is where the best scripts separate from the pack through a blind read process and expert mentoring.

What makes Austin unique:

• Finalists are fast-tracked to exclusive networking events, one-on-one meetings, and live table reads during the festival. It’s a real-world gateway to managers and industry mentors.
• Tiers for features, TV pilots, shorts, and podcasts—plus free reader comments for all entrants—encourage you to submit your best in any format.
• Direct exposure: Finalist scripts appear in the Producers Book and land on industry executives’ desks, leading to option offers and writing assignments.
• Strong fit for writers who value hands-on feedback, festival learning, and connections.
• Support for diverse and nontraditional storytelling, as scripts are judged blind—no résumé required.

If your aim is to rise above the fray and meet your next mentor or manager face-to-face, Austin is your arena.

4. PAGE International Screenwriting Awards

Looking for a global contest that secures wins for both your script and your reputation? PAGE International’s structure maximizes exposure and opportunity for all genres.

This contest excels because:

• $50,000+ in annual prizes plus a $25,000 Grand Prize across 10 genre categories—get recognized where your script fits best, not just lost in a pile.
• Finalists frequently sign top literary agents, option material, and fast-track scripts into actual production.
• Judged by real industry execs and producers sourcing material, so your project hits active development pipelines.
• Best for: Writers at any experience level aiming for no-nonsense results and access, especially those outside big industry cities.

When you need your work in front of execs searching for the next big thing, PAGE is a direct line to career-changing eyes.

5. Scriptation Showcase Script Competition

Visibility before decision-makers can drive career momentum faster than any prize. Scriptation capitalizes on this truth by embedding your script directly into the hands of directors, producers, and working professionals.

What you gain at Scriptation:

• Top 25 scripts get featured in the industry’s Emmy-winning annotation app, putting your work on the radar of active production teams.
• Prize package includes $1,000 cash, year-long script circulation, PDF-annotated notes, and direct meetings with exec-level buyers and showrunners.
• Practical, actionable feedback using line-by-line visual notes helps you make your script instantly production-ready.
• Best for: Creators who need high-impact visibility right where the industry is reading scripts daily; ideal if you want actionable line edits and fast network reach.

Choose Scriptation when your next step is discovery by those who greenlight projects—not just those who read for sport.

6. Final Draft Big Break Screenwriting Contest

Commercial writers and seasoned pros turn to Big Break for one reason: this contest draws the eyes of Hollywood’s managers and agents. If your script is ready for a high-visibility leap, this one’s built for instant credibility and market validation.

Ready for a quick list of real benefits?

• $10,000 cash for the Grand Prize Winner and category prizes keep you motivated.
• Direct meetings with agents, producers, and managers—plus mainstream press through Final Draft’s platform—help you leverage the recognition fast.
• Judges come from top studios, so your best scripts hit desks with production backing, not just kudos.
• Category tracks for feature and TV mean no format is left behind, and the pathway from contest win to staffed writer role is proven.
• Go Big Break when you want your script and your name circulated in professional software users’ inboxes across the business.

Get your work into trusted hands and move from “promising” to “produced.”

7. Script Pipeline Screenwriting and TV Writing Contests

If ongoing support, not just a trophy, is what you want, Script Pipeline is your contest. The buzz here isn’t about a one-time win—it’s about sustained career development and real connections.

See why writers and producers come back:

• $25,000 cash winner’s prize plus hands-on industry introductions push your script directly to decision-makers.
• Continuous post-contest support, including targeted outreach and script portfolio development, means you never go it alone.
• Feature and series tracks cover both traditional and streaming projects, allowing you to stay nimble as the market evolves.
• Alumni routinely land representation and paid assignments through curated introductions.

Choose Script Pipeline if you demand a relationship—rather than a one-off—on your road to the writers’ room or a major option deal.

8. BlueCat Screenplay Competition

Craving developmental feedback? BlueCat makes feedback their cornerstone. Every writer, winner or not, receives comprehensive notes, so nothing you submit vanishes without a trace.

Core ways BlueCat accelerates your growth:

• Each entry guarantees actionable, written analysis. Use every contest entry as a paid development tool, regardless of placement.
• Prizes for international writers, features, and shorts, including the $2,000 Fellini Award, ensure global writers have a seat at the table.
• No resubmission policy: one shot, one draft, optimal clarity on where your script stands in the process.
• Ideal for writers who prioritize feedback-driven growth and crave a clear rewrite roadmap.

BlueCat rewards those who treat contests as a lab, not a lottery.

9. Sundance Institute Screenwriters Lab and Episodic Lab

Nothing matches the depth of mentorship and creative overhaul offered by the Sundance Labs. Here, acceptance means stepping into a year-round, career-long relationship with some of the most trusted mentors in the independent space.

What makes these Labs unique:

• Feature Film and Episodic Labs select a small group and provide tailored, hands-on guidance for your specific script and creative growth.
• No cash prizes. Instead, you get staged readings, strategic coaching, production insights, and connections to funders and festival programmers.
• Seen as a launchpad: Labs have produced the brains behind festival winners, TV pilots, and worldwide streaming hits.
• Best if your dream outcome is not just a win, but real transformation—craft, voice, and lifelong creative partnership.

If you crave deep, ongoing industry backing, this is where the boldest voices emerge.

How to Choose and Win the Best Screenplay Contests 2024

Not all contests fit your needs. The secret? Match your submission to your current career stage and your precise goal—be it getting fast feedback, meeting a manager, or prepping for production.

Must-Use Checklist for Contest Readiness

Set yourself up for consistent wins with these steps:

• Clarify your goal: Rep? Feedback? Cash?
• Match contest focus to your aims—choose those known for actionable results, not only prestige.
• Prep every draft: Use feedback tools, check formatting, write a clean logline, and build a strategic submission calendar.
• Budget for early bird entries. Keep a spreadsheet. Avoid duplicate submissions or out-of-date versions.
• Turn every placement into leverage. Update your outreach, add laurels to queries, and ask for judge or reader feedback to power your next rewrite.

The right contest can flip your script’s path. Treat every entry as a career move, not a blind gamble.

Conclusion

Winning the best screenplay contests 2024 comes down to strategy, discipline, and purposeful follow-through. Every contest here offers more than a trophy—they hold the power to open doors, ignite relationships, and guide your growth as a writer or producer.

Choose with intent. Act on every piece of feedback. Move fast. That’s how you create not just a great script, but a sustainable, successful career. Let’s get your screenplay into rooms that count.