| .. |
| Why are you only accepting online entries and not printed
ones this year? |
| Each year we receive over 2,000 screenplays and that
translates to more than 200,000 pages of paper not to mention the ink,
and transportation costs. In an effort to be more environmentally
friendly, we have made the decision to only accept entries placed
through our
online form. Screenplays that progress into the quarterfinals will
be printed for our judges. |
| When will the winners be
notified? |
| Quarterfinalists will be notified by late October 2011. Finalists will be notified shortly
thereafter according to the judges' schedules. |
| How will the winners be
notified? |
| All participants will be
notified of the results of the screenwriting competition by email.
Quarterfinalists will be contacted by email and posted on our Website.
Finalists will be contacted by email and posted on our Website. The top
five prize winners will be contacted by email and telephone. |
| Who are the past judges? |
| All of the people we ask
to judge are at the top of the Hollywood pyramid. Some of previous
years judges include New Line Cinema, Daily Variety, One Race
Productions (Vin Diesel's production company), Cuba Gooding Jr.'s
production company, the head of a major television network, as well as
many other leading directors, producers and entertainment professionals. |
| Do I lose the rights to
my screenplay if I enter or win the competition? |
| NO !!! ,
Winning the
competition does not have anything to do with the ownership or rights
of your screenplay. The screenplay is YOURS and will remain YOURS even
if you win a prize from us. The Grand Prize winner will be offered an
option on their screenplay in ADDITION to other cash and prizes. This
option will be competitive with Top Level Production companies and you
are never obligated to accept it if you do not wish to. |
| Why do you have so many
incentives for those who enter early? |
| You mean the reduced
fees, additional random prize drawings, and lack of deadline stress...
yes, we do encourage early entries and here's why:
Reading and fairly
evaluating screenplays is a time intensive process. By collecting
entries throughout the competition, we are able to save time and
energy. Besides, it's fun for us to pass this savings on to you in the
form of early prizes and bonuses.
Entering early will
save
you money and give more chances to win prizes
but it WILL NOT
in any way improve your chances of becoming a finalist in the overall
screenwriting competition... only great writing will do that!
|
| Why is there an entry
fee? |
| The main goal of the
American Screenwriting Competition is to find incredible screenplays
and the writers who create them. This being the case, we would love to
run a free competition but it is simply not possible. The entry fees
help to offset the administrative and other considerable costs of
producing a major screenwriting competition. |
| What are the contest
rules and regulations? |
| Please refer to our
official rules
and regulations page for the
complete American Screenwriting Competition rules. |
| Does
my screenplay submission have to fit within a specific genre or budget? |
| All genres and budgets
are welcome. Screenplays are not judged on genre or budget. |
| Can I enter more than
one screenplay in the competition? |
| Yes. There is no limit
to the number of screenplays that you may enter. You must, however,
complete a separate entry form and release
form
for each screenplay and submit them with the required
entry fee. Additional
screenplays entered at the same time have a reduced entry fee of $40. |
| I have an agent, can I
still enter a screenplay? |
| Yes. Having an agent
does not preclude you from entering the screenwriting competition.
There must, however, not be an option on the screenplay you enter at
the time of entry and you must own the material outright. |
| Can I enter a screenplay
if I live outside of the United States? |
| Yes, international
screenplay submissions are welcomed. All submissions must be written in
the English language and International submissions must be accompanied
by a money order payable in U.S. dollars for the entry fee or credit
card information for payment. |
| Will you accept
online submissions of my screenplay? |
| Yes! You can submit
your screenplay online through
our secure Website. We accept .DOC (word), .FDR (final draft), .PDF
(adobe), and .SCW (movie magic screenwriter) files. |
| If I have optioned or
sold a screenplay in the past can I still enter your competition? |
| Yes. The only rule is
that the screenplay you submit may not be under option or sold at the
time it is submitted to us. Screenplays that have been optioned in the
past but have had the option expire with no resulting sale are also
eligible. |
| Will you set the winners
up with industry meetings? |
|
We promise to support
our winners and help them in any way that we can. It is easy for a
company to say that they will set you up with "industry" executives for
meetings and then send you off to the company where you will meet with
someone as a courtesy for a couple of minutes. Also they can "submit"
your material to studios just as you can with an envelope and postage.
Instead we will submit
you to people who will not waste your time.
|
| How does the judging
process work? |
| Everyone's script is
read and scored. The top screenplays advance to the quarterfinals where
they are read again and scored. The leading screenplays then advance to
a semi final round where they are read and scored once again. The 10
screenplays with the highest score move on to the finals where they are
read and judged by a panel of industry experts. |
| Who does the judging? |
| All screenplays are read
by experienced readers. Every screenplay that makes the quarterfinals
will be read by at least three of our executives, the top ten will move
on to the finals. Each finalist will then be read and scored five more
times by different industry executives chosen at random from a panel
including literary agents, producers, managers, actors, and other top
entertainment executives. It is our policy not to disclose the names of
the individuals on our final judging panel during the year they are
acting as a judge as it is not proper for them to be approached by the
contestants before the final decisions have been made. |
| My friend can not get on
the Internet but would like to enter. How can she get an application
form? |
| Your "friend" can call
us at 888-299-0234 and we will fax her the
application package.
She may also request the application package by sending a self
addressed, stamped envelope to us with a note requesting the
application package.
DO YOU HAVE A
QUESTION? Email us
at click
here to contact us and we will
be happy to help.
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