Screenwriting : Screenplay competitions, worth it or not? by Pauline Johnson

I'd say the consensus view is that competitions are worth it if you win or finish at the very top. That's true for the major contests that the industry pays attention to. For the less famous contests, if the prize for winning or finishing high is access to industry execs in one way or another it can also be worth it.

Yes, Eric that makes total sense. Though I’ve read smaller, lesser known ‘vanity’ competitions don’t mean much in the grand scale of advancement in the industry.

Screenplay competitions are worth it only if you target top-tier contests with a polished script, as they provide validation, industry recognition, and potential representation. They act as a "career equalizer" for outsiders but can be an expensive, useless endeavor if you enter weak material into obscure contests

Pauline Johnson - agree with my colleagues. Only thing I would add is that the depending on the contest, the laurels can add some value to your pitch deck.

I'm curious to know what are some top-tier contests that are worth entering?

Ian Wolfe Page, Austin Film, Scriptapalooza and of course, Stage 32. If it's for a short, Hollyshorts.

Since screenwriting contests are mentioned so often, I performed a trivial statistical investigation two years ago. I checked the finalists at a prestigious screenwriting contest. Afterward, the career improved for one third of the finalists, while the situation was the opposite for an equal number of finalists. And for the remaining third there was no change.

Pauline Johnson Honestly, I think screenplay competitions are worth it—but only if you see them as part of a bigger strategy, not the strategy.

From what I’ve seen (and experienced), they’re great for:

Getting your work out there

Testing where you stand as a writer

Building some credibility if you place

But at the same time, they’re not a direct path to getting produced or signed. The odds are extremely competitive, and a lot of contests don’t really lead anywhere beyond recognition.

I’ve also noticed that only a handful of top-tier competitions actually carry real industry weight—those are the ones where placements can sometimes open doors.

From what writers discuss in communities too, a lot of people feel competitions help more with growth and validation than immediate career breakthroughs:

“Competitions can help. But they aren’t the end all, be all.”

So for me, the mindset is:

Use competitions to build momentum, not to expect a breakthrough overnight.

At the end of the day, your network, consistency, and body of work still matter more.

I agree Abhijeet!

From what I’ve seen, they can be useful, but not in the way most people expect.

They’re great for validation, feedback, and getting your work to a certain level — and strong placements can definitely help your script get taken more seriously.

But I don’t think they’re a direct path to getting something produced. It seems more like one piece of a larger strategy rather than the strategy itself.

I agree Ayesha

They can be helpful but make sure you read all the requirements carefully and look at their size and history. Some times they try to sound bigger than they really are.

For better of worse, mainly to do with the stage I'm at in my writing career, I've made the general decision to give screenwriting competitions a miss.

Abhijeet Aade Everyone who poses this question should read your comment!

I once won first place, which was a trip to the Cannes Film Festival. It did absolutely nothing for my career. I didn't even see a single somebody there, and it's certainly not the place to promote a script, though I tried. Other wins have been as finalist on down, and no, nowhere yet.

I did, however, enjoy the comments I got from Blue Cat, but think that people only get selected if they resubmit - very costly process.

Monette?

Thanks for your feedback. Still great achievements though!

sorry Monette, not sure why the ? appeared after your name. I can’t delete it.

As a first-time screenwriter, I’ve actually had a very positive experience with competitions so far. They haven’t led directly to production yet, but they’ve absolutely helped build momentum for my screenplay HACKED. The placements and awards have given the script credibility, opened the door to conversations with industry people, and helped me feel like the project is connecting beyond just my own circle. For me, the biggest value has been validation, visibility, and feedback that’s helping me strengthen the script and position it more effectively moving forward.

That’s great Jonathan, building momentum is definitely going in the right direction. Good luck with your screenplay!

Thank you, Pauline — I really appreciate that. It’s been a very encouraging experience so far, and I’m excited to keep building from here.

I saw someone had previously won or placed in well over a hundred screenplay competitions and hoped to get one produced at some time in the future. Actually I have seen several in that position and many others each with ten, twenty or more competition wins/places in a similar situation. Rather interesting, I thought.

Monette, your trip to Cannes reminded me. That photo I have in my profile from me winning a price for best directing. There were some industry people present, but I had no possibility to talk with them. Alright, I could had talked with the one nicknamed Fabio (from USA so perhaps some of you know who he is), because next morning he and I ate breakfast at the same hotel at the same time, but at that time I did not plan to write anything in English. So basically, even though the prize was given to me as encouragement, it has not promoted my career.

The blunt truth is the vast majority of screenplay competitions are a money grab that do nothing to forward a career or script. Save your hard-earned money.

Goran, was that at Cannes too? I sure know who Fabio is! At one point I walked over to a private beach setting and sat at a patio table, not knowing it was private, thinking it meant for Cannes people, and got kicked off. It was funny, the competition director also went with me, for his own reasons, and then left me alone to travel to Monte Carlo. It was an interesting experience all around, and I haven't a clue what I was thinking when I entered. Cost me enough, over and above prize money, and then he tried to attach himself to my script. He only held the competition that year to make money to go himself.

No, it was in Stockholm in December 2013. And great that you know who Fabio is because I have no idea. He is hardly known here in Sweden.

Fabio was all the rage as a male model with long hair, great build, but zero personality, I think in the 70s-80s here. He became almost a cliche. Mine was back in 1999. Yeah, I've been at it a while.

Goran - I think instead of going to Cannes, screenwriters should try "no budget" screenwriting. What do you think?

So I'm up to 42 awards in some of Hollywood's top screenwriting competitions. I've been a finalist a few times. They didn't directly lead to the managers the competitions suggested they would, or advertised, but what that amount of awards did do was give producers trust that I can get the job done. Many have contacted me out of the blue and I landed story editing jobs, writing original pilots and more. I think they are one piece of the puzzle, but don't put all your eggs in one basket. Also, I don't pay for reader reviews from these competitions unless it's at least at the semi-finals stage. My rule is, if I don't know who the reader is, I don't pay for them. I don't care how reputable the competition. I've met readers who worked for major studios and regret their position 'cause they look back, knowing what they know now about screenwriting, realizing how many incredible scripts they passed on 'cause they weren't very experienced. There are great readers out there, but if you don't know who is reviewing your work, don't pay for it.

Some very sound advice, thanks Joshua!

Joshua Young if you don't know who is reviewing your work, don't pay for it. Amen!

Michael, yes, I sure agree that no budget filming is a very efficient way to learn screenwriting. And cheap. With modern technology it is even easier than earlier.

If one feels that one can't direct, one simply creates one doll for each character. Move one character at a time with sticks and strings in front of a greenscreen. Add voices when editing.

With AI, there is also the alternative to create something short, then ask friends to watch and tell what should be changed before the script is filmed in some more ambitious way.