Rules & Terms
By submitting to Beyond the Plot™ Story Festival ("Beyond the Plot"), entrants acknowledge that they have read, understood, and agree to the following Rules & Terms.
Eligibility:
Beyond the Plot is open to writers worldwide.
Entrants must be at least 18 years of age or have the consent of a parent or legal guardian.
Original story concepts are welcome across all genres.
All submission materials must be written and submitted in English.
Submission Categories:
Beyond the Plot currently accepts submissions in the following categories:
Story Concept | Feature Film
Story Concept | Episodic Series
Story Insights | Includes Festival Entry + Professional Story Feedback
Story Development Report | Includes Festival Entry + Comprehensive Story Development Analysis
Submission Requirements:
Each submission must include:
One (1) Logline
One (1) Page Story Synopsis or Treatment
Completed screenplays are welcome as optional supporting material but are not required for consideration.
Judging will primarily be based on the submitted logline and one-page synopsis or treatment.
Submission Schedule:
Early Bird Deadline: August 17, 2026
Regular Deadline: October 16, 2026
Late Deadline: November 13, 2026
Extended Deadline: December 4, 2026
Notification Date: December 29, 2026
Submission fees increase after each published deadline.
Entry Fees:
An entry fee is required for every submission.
All entry fees are non-refundable.
Each project must be submitted separately with its own completed entry form and applicable fee.
Story Insights and Story Development Report include festival entry and their respective professional development services.
Purchasing a feedback service does not influence judging, awards, or Story Lab selection.
Multiple Entries:
Multiple submissions are welcome.
Each project must be submitted separately and accompanied by its own entry fee.
Revisions:
All submissions are considered final upon submission.
Revised materials, replacement files, updated drafts, or additional documents will not be accepted after an entry has been submitted.
Original Work:
By submitting, entrants represent and warrant that:
They are the original creator(s) or lawful owner(s) of the submitted material.
They possess all necessary rights to submit the work.
The submitted material does not knowingly infringe upon the copyright, trademark, or other intellectual property rights of any third party.
AI-Assisted Content:
The use of AI-assisted writing tools is permitted; however, entrants remain solely responsible for the originality of their work, ownership of all submitted material, and any intellectual property matters arising from its creation.
Judging:
All submissions are evaluated by the Beyond the Plot judging panel.
Judges' decisions are final.
Beyond the Plot reserves the right to:
Reclassify submissions when appropriate.
Decline to present an award in any category if no submission meets the festival's standards.
Modify award categories or recognitions when necessary.
Awards, Recognition & Opportunities:
One Grand Prize Winner will be selected in each submission category
-Best Feature Story Concept
-Best Episodic Story Concept
Additional projects may also receive one or more of the following recognitions:
-Official Selection
-Finalist
-Outstanding Story Concept
-Outstanding Character Development
-Outstanding World Building
-Jurys Selection
All awards and recognitions are presented at the sole discretion of the Beyond the Plot judging panel.
Beyond the Plot Story Lab & Industry Exposure:
The Beyond the Plot Story Lab is the festival's signature development program, created to help exceptional story concepts evolve into industry-ready screenplays while preparing projects for professional consideration by studios, networks, production companies, and other entertainment partners.
Grand Prize Winners receive automatic admission into the Beyond the Plot Story Lab.
In addition, a limited number of exceptional projects may receive invitations based on creative merit, market potential, and recommendations from the judging panel.
Story Lab participants and select award recipients may also receive continued recognition through the Creator Spotlight Series, inclusion in the annual Beyond the Plot Winners Collection, and promotional features across Beyond the Plot platforms to further increase professional visibility for both the writer and their project.
Participation in the Story Lab does not guarantee representation, financing, production, distribution, option agreements, employment, meetings with industry professionals, or any other business opportunity.
Intellectual Property:
Entrants retain all rights, ownership, and copyright to their submitted material.
Submission to Beyond the Plot does not transfer ownership or intellectual property rights to the festival.
By entering, entrants grant Beyond the Plot a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use the following solely for festival administration, judging, marketing, publicity, winner announcements, and promotional purposes:
Project Title
Writer's Name
Logline
Award or Selection Status
Approved Promotional Materials
Submitted screenplays, treatments, synopses, or other creative materials will not be published, distributed, or shared outside the judging and festival administration process without the entrant's permission.
Confidentiality & Privacy:
Beyond the Plot respects the confidentiality of every submission.
Submission materials are accessible only to authorized judges, festival administrators, and approved Story Lab personnel when applicable.
Entrants' personal information and submitted materials will not be sold or shared with third parties for marketing purposes.
Limitation of Liability:
Beyond the Plot, The Pinckney Foundation for the Arts, Boogievision Creative Studio, and their respective owners, officers, directors, employees, contractors, volunteers, judges, sponsors, affiliates, and partners shall not be liable for any lost, delayed, damaged, corrupted, incomplete, or misdirected submissions, technical failures, or circumstances beyond the festival's reasonable control.
By entering the festival, entrants agree to release and hold harmless Beyond the Plot, The Pinckney Foundation for the Arts, Boogievision Creative Studio, and their respective representatives from any claims, liabilities, damages, costs, or expenses arising from participation in the festival, except where prohibited by applicable law.
Festival Administration:
Beyond the Plot reserves the right to:
Amend these Rules & Terms.
Modify submission deadlines.
Update categories, awards, programming, schedules, or festival operations.
Cancel, postpone, or reschedule the festival due to circumstances beyond its reasonable control.
Any updates will be posted on Beyond the Plot's official FilmFreeway profile.
Disqualification:
Beyond the Plot reserves the right to disqualify any submission that:
Is incomplete or submitted after the applicable deadline.
Contains false or misleading information.
Violates copyright, trademark, or other intellectual property laws.
Contains unlawful, abusive, defamatory, discriminatory, or offensive content.
Violates these Rules & Terms.
Communication Policy:
Beyond the Plot is committed to providing every entrant with a professional and organized festival experience.
Due to the volume of submissions received, the festival is unable to provide individual submission status updates, judging commentary, or feedback outside of the official notification process or purchased Story Insights and Story Development Report services.
All notifications will be issued through FilmFreeway on or before December 29, 2026.
Entrants are responsible for maintaining current contact information and notification settings within their FilmFreeway account.
Questions regarding submissions, eligibility, or festival policies should be directed to the official festival email address listed on the Beyond the Plot FilmFreeway profile.
Every screenplay tells a story—but every submission represents a storyteller. We exist to honor both.
