The 14th annual Dallas International Film Festival, powered by Capital One, is the largest in North Texas, committed to providing leadership in screen education and the recognition and celebration of excellence in the art of film, television, screenwriting and digital media.

Screenwriting is a business and the best screenwriters have a brand. A special writing style or talent that makes them unique and easy to recognize. Filmmakers needing a story that centers on a big idea or great characterization or engaging dialogue or a compelling theme are able to seamlessly identify the best writer for the project when the writer is branded as a specialists in one of those needed areas. The DIFF 2020 Screenplay Awards recognizes writers who specialize on a specific writing element and works to elevate their overall brand awareness.

Through the 2020 “Screenplay Awards: Elements of Story” screenwriting competition, presented by Event Horizon Films, DIFF offers writers the opportunity to submit feature scripts to the category/categories they feel are strongest within their script, which will be reviewed by readers at top Hollywood talent agencies and management companies, such as:

Abrams Artists Agency
United Talent Agency
Gersh Agency
Innovative Artists
Circle of Confusion
Buchwald

SUBMISSION DEADLINE ENDS November 8.

Awards & Prizes

Winners of the screenplay competition will receive:
- 12 month subscriptions for ISAconnect
- A celebrity shoutout
- 2021 DIFF Star Pass
- Two tickets to the Luxury Gala Oscar Screening in LA

Rules & Terms

Submissions are accepted via electronic submission only, between June 3, 2020 and January 3, 2021.
Entry fee is $55 for each feature film screenplay until the early deadline on July 26, 2020. Entry fee is $65 for each feature film screenplay until the regular deadline on September 27, 2020. Entry fee is $75 for each feature film screenplay until the final deadline on January 3, 2020.
Screenplays must be a minimum of 75 pages and a maximum of 150 pages.
There is no limit to the number of projects you may submit.
Entries must be received on or before the deadline dates by 11:59PM Central Time, and submission fee payment must be made in full at time of the submission. All entry fees are non-refundable.
All submitted material must be original, and all rights must be wholly owned by the writer(s).
Material must be submitted by the writer. Material written by writing teams must be submitted by one of the writers, with consent of the other(s). All writers must be credited on title page.
If a writing team is chosen as a winner, prizes will be given to the person who submits the project. Each team is responsible for dividing or sharing the prize money.
Substitutions of either corrected pages or new drafts of the entered material will be allowed for a limited time with resubmission through Event Horizon Films. Please proofread your script carefully before submitting.
It is recommended that original material be registered with the WGA or The Library of Congress before submitting to any competition, however we do not require registration.
Contact info may be included on the cover page of the screenplay, however it is not required.
All ownership and rights to the scripts submitted to this contest remains with the original rights holders.
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