"IT ALL STARTS WITH THE WRITTEN WORD, IT ALL STARTS WITH YOU."

The Electric City Screenplay Contest gives screenwriters a chance to have their Feature Film or TV Pilot seen by producers, directors, financiers, established screenwriters, and agents. Our judges panel is made up of executives in charge of major motion pictures, showrunners of television series, award winning independent filmmakers, produced screenwriters, social media content developers, and sought after educators.

WHAT ARE YOU WRITING? WE WANT TO SEE IT!
Send us your screenplay for a chance to win $5,800 in cash and prizes.

Winners will be announced at our Red Carpet Awards Party where we celebrate screenwriters in style with a champagne reception, hors d'oeuvres, buffet stations, entertainment, and after party.
*You do not need to be present to claim award.*

Awards & Prizes

FEATURE FILM GRAND PRIZE – $2,000 Cash and The Electric City Screenwriter Award Trophy
TV PILOT GRAND PRIZE – $1,000 Cash and The Electric City Screenwriter Award Trophy

FILM – 2ND PLACE WINNER – Receives an evaluation and consultation, steps for taking your screenplay to market, a list of market resources, and a copy of “The 4 Magic Questions of Screenwriting”. This prize is presented by Marilyn Horowitz, an award-winning New York University professor, author, producer and Manhattan-based writing coach who works with successful novelists, produced screenwriters, and award-winning filmmakers. Her students have been nominated for Emmy’s, have won Peabody Awards, and their work has been seen on HBO and other networks. ($1,850 value)

TV PILOT – 2ND PLACE WINNER – Receives a one-hour consultation session, and a copy of Beyond the Craft: What You Need to Know to Make A Living Creatively! presented by Jim Jermanok, an award-winning writer, director, producer, creative entrepreneurship expert, consultant, speaker, and former ICM Agent. This prize also includes a script analysis with notes, a one-page, synopsis, and loglines presented by Donna Pennell, a showrunner with over 585 TV shows seen on major networks and cable affiliates. ($710 value)

3RD PLACE WINNERS (Film & TV Pilot)
Winners in both categories receive a script analysis, and copies of revolutionary, and award-winning books, to guide screenwriters ready to achieve success in the creative business. ($240 value)

Rules & Terms

RULES & GUIDELINES
*All submissions must be original, and the sole property of the applicant(s). If based upon another person’s life or upon a book or other underlying work, applicant(s) must secure necessary rights to make such adaptions.
*Screenplay must be in PDF format.
*Screenplay PDF must have a properly formatted file name (i.e. Heaven Called by Josephine Marotta.pdf)
*Please upload the correct file of your screenplay. Under absolutely no circumstances will substitutions of either corrected pages or new drafts be made.
*Screenplays will not be returned.
*All entries must be in English.
*The contest is open to anyone 18 years of age or older U.S. & International.
*There is no limit to the number of entries you may submit.
*You may not submit the same screenplay more than once.
*FEATURE FILMS are $35 per entry. TV PILOTS are $25 per entry U.S. dollar.
*One Hour and Half Hour Pilots fall into the same TV PILOT award category.
*Number of script pages permitted: Feature Film (80-120), One Hour Pilot (45-65), Half Hour Pilot (20-42).
*If a submitted screenplay becomes optioned, produced or purchased between the time of submission and the end of the judging period, that script will no longer be eligible
*It is suggested that screenplays be registered with the US Copyright Office, and/or Writers Guild of America (wgaw.org wgaeast.org)
*There are three rounds of judging, decisions are made in each round to determine which screenplays will advance.
*Decisions of judges are final.
*All winners will be announced in July 2019 live at the Red Carpet Awards Party. You do not need to be present to claim the prize.
*Each entrant will be notified by email of the competition results following the Red Carpet Awards Party.
*Cash prizes will be disbursed 30 days after the announcement of the winners.
*Judges who have previously optioned or produced screenplays from participating contestants will not be allowed to judge that writer’s submission, those entries will be read by other Judges on the panel.·
*Members of The Schenectady Film Commission, contest Judges, and employees of the Judges are not eligible to enter.

ENTRY DEADLINE IS MIDNIGHT EST JUNE 1, 2019

This script contest is organized and sponsored by Electric City Entertainment LLC of NY. Entry fees will be applied to prizes and associated costs with net proceeds to benefit Film Schenectady.

1 Review
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Dave Orvis

    I am honored to have had my TV pilot script selected for "Honorable Mention". Their judges obviously recognize talent. LOL. And I do appreciate the contest's diligent communications to its submitters. I'll submit again next year, and I encourage others to keep this contest in mind.

    July 2019
    Helpful