This screenplay competition seeks to honor great stories in short and feature-length scripts. Submissions are judged on story, structure, and script format.

Short Screenplays - Up to 30 pages.
Feature Screenplays - Up to 120 pages.

SEMI-FINALISTS
Semi-Finalists will be announced by April 30, 2027 and receive digital laurels.

FINALISTS
Finalists will be announced by May 15, 2027 and receive digital laurels.

WINNERS
Best Short Script and Best Feature Script winners will be announced by May 29, 2027. Winners will receive a physical trophy (shipped free of charge) plus digital laurels.

Submissions that do not follow the rules will be disqualified. Refunds are not issued to disqualified submissions, so please make sure that your entry is compliant with the competition rules before submitting.

1. All entries must be written in English.

2. All entries must be sent via FilmFreeway. Please do not send any hard copies or downloadable files to us directly.

3. Title Pages are not counted as part of the total page count of a submission.

4. Entries are assigned to judges shortly after they have been received, so any updated drafts should be submitted as a separate entry. If you change the files on your original submission after entering this competition, we cannot guarantee that the newer one will be the one that is evaluated by the jury.

5. All entries must be original works. No sequels, prequels, “fan films” or adaptations unless adapted from the film-maker’s own original story/novel or a work that is the public domain.

6. There is no age restriction on screenplays. but they must be un-produced and not under option at the time of the competition.

7. Only the writer may submit. The person submitting a project to this competition affirms that he/she is the writer of the work and he/she remains responsible before the law. In the case of multiple writers, only one need to submit the work but all authors must be credited on the entry and have agreed to enter this competition.

8. You agree to indemnify and hold us harmless from any claim made by you or any third party due to or arising out of project(s) you submit to this competition. You understand that there are thousands of film-makers, writers and other artists and the similarities in story, characters, etc... of two or more submissions are certainly a possibility. The contest directors and judges will not knowingly share your submission with any third party.

9. The jury decisions are final and may not be disputed.

10. Submission fees must be in U.S. dollars. These fees are non-refundable, even in the case of disqualification or withdrawal of an entry. There are no exceptions to this policy.

11. We do not offer student discounts or hardship waivers for the submission fees. There are absolutely no exceptions to this policy.

12. You may submit more than one project, but each must be submitted with a separate fee. There are no discounts for multiple submissions.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Fantastic experience, thanks for having me!

    July 2026
  • Shi Mengqi

    Extremely grateful to advance to the semi-finals at Grande Stories Screenplay Competition. The whole submission & evaluation experience was smooth and well-organized. It means a lot to see my quiet, grounded story about Chinese working women get recognized here. This competition truly respects diverse voices from global writers. Will submit new works next year!

    July 2026
  • Daniel Coughlin

    Contest isn’t over with yet, but Grande Stories has been an inspiration and incredibly professional contest. Thanks so much for considering my work!

    July 2026
  • Thank you so much for selecting my short script as a semi-finalist!

    January 2026
  • I love this Festival! Cannot wait for next year!
    Christal Kahles-Jones, IN THE GARDEN
    www.GardenMinistries.love

    December 2025