Penned In Blood Screenwriting Competition

PLEASE READ OUR RULES & POLICIES BEFORE SUBMITTING!!!

GENERAL SUBMISSION RULES & POLICIES:

1. All entries must be written in English and all submitted screenplays must be in standard script format. Submissions must be made in the appropriate category and abide by any special rules for that category (script length restrictions, etc...)

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

3. Submissions for Feature Screenplay, Short Screenplay, First 10 Pages, and First Scene contests may send their full scripts.

4. Submissions for Script Synopsis and Logline categories must send their work in as a script document on FilmFreeway.

5. Cover Pages are not counted as part of the total page count of a submission.

6. 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.

7. 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. (For example, a re-imagining of "The Monkey's Paw" is acceptable while a speculative sequel to "Hereditary" would not be.)

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

9. The person submitting a project to this competition affirms that they are the writer of the work (or represents the writer) and that they 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.

10. 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.

JURY SCORECARD AND NOTES

1. All qualified submissions will receive an evaluation scorecard and the corresponding notes once the judging period has concluded. These are sent electronically via email, so please make sure that your email address on FilmFreeway is correct.

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

3. Notes are the opinions of the individual evaluator and are meant to offer the Submitter good faith advice on how to improve and/or market their work. Criticism is standard and should be expected for an evaluation that is designed to look for flaws and potential trouble areas in the submission.

4. The competition and its affiliated jurors do not guarantee acceptance into any other contest, festival, market, or sales agreement based on the advice given in the notes and/or evaluation scorecard.

SUBMISSION FEES

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

2. Submission fees must be in U.S. dollars. These fees are non-refundable, even in the case of disqualification of an entry.

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

DISQUALIFICATIONS
Starting in August 2023, disqualified submissions will be marked as "not accepted" on the notification date.

1. A submission will be disqualified if it does not meet the criteria required for it to be evaluated as listed in the General Submission Rules section. The most common reasons for disqualification are the failure to attach a screenplay file to the submission, a submission being entered into the wrong category, or a script not being written in English.

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

3. In the event of a disqualification, the submitter will be notified as to the reason why the entry was not qualified for the competition once the judging period has concluded.

4. Please check your submission carefully before entering the competition. You will not be notified by us if there is a problem with your submission prior to the judging period, as it is usually the judges who discover the issue while evaluating their assigned submissions.