About The Competition
Screen Scribe Annual Short Screenplay Competition provides an opportunity for writers of any genre to share their artistic voice. Established originally as Cinematic Scribe by two Award winning filmmakers it has now become two contests to better serve writers with an intent on growing the creative community and providing a launch pad for varied and distinctive storytellers.

Screen Scribe Competition is now produced by Laura Fortino, Award Winning Producer, Writer & Actress at VincI Productions who has served as a film festival judge in Hollywood for 25 years. Serving on festivals as a submission judge as well as jury award judge gives her a unique understanding of the needs of a script to create a good final product. She has produced and written award winning short films, web series and commercials.

Fortino-Zeni has brought on more industry professionals to grow this competition into a full festival and artist retreat event in the future and at it's iteration now there are added specific categories for submission.

The top script of each category will win a FINALIST LAUREL for the category and be entered to the final general competition for Best Short Screenplay. The Grand Prize Winner will win a Best Short Screenplay Laurel along with the Grand Prize Cash.

By submitting, screenwriters have the opportunity to win the grand prize of $500.00, along with script feedback, Winner’s Laurel, an hour long Zoom Production Consultation with the festival founder Laura Fortino-Zeni of VincI Productions.

Looking for Feedback on your script? You can also submit your script to be reviewed by our panel of judges and you will receive valuable feedback and personal notes on your script.

Interested in producing or directing your own short film? Submit for a Production Consultation. Our industry professionals will breakdown and review your script and schedule a Zoom meeting with you on producing your own short film.

All submissions to be accepted online through FilmFreeway.

Looking forward to your submissions.

Write a Great Script!

Awards & Prizes

GRAND PRIZE
$500.00
Judges Feedback
Winner’s Laurel
1 Hour Production Consultation
Automatically considered for Production by VincI Productions

SECOND PLACE
Judges Feedback
Winner’s Laurel
1 Hour Production/Writing Consultation

CATEGORY PRIZES
Each Category Winner will receive a category specific FINALIST LAUREL

Rules & Terms

RULES & TERMS
1. Screenplays must be 20 pages or less.
2. Please use standard screenwriting format
3. Any Genre
4. Must be written in English
5. Open to ages 18 or older
6. All entries must be by electronic submission between the contest opening date and the final deadline
7. All entries are non-refundable.
8. All submitted material must be original, and must not be encumbered by any obligation to, or option held by any 3rd party, with all rights owned by the writer(s).
9. If a script is optioned during the competition, then it is no longer eligible for consideration.
10. Substitutions or updated drafts are not accepted at any time.
11.Student entries require proof of enrollment. Please list school info in your cover letter and your student status will be verified upon submission.
12. All submissions must be in PDF format.
13. Winners will automatically be entered into consideration for Production by VincI Productions
14. For screenplays with multiple writers Prize money will be distributed equally amongst all writers.
15. All decisions by judges are final

TERMS AND CONDITIONS:
The undersigned warrants and agrees, on behalf of the undersigned and each of the Scripts owners that the Script is being submitted voluntarily and without promise or inducement to the Screen Scribe Short Screenplay Contest, and that submission of the Script neither imposes or creates any obligation or responsibility from the contest related parties, except as stated in the Contest Rules & Terms. By submitting a script, the undersigned, on behalf of the undersigned and each of the scripts owners also agrees to hold harmless, any contest related parties free from all claims, losses, liabilities, damages, feesra, and expenses at any time, in connection with submission of their Script arising from any breach or alleged breach of any representation made by the undersigned to the contest parties, or any implied representation in these terms and conditions.
5 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Arthur Ericsson

    This has been the best experience. Thank you so much for reviewing and selecting two of my scripts for 2nd place and Honorable Mention. This recognition will help push these scripts toward production which is my ultimate motivation. The time and thoughtfulness in evaluating my submissions, and professional wisdom you shared with me about them. I highly recommend Screen Scribe Screenwriting Contest for serious scriptwriters. Arthur Ericsson

    April 2026
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Thank you Arthur for the review and submissions. We all enjoyed reading your different script and we are so glad we could honor two of them. It was a pleasure to chat on zoom and wish you much success with your scripts and shorts.

  • Alan Howcroft

    It is a great honour to have ‘The Kathcataran Ring’ chosen as Winner of Screen Scribe 2026. This is one of the best Short Screenplay competitions around, and runs very smoothly, with good communication and professionalism throughout. The judging notes provided were balanced and fair, and it is clear that great care goes into scoring every element, so that all writers get an equal chance. My zoom conference with Laura was relaxed and informative. By sharing her insights and experience, she has improved my understanding of the L.A. film industry, and helped me to set my sights on realistic goals. Vinci Productions are an independent film production company, who can bring projects to life. Their help and strategic thinking is valuable. For all these reasons, I would have no hesitation in recommending the Screen Scribe competition.

    April 2026
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Thank you Alan for your kind and thoughtful review. It was a pleasure to read your script and have it submitted to the contest. We appreciate your submission and hope that you have much success with your scripts. It was also a pleasure to meet you via zoom and have a wonderful chat.
    Laura and the Screen Scribe Team

  • Diana Bond

    My experience with the Cinematic Scribe Short Screenwriting Contest has been extremely positive. Which, I know, easy to say when you win, right? But hear me out … Laura and Renata are the real deal. Two multi-talented women who love filmmaking and storytelling and who are sincere in helping, advising, and collaborating. If you enter this contest – and I recommend you do – you can be sure that Laura and Renata will personally read your script. It will not be passed off to an intern or a reader. Or fed through the dreaded AI.

    Because my script was selected for the Grand Prize (I’m still giddy!!), I was awarded a very welcome $500 check, which was mailed out to me right away, and I had the opportunity to meet with Laura and Renata for a one-hour consultation. Both women could not have been more lovely and engaged, and the meeting was tailored to help ME, to answer my questions. There was nothing cookie cutter or “phoned in” about their approach.

    I have no hesitation in recommending the Cinematic Scribe Short Screenwriting Contest. This competition offers a higher value return from your entry fee than most, and I can vouch that you are putting your script in the hands of thoughtful, credible individuals.

    April 2025
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Thank you Diana for this amazing review. It was such a pleasure to meet with you and discuss your script. And an honor for us that you and others enter our contest. Cheers to writing a great script and thank you again for entering Cinematic Scribe Short Screenwriting Contest! The Scribe Team

  • Parnell Piano

    I had a wonderful experience with this festival, and I was honored to share the runner-up spot this year! The judges provided feedback that was thoughtful and poignant - no fluff around the notes. Meeting them in the consultation was a meaningful experience. They were genuinely excited about the work and gave insights for improvement not only through screenwriting but also about the industry.

    Thank you Renata and Laura!

    March 2025
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Thank you Parnell. We are so happy that you are pleased with your experience and your feedback. It means the world to us to be able to provide a great experience for writers who trust us with their work. We hope to read more from you in the future.
    The Cinematic Scribe Team

  • Danielle Olson

    I was very honored to have been selected as the Grand Prize Winner in the first year of the Cinematic Scribe Short Screenplay Competition. The grand prize includes a $500 cash prize, judges feedback, winner's laurel, 1 hour production consultation, and consideration for production by G-Force Films and Vinci Productions.

    When I first submitted, I was very happy to see how reasonable the submission fee was especially with what is included in the grand prize. Of course the cash prize is such a great incentive to submit, but I also really liked the custom winner’s laurel that I was able to share on social media. The feedback that is given was very helpful. I was provided an overall script score/analysis and 1 page of feedback per judge.

    Finally, the 1 hour production consultation was such a great experience. To prepare for and make the most of the consultation, Laura and Renata sent a list of questions for me to complete and to provide them with questions I had. This gave us a good road map during the consultation and I got a lot out of the meeting. We talked through all my questions, they had in depth suggestions and experiences to share, and afterwards they provided me with links to websites that could help my project move forward. I also felt like I could reach out to them in the future if I had additional questions.

    Overall, I’d highly recommend submitting your short screenplay to the Cinematic Scribe Short Screenplay Competition. I plan on submitting more of my short screenplays in the future.

    August 2024
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Hi Danielle - Thank you so much for your fantastic review! It was an honor and a privilege to have you submit your screenplay to our contest. It was so exciting to send you the $500 grand prize as the very first winner of the Cinematic Scribe Screenwriting Contest and to consult with you on your project! We look forward to the opportunity to receive any of your future scripts and we wish you all the very best on your screenwriting journey.
    Keep up the good work! - The Scribe Tribe