The WRPN.TV Short, Tight & Loose Global Film Competition — WSTL — is an IMDb-qualifying online festival built for one thing: shorts. That includes webisodes and TV series, in any genre and any language, from filmmakers at every career stage.
Presented in association with the WRPN.TV Entertainment Network, WSTL is where filmmakers come to expose their shorts to a worldwide audience they wouldn't normally reach.
Winners of Best of Festival, Best of Show, Outstanding Excellence, and Excellence can opt in to stream on the WRPN.TV Entertainment Network, sharing screen space with Hollywood celebrity interviews and curated programming for international viewers — free, ad-free, no paywall.
And a small group of top winners — Best of Festival and Best of Show— receive a guaranteed distributor review by Adler & Associates (established 1999) and partner companies, at no additional cost and with no extra contracts or fees.
What really sets WSTL apart is what happens when a film isn't accepted. Instead of a silent rejection, you can request a personalized feedback letter — a real explanation of what held the film back and how to strengthen it — and resubmit for free once you've made the changes. For first-time and emerging filmmakers, that's rare. It's also why so many of our submitters come back season after season.
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Screenplay & Manuscript Submissions
WRPN Short, Tight & Loose (WSTL) accepts written work alongside its film and web-series competition. All submissions must be the original work of the entrant(s), submitted in English (or with an English translation), in standard industry format (PDF preferred; Final Draft / Celtx / Fade In exports accepted). Co-written work is welcome — list all authors at entry. There is no requirement that the work be unproduced.
**How entries are judged.** Each script, screenplay, novel, and webisode is evaluated and graded on its own merits. Entries are **not judged against one another** — they compete only against themselves, scored on an innate value system. When it's your moment to be judged, the judges' attention is on **you**, not on the rest of the queue. Rejected submissions receive defined written feedback so even an unsuccessful entry leaves you with something actionable.
**Feature Length Scripts** — Feature-length screenplays for theatrical or streaming release, typically 80–120 pages, any genre. Submit a single PDF of the complete screenplay (title page, page numbers, standard 12-pt Courier).
**Short Film Scripts** — Short-form screenplays up to roughly 40 pages, any genre. Includes proof-of-concept and stand-alone shorts.
**Teleplays** — Television pilots and one-hour or half-hour episodic scripts (live-action or animated). Submit the pilot or representative episode; a series bible may be included as a separate PDF but is not required.
**Novel Manuscripts (All genres)** — Complete novel manuscripts, fiction or narrative non-fiction, any genre. Submit the full manuscript as a single PDF; a synopsis (1–2 pages) is encouraged.
**Webisodes (Scripts Only)** — Scripts for web-series episodes intended for online distribution. Submit the pilot or representative episode; the season arc may be summarized in a separate PDF if helpful. (This category is for **scripts** only — finished web-series video belongs in the regular WSTL web-series category.)
**Awards & next steps.** All written submissions are eligible for the standard WSTL tiers: Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Honorable Mention. Winners are featured on the WSTL Screenplay, Novel & Webisode Script Winners wall at wstl1.com. **Platinum winners may request submission instructions for Polaris Pictures** — email script_submission_instructions@wrpn.tv and mention your title and festival. Please CC us on any Polaris reply so we can help publicize offers. We do not control Polaris's decision; our role is to open the door. Submitting writers retain all rights to their work.
Top honors
• Best of Festival
• Best of Show
• Outstanding Excellence
Tiered recognition
• Awards of Excellence (multiple levels)
• Awards of Merit (multiple levels)
• Kudos Endeavor Awards
Sub-category awards — recognizing standout work in a specific craft: Cinematography · Original Theme Song · Script · Concept & Creativity · Direction · Special Effects · Research · Lead Actor/Actress · Supporting Actor/Actress · and others.
For top-tier winners, Guaranteed distributor review by Adler & Associates (established 1999) and additional partners — no extra contracts, no extra fees.
Winners of Best of Festival, Best of Show, Outstanding Excellence, and Excellence, an optional invitation to stream on the WRPN.TV Entertainment Network, putting your work in front of international viewers alongside celebrity interviews and curated programming.
For films not accepted into competition, a personalized feedback letter on request, plus a free resubmission opportunity after revisions — so a "no" becomes a roadmap, not a dead end.