This is the first cross-cultural screenwriting mentorship program to develop writers in both English and Chinese languages. Screenwriters worldwide are encouraged to submit original feature film screenplays in English or Chinese promptly for consideration by the final application deadline on January 31st, 2018.

Orb Media Group will select two (2) winners who will each be offered an option fee, one of which will be at least WGA minimum (up to $13,374) against a six-figure purchase price at WGA scale contingent on production (up to $133,739 each, depending on the final budget of each film). Orb Media Group and its partners will financially back and develop the projects for production and distribution with partners in China and the United States.

Orb Media will also provide the winners with round-trip travel to the Shanghai International Film Festival in June 2018 to participate in special training and mentorship programs in partnership with the Shanghai Film School.

Awards & Prizes

Grand Prize

13,374*
*Option Fee for Winning Scripts will depend on the WGA Scale of Minimums

Up to 4 winners will receive a WGA minimum screenplay option fee for their script, and up to $133,739 WGA scale script purchase contingent on commencement of production!

Circulation and personal recommendation of our top 4 winners screenplays to our network of producers and studio development executives at Hollywood and Chinese companies.

Lifetime license to WriterDuet Pro ScreenCraft Edition ($189 value), also available in Chinese!

2nd Place

The runner-up will be offered an option deal with Orb Media Group. This option agreement offer will be against a to-be-negotiated six-figure purchase price if the project goes into production.

Introductions to Chinese financiers, producers and development executives.

Lifetime license to WriterDuet Pro, courtesy of ScreenCraft ($199 value) – versions available in English and Chinese.

Semifinalists

The semifinalists will receive a 50% discount code to WriterDuet Pro, the most advanced screenwriting software with real-time collaboration and automatic revision tracking, compatible with Celtx, Final Draft and PDF formats ($99 value). WriterDuet is also available in Chinese. Fun fact: Did you know the screenwriter of all three KUNG FU PANDA movies uses WriterDuet?

Rules & Terms

RULES:

Submissions are accepted via electronic submission only, between November 13, 2017 and February 15, 2018

Entry fee for each feature film screenplay is $39 until the early deadline on December 14, 2017, then $59 until the final deadline on January 18, 2018.

Optional feedback from a professional reader may be requested at the time of entry.

Requests for feedback after an entry is submitted will be available only for a limited time.

Screenplays must be a minimum of 75 pages and a maximum of 150 pages.

Entries may be submitted either in English or Mandarin Chinese.

There is no limit to the number of projects you may submit for consideration.

Entries must be received on or before the deadline dates by 11:59PM Pacific Time, and submission fee payment must be made in full at time of the submission. All entry fees are non-refundable.

All submitted material must be original, and all rights must be wholly owned by the writer(s).

Material must be submitted by the writer. Material written by writing teams must be submitted by one of the writers, with consent of the other(s). All writers must be credited on title page.

If a writing team is chosen as a winner, prizes will be given to the person who submits the project. Each team is responsible for dividing or sharing the prize money.

Substitutions of either corrected pages or new drafts of the entered material are allowed.

It is recommended that original material be registered with the WGA or the US Copyright

Office before submitting to any competition, however we do not require registrations.

Contact info may be included on the cover page of the screenplay, however it is not required.

All ownership and rights to the scripts submitted to this contest remains with the original rights holders until and unless other agreements are made.

ELIGIBILITY:

All writers at least 18 years of age are eligible.

All persons from anywhere in the world are eligible; however the material submitted must
be in English or Mandarin Chinese (occasional dialogue in other languages is acceptable, if subtitle translation is provided).

All material submitted to other competitions or contests are eligible for this contest.

There are no requirements as to when the material was written.

Screenplay and intellectual property must be wholly owned and submitted by the writer(s).

Material should be submitted in standard screenplay format, font, spacing and margin.

We have no preferences regarding title page content. Title and name of writer would suffice.

Adaptations are ineligible unless the underlying rights are owned by the writer or the work is in the public domain (such as a mythology or publications before 1923).

Feature screenplays longer than 150 pages will not be eligible.

All material must be submitted electronically as a PDF or it will not be eligible.