Whether you’re weaving tales of interstellar adventures, dystopian futures, mystical lands, or encounters with the unknown, we’re looking for original scripts that captivate, intrigue, and transport audiences to the edges of imagination. This year’s competition features:

Grand Prize Mentorship: Kari Stringham-Drake (SEVERANCE, LOST IN SPACE) will meet with the winner of the competition

Development Prize: An opportunity to get insight from Daniel Perry at Buchwald

Industry Jury: Including execs from Zero Gravity Management, ACE Content, and pros behind great franchises like STAR WARS and X-MEN.

Prizes: Designed to jump start your career

Past winners and finalists have signed with reps at companies like CAA, Empirical Evidence and Circle of Confusion. Others have been hired to write features and signed shopping agreements for their projects. You could be next!

Awards & Prizes

VIP MENTOR
Kari Stringham-Drake

We welcome screenwriter Kari Stringham-Drake (SEVERANCE, LOST IN SPACE) as VIP Mentor for this year's competition. Kari will select one writer or writing team from our finalists to connect with for virtual meetings and script feedback.

Kari is a WGA award-winning, Emmy-nominated Writer/Producer in Hollywood. She got her start storyboarding for HBO's hit show DEADWOOD. Kari then made the jump into TV writing through her acceptance into the Warner Brothers Writers' Workshop. She's worked on dozens of series, including the following hits and critically acclaimed shows : LOST IN SPACE/Netflix. DARK CRYSTAL/Netflix, SEVERANCE/Apple TV, MONARCH Legacy of Monsters/Apple TV. She's an alumni of USC's film school. When Kari is not writing, she's making her annual pilgrimage to Middle Earth or hiking in the Studio City hills.

THE JURY
The top scripts are considered by our incredible industry jury.

KATHLEEN GARDNER
Creative Executive, Jon Watts

Kathleen Gardner is a development executive for the director Jon Watts, helping to manage a slate of projects across both film and television. Upcoming projects include STAR WARS: SKELETON CREW for Disney+, WOLFS starring Brad Pitt and George Clooney for Apple, and FINAL DESTINATION 6 for New Line Cinema. Kathleen is a native of Virginia and a graduate of USC’s Peter Stark Producing Program and the University of Virginia.

MJ GROGAN
Director of Development, ACE Content

After first cutting his teeth as a development intern at Marvel Studios, he moved over to The Donners’ Company where he quickly worked his way up to become a creative executive, aiding in the development of films and shows in the X-Men cinematic universe as well as the upcoming Lethal Weapon 5 among several other projects.

RODRIGO MOSCOSO
Development Executive, Zero Gravity Management

Rodrigo Moscoso started his career at VMI Worldwide, where he played a key role in launching a new development department. He immersed himself in management during his time at the Radmin Company, where he developed scripts alongside the co-producer of Marvel’s Moon Knight and The Falcon & Winter Soldier, among other showrunners. As creative executive at Zero Gravity Management, Rodrigo develops projects and talent from the ground up, with feet in both the production and management worlds.

PARIS HERBERT-TAYLOR
Creative Executive

Paris Herbert-Taylor is a former Creative Executive at Pride of Gypsies, founded by Jason Momoa, star of beloved tentpole film and television series Aquaman, Game of Thrones, and Dune. She is currently developing various feature projects.

SEAN AVERSA
Development Executive, Zero Gravity Management

Sean Aversa works in scripted development at Zero Gravity Management (OZARK, THE ACCOUNTANT). Sean currently has over a dozen features in development at Zero Gravity in a variety of genres ranging from action-thrillers, action-comedies, and grounded sci-fi. Sean strives to pair great hooks with great characters in the features he develops. Sean previously worked in the development department at Atchity Productions where he advised on and developed feature and television projects.

THE PRIZES

Grand Prize Winner

The overall grand prize winner in either feature or TV category will be welcomed to the Writer Development Program and receive personal introductions and phone calls with one or more top Hollywood literary manager(s), producers, or industry exec. who are looking for talented emerging Film & TV screenwriters.

ScreenCraft's genre specific relationships include companies like Scott Free Productions, MGM, Lionsgate, HBO Max, and over 150 other Hollywood managers, agents, producers, and development executives.

ScreenCraft has a proven track record for getting writers signed with managers, agents, and staffed in writing rooms.

They'll also receive:
- Personal Introduction to Industry Professionals
- Accepted into the Writer Development Program
- $1,000 cash award
- An exclusive invitation to a Finalist only workshop to position yourself and your writing to the industry

Feature & TV Winners
- $500 cash award
- Accepted into the Writer Development Program
- An exclusive invitation to a Finalist only workshop to position yourself and your writing to the industry

Finalists
- An exclusive invitation to a Finalist only workshop to position yourself and your writing to the industry
- Guaranteed Meeting with an Industry Professional

ADD-ON PRIZE OPPORTUNITY

Development Prize with Daniel Perry at Buchwald

This optional add-on prize category will grant one eligible writer the opportunity to learn, develop, and strengthen their project with guidance from an industry professional. This unique add-on benefit is separate from the ScreenCraft Sci-fi & Fantasy Competition prizes and placements.

We welcome Literary Agent Daniel Perry of Buchwald, who will select one writer/writing team with an outstanding concept from the ScreenCraft Sci-fi & Fantasy Competition for development guidance meetings.

Only projects submitted to the ScreenCraft Sci-fi & Fantasy Competition AND that select this add-on are eligible for consideration in this category. Additionally, all projects that place in the Top 10 of the competition will automatically be considered.

Rules & Terms

Rules:

Please visit https://screencraft.org/scifi/ for all rules, terms, and eligibility requirements.

1.Submissions are accepted via electronic submission only.

2. Entry fees are as listed on the site and checkout form. No coupon or discount is applicable on a previous entry.

3. Optional feedback from a professional reader may be requested at the time of entry. Requests for feedback can be done through Coverfly.

4. Entries may be any length -- the standard 1/2 hour is between 20 - 40 pages, and the standard hour long is between 40 - 70 pages, and the standard feature is between 85 - 120 pages. Any script submission longer than 120 pages will incur a $.50 per page overage fee for each page over 120 if it does not include feedback and $1 per page if the entry does include feedback.

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

6. 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.

7. All submitted material must be owned by the writer(s), however the material may be based on other works not owned by the writers.

8. 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).

9. 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 any prizes awarded as they deem fair (whether there is a cash value or not).

10. Substitutions of either corrected pages or new drafts of the entered material will be allowed for a limited time with a $6 reentry fee through Coverfly. Please proofread your script carefully before submitting.

11. It is recommended that original material be registered with the WGA or The Library of Congress before submitting to any competition, however we do not require registration.

12. Contact info may be included on the cover page of the screenplay, however it is not required. ScreenCraft uses Coverfly to manage submissions and automatically removes cover pages before scripts are read by the judges.

13. ScreenCraft claims no ownership nor option on your work. All ownership and rights to the scripts submitted to this contest remains with the original rights holders.

14. The decision of the judges will be final and cannot be contested in any manner. There is no score on a scorecard that guarantees advancement to the next level as advancement will be based on all scores in the competition.

15. In the event a juror, partner organization, or prize partner is no longer able to serve in their specified capacity, ScreenCraft will make its best effort to secure a replacement. ScreenCraft is not responsible for the failed delivery of any prize package by a juror, sponsor, or partner organization.

16. ScreenCraft reserves the right to change deadline and announcement dates at any time.

17. ScreenCraft reserves the right to amend these rules at any time.