The Vail Screenplay Competition is a vehicle for aspiring screenwriters to have their scripts recommended to established film producers, managers, and agents who are actively working at the top level of the film industry.

The top finalist screenplays will be shared with industry executives from Miramax, Cold Iron Pictures, Fremantle, Untitled Entertainment, Paper Street Pictures, LD Entertainment, Anonymous Content, Spyglass Media Group, Imagine Entertainment, Village Roadshow, NBC Universal, and MGM.

Past Vail Film Festival special guests include Olivia Wilde, Aaron Paul, Kate Bosworth, Kevin Smith, Michelle Monaghan, Harold Ramis, Zach Braff, Julie Delpy, Jane Seymour, Christina Ricci, Tim Daly, Jesse Eisenberg, Luke Wilson, Allison Janney, Tate Taylor, Josh Lucas, Aya Cash, Michael Imperioli, Sophia Bush, Krysten Ritter, among others.

The Vail Screenplay Competition is a signature program of the Colorado Film Institute, producer of the annual Vail Film Festival, now entering its 21st year. The Colorado Film Institute is a 501(C)3 nonprofit organization, supported by sponsorships, donors, and grants, including support from Colorado Creative Industries and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The top finalist screenplays will be shared with industry executives from Miramax, Cold Iron Pictures, Fremantle, Untitled Entertainment, Paper Street Pictures, LD Entertainment, Anonymous Content, Spyglass Media Group, Imagine Entertainment, Village Roadshow, NBC Universal, and MGM.

1st place, 2nd place and 3rd place feature, short, and television screenplay winners will be included in a national press release, and will have their scripts recommended to key decision-makers at leading entertainment companies. All top placing screenplays will also be listed on the Vail Film Festival website as the top placements of the 2024 Vail Screenplay Competition. All semifinalists and quarterfinalists will also have their scripts listed on the Vail Film Festival website.

The Vail Film Festival Screenplay Competition welcomes Feature Screenplays, Short Screenplays, and Television Pilots.

Feature Screenplays must be between 60-140 pages in length, Short Screenplays must be between 3-59 pages in length, and television screenplays must be between 20 and 70 pages in length. All screenplays must be unproduced.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • They look at scripts from all over. I’m from the UK and was selected as a finalist. It boosted my confidence massively. Definitely worth entering

    December 2023
  • Bryan Huynh

    Thank you so much for your recognition of my short screenplay "I Drum To A Different Puzzle", as of 1 of 14 Finalist. An honor and a privilege to be part of 2023 film festival.

    December 2023
  • Stuart Long

    I am working on next year's submission now.

    December 2023
  • Salvatore Klezmer Riggio

    Thank you for your consideration!

    December 2023
  • Bilal Hussain

    Thank you for selecting my award-winning un-produced short screenplay Robbers In A Wheelchair as a semi-finalist. It was a pleasure being part of the festival.

    December 2023