ALL SUBMISSIONS RECEIVE EVALUATION NOTES AND SCORECARDS.

Penned In Blood is designed to help writers improve their screenplays in the horror genre. We do this by providing detailed feedback.

Production companies and screenplay contests receive a lot of scripts every year and many are tossed aside before the reader has even gotten to the end. Our goal is to help identify errors that are commonly quoted by professionals as being the reason for early rejections.

Our experienced judges focus on any potential problem areas of the submission (including formatting) that would heavily count against them during the process of marketing a script or judging in other competitions.

Criticism is standard and should be expected for an evaluation that is designed to look for flaws in the submission. (It is very rare for a submission to score above an "8" during evaluation.) These scores and notes are not seen by the separate jury that selects the winners of each category.

Evaluation notes are typically between 1-2 pages long.

Submissions in the Logline category will also receive notes, although they are shorter due to the length and other limitations of the submitted material.

All submissions also receive an evaluation scorecard.

We have three contest categories:

SHORT SCREENPLAYS - Scripts no more than 40 pages long.

FEATURE SCREENPLAYS - Scripts between 41-120 pages long.

LOGLINE - A well-crafted logline is essentially the "calling card" of any script. Submissions may be no longer than two sentences.

All qualifying submissions receive scorecards with evaluation notes that are sent out via email once the judging period concludes. (Please see our rules about why a submission would be disqualified.)

Awards are given at the discretion of the jury. The winners will receive custom digital laurels.

BEST FEATURE SCREENPLAY
BEST SHORT SCREENPLAY
BEST LOGLINE

PLEASE READ OUR RULES & POLICIES BEFORE SUBMITTING!!!

GENERAL SUBMISSION RULES & POLICIES:

1. All entries must be written in English and all submitted screenplays must be in standard script format. Submissions must be made in the appropriate category and abide by any special rules for that category (script length restrictions, etc...)

2. All entries must be sent via FilmFreeway. Please do not send any hard copies or downloadable files to us directly.

3. Submissions for Feature Screenplay and Short Screenplay contests must send their full scripts.

4. Submissions for the Logline category must either send their work in as a script document on FilmFreeway or have their logline at the top of the project description. .

5. Cover Pages are not counted as part of the total page count of a submission.

6. Entries are assigned to judges shortly after they have been received, so any updated drafts must be submitted as a separate entry. If you change the files on your original submission after entering this competition, we cannot guarantee that the newer one will be the one that is evaluated by the jury.

7. All entries must be original works. No sequels, prequels, “fan films” or adaptations unless adapted from the film-maker’s own original story/novel or a work that is the public domain. (For example, a re-imagining of "The Monkey's Paw" is acceptable while a speculative sequel to "Hereditary" would not be.)

8. There is no written-by age restriction on screenplays. but they must be un-produced and not under option at the time of the competition.

9. The person submitting a project to this competition affirms that they are the writer of the work (or represents the writer) and that they remain responsible before the law. In the case of multiple writers, only one need to submit the work but all authors must be credited on the entry and have agreed to enter this competition.

10. You agree to indemnify and hold us harmless from any claim made by you or any third party due to or arising out of project(s) you submit to this competition. You understand that there are thousands of film-makers, writers and other artists and the similarities in story, characters, etc... of two or more submissions are certainly a possibility. The contest directors and judges will not knowingly share your submission with any third party.

JURY SCORECARD AND NOTES

1. All qualified submissions will receive an evaluation scorecard and the corresponding notes once the judging period has concluded. These are sent electronically via email, so please make sure that your email address on FilmFreeway is correct.

2. The jury decisions are final and may not be disputed.

3. Notes are the opinions of the individual evaluator and are meant to offer the Submitter good faith advice on how to improve their work. Criticism is standard and should be expected for an evaluation that is designed to look for flaws and potential trouble areas in the submission.

4. The competition and its affiliated jurors do not guarantee acceptance into any other contest, festival, market, or sales agreement based on the advice given in the notes and/or evaluation scorecard.

SUBMISSION FEES
The professional readers who evaluate screenplays and provide notes are compensated.

1. We do not offer discounts or hardship waivers for the submission fees. There are absolutely no exceptions to this policy.

2. Submission fees must be in U.S. dollars. These fees are non-refundable, even in the case of disqualification of an entry.

3. You may submit more than one project, but each must be submitted with a separate fee. There are no discounts for multiple submissions.

DISQUALIFICATIONS
Disqualified submissions will be marked as "not accepted" on the notification date.

1. A submission will be disqualified if it does not meet the criteria required for it to be evaluated as listed in the General Submission Rules section. The most common reasons for disqualification are the failure to attach a screenplay file to the submission, a submission being entered into the wrong category, or a script not being written in English.

2. Refunds are not issued to disqualified submissions, so please make sure that your entry is compliant with the competition rules before submitting.

3. In the event of a disqualification, the submitter will be notified as to the reason why the entry was not qualified for the competition once the judging period has concluded.

4. Please check your submission carefully before entering the competition. You will not be notified by us if there is a problem with your submission prior to the judging period, as it is usually the judges who discover the issue while evaluating their assigned submissions.

Overall Rating
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Networking
  • They gave me very good constructive criticism for my loglines on both of my scripts. I am a huge fan of horror and I write it as well. It's a very profitable genre that does not receive the respect it deserves so it's very refreshing to see a screenplay festival that seeks to promote horror.

    September 2025
  • Nik Patrick

    I'm grateful to the Penned In Blood Screenwriting Competition team and was thrilled when my script for SLASHER U won Best Screenplay in 2025. The contest is worth it for the scorecard alone. They rate aspects such as Marketability, Title Strength, and Dialogue. This is helpful in developing a screenplay even further.

    Thank you!

    -Nik Patrick

    September 2025
  • Gvone Wharton

    I am just happy to be the winner of their 2024 logline category contest for Not Gonna Die. I can't wait to see what there gonna do next. I also can't wait how the process gonna be like.

    December 2024
  • Rae Ashe

    Great communication. Love the feedback and opportunity!!

    May 2024
  • Angie Baggett

    Great communication! Excellent script feedback! Thank you!

    March 2024