Tis the Screenwriting Season... Again:
How to Put Your Best Foot forward in a Screenwriting Competition

By Melissa Pilgrim

Spring. A time to when all things seem to be new again. The trees, the flowers, young (or old) lovers, and of course, the birth of new ideas. Which is why it seems only natural that most of the country's leading screenwriting contests set their competition deadlines in spring.

Those minds behind the contests must know that writers, after hibernating throughout the winter months feverishly conceiving and developing their Oscar-worthy story, are ready to do something with work. And if the writer doesn't happen to have an uncle who's the President of a major studio, or knows the President of a major studio, then what better way to let their work stand out than to enter it in a world-wide screenwriting contest?

It's what I did as an unknown writer to help land an agent and break into the business. And nowadays more and more people are figuring out that it's a good way for them to do it as well. And though that's what the contests are for, they are also a profitable way for some companies to find good stories among the thousands of hopeful attempts. After reading hundreds of those attempts as a judge in two contests over the past three years, I have compiled a few simple tips for writers to keep in mind before they sign all those checks that tend to go along with entering many of the contests.

1. Follow the guidelines for submission for each contest. This sounds obvious, but sometimes it isn't -- because a number of guidelines are often disregarded on a regular basis. The three main mistakes include:

a) Page length. Make sure that the script is not longer or shorter than the requested page length.

b) Format. The script should be written in standard screenwriting format, not like a novel, sitcom, or stage play.

c) Do not include the author's name on the title page. Don't worry: the scripts are usually numbered and then read anonymously and no script has ever been mixed up with someone else's as far as I know, so trust that yours won't be either.

2. Do not send the original copy of the script. Also make sure that all the pages are included in the copy that you are sending and that it is copied on one side only. (Most judges recycle the scripts that don't win, so the environment is considered.)

3. Bind the script with standard cardstock and two brass fasteners with washers. Do not spend extra time and money making the script look like a spiral notebook or a classic bound leather edition. It will only stand out as looking unprofessional instead of impressing anyone. Trust me.

4. Don't include threats, statements, or warnings that your script is registered and cannot be stolen by the judge who is about to read it. Any professional writer would copyright their material before sending it out anyway, so most judges "assume" it is registered before they even open to the first page. Many contests will also have you sign a release form, which is the standard agreement that all studios have writers sign before reading any material not submitted by an agent or entertainment lawyer. Believe it or not, most stories can be found to have elements of other stories in them dating all the way back to Homer, so unless it's really original, relax and know that the judge's intention is not to steal your idea. Honest.

5. Know who you intend the viewing audience for your script to be and make sure the contest is looking for that type of project. Most contests do not want documentaries, TV movie-of-the-week stories, feature-length versions of well-known TV shows, true stories of current news events or adaptations of best-selling books. Legally, with these projects, they would have to have the rights to those stories before they even started to produce. Frankly, if it really is that great an idea it's probably already in development with the original people involved by the time you've sent it in anyway.

6. Do not include sheet music or tapes with sound effects, musical scores, or songs to be included in the soundtrack. These contests look for writers, not composers or Foley artists.

7. Do not include pictures of how the characters should look, set designs, or storyboard drawings to explain what things should look like on screen. If you can't describe it using words, then maybe you should consider directing.

8. Use spell-check.

9. Make sure your script has a main plot. Jerry Seinfeld can do two hours of a film about nothing using only subplots and chatter if he wants to, but the rest of us usually need a main storyline to make it work.

10. This is a big one: Before you send your script in, have at least five people read it and give you honest feedback. Pay attention to their comments objectively. If all agree that the blue-haired lady was completely unnecessary, she probably should be cut from the script. And don't worry if you have to revise it two, three, or twenty times before people say it's great or even good. Most professional screenwriters would never let their own mothers read their first drafts, let alone their agents! And if Shakespeare's plays can be adapted and changed as much as they have been in the last four hundred years, so can yours. No matter how much you have to rewrite it, don't get discouraged! Writing is revising; it's part of the process.

11. Let the contest officials contact you concerning your script. Most contests will send letters to let the writer know if the script went on to the next level after the first-round judging. If the script is bought by another company during the contest, contact the contest officials so it can be pulled from the competition if the rules dictate that it should be. This gives another writer a chance at their script being chosen.

12. Good luck!

-- MP
© 1999 Melissa Pilgrim