I’ll admit, I’m in new territory submitting my script in lieu of my finished films to competitions. Â And as my feature action/adventure tale of swashbuckler hero-types ACTUALLY progresses in the competitions, I’m amazed at the perceived insignificance of it. Â I truly think writers get the short end of the stick.
Yes – there are 100s of competitions out there that really don’t mean squat to an aspiring filmmaker. Â The same is true of writing comps or film festivals. Â However, there are a few that honestly open doors for new talent. Â Here are the top 5 competitions my research has determined to mean anything.
#1 Nicholl’s Fellowship – Ran by the academy and open only to non-professional writers (you can’t earn your living writing to win this fellowship). Â Even quarterfinalists get industry attention. Â HOWEVER – they got 6404 script entries this year. Â Wow.
#2 Austin Film Festival – 17 years and still running. This competition runs simultaneously with their large Screenwriting Conference.
The Sundance Writing Lab is pretty awesome, but so very very rare to get an invite. Â Don’t waste your money on the $65-75 entry fees at the other “pro” competitions. Â If you want Hollywood to come to you, my money is on Nicholl.