ScreenWriting Contest

[weswerx]

I was just wondering if anyone here has heard about "thewordonscreen.com" contest. I received a notice about it at work. (I work in Christian retail)
I went to the website and looked through the information, however, I am confused about the entry fees.
I would like to participate, if I can complete my script in time.

I would love to hear any feedback or opinions that you might have concerning this.

Thanks in advance!

[Joe Calabrese]

It's $60 regular or $75 if you want their notes on your script. Personally, I wouldn't do either. They are niche prod. co. with some ties to 20th Century Fox, but they are looking for something to produce themselves, not the best screenplay.

The winning script automatically gets an option with this company-- whether the writer wants it or not. Actually by signing a release, any writer entered can get screwed if they want his/her script. It's a scam for them to make some cash and maybe find a script they will make for next year. Stay away from these types of self interest comps.

If you insist on entering in a Christian competition, try http://christianscreenwrite.com/index.html. It's a small comp but it's in its third year and is better than nothing and they won't own your script, because they don't make films.

I do have to say though that small comps have very little weight in the industry. Ones like Nichols Austin, Slam/Sundance are the ones that matter the most. But a winning title and prize does look good in a query, regardless of it's weight.

[weswerx]

Thanks Joe. I'm checking into your link now.
I'm glad that I found you guys, otherwise, I might be in trouble.

[JustinoXXV]

If you do your research, you can find out what contests have had winners who've moved on to sell their scripts and/or find writing assignments. The studios themselves at times hold their own contests and it is free to enter. (Disney, Fox). Boobsie Malone, who sometimes posts here, has won the Disney contest.

[weswerx]

I'd love to win the Disney contest. Besides, that way I can justify my next trip as "research" :)

[Ron239]

You can enter great scripts in these contests and get absolutely nowhere.
They are a waste of time and money, even the so-called prestigious ones --
Disney, Nicholl Fellowships, Chesterfield.
Even for the semi-legit ones, the odds are too much against you and the judging is usually amateur night in Dixie.
Tell your friends -- they are a GREAT BIG WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY
and the people who run these contests are getting rich off the swindle.

[Joe Calabrese]

I disagree Ron.

I am not condoning competitions as the best way to get noticed, but it still is a way, even if the odds are against you (which the same can be said about selling a script in general).

As for me, it wasn't a waste of time. After winning (third I might add, not the top slot) at Slamdance, I got two rewrite jobs and a manager within six months of going to Park City.

[JustinoXXV]

You don't pay any money at all to enter contests at Disney or Fox.

There are 15 annual winners of the Disney contests. Winners get $50,000, an airplane ticket, and one month's accomodation in Los Angeles. After that you get introductions to industry people, and they do all they can to find you work Past winners of Disney have had a pretty high success rate in future screenplay sales. And as I've said, one forumite here has actually WON this. I'm sure it was worth her time to enter.

The 5 annual winners of the Nichols (run by the Academy Award) get $30,000, and they too have had a fairly decent success rate. The Nichols you have to pay to enter.

With that said, obviously you have to win the contest first. But there isn't any guaranteed path to success.

Don't take offense Ron, but I think you've been hanging out with some other people from other parts of this forum (out of the screenwriting forum), whose standard statement on everything is this.

You must write that perfect query letter. Anything beyond query letters is totally unheard of an abnormal. Money is supposed to flow towards the writer.

And let me address that "money is supposed to flow towards the writer" statement.

Obviously, don't fall for a con artist. But does money flow towards the writer? Last I checked, the computer, it's accessories including the printer, internet service, paper, ink, and postage are not free. And that doesn't count things which may be beneficial in developing one's writing skills, such as classes, seminars, books, etc.

As for your scripts being judged by amateurs, in the end all your work is going to be judged by amateurs. The first wave of script readers who read your work are interns. And as far as movie audiences go, who will be judging your final product, they too aren't professionals. But they ultimately vote with their wallets and they determines what screenplays are made.

[Trey]

I too vouche for the Disney Fellowship, I have a teacher who won the fellowship last year and has sold two screenplays since.

[Mightypen71]

And don't forget Mike Rich won the Nichols in 1997 with a screenplay people might remember ... "Finding Forrester." He's gone on and done quite well with other projects, too.

[shoshanna]

Disney is by far the best -especially because there is no fee to enter. Warner Brothers charges for theirs. However, Nicholls and a few others are of course good as well. I think what a lot of writers look for is the wrong thing when it comes to comps such as how much money they can win. Statistics show that most of the winners do not even go on to any acclaim whatsoever. Writers should look for what the comp can do for them in the event that they win such as representation which is guaranteed and also if their material will be pitched to the right production companies. That is long-lasting. The money goes in a day. You want to get your script in the right hands. The amount of money given in competitions is only a way to draw more people into spending the money in order to participate.

[Mac H.]

In another thread (the 'Bewares' board) I mentioned an extremely dubious competition. The so-called 'Screenwriter Dig'.

This company (which is currently cash negative) had the sheer stupidity of boasting to the stock market how much money they expect to make from their screenwriting competition.

And, worst still, their numbers simply don't add up ...

See http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11348 for the old post ..

Mac