Screenwriting Contests: Important Information to Know Before Entering
With the aid of writing programs, authors from all over the world put in a lot of effort each spring to break into the field. Since there are so many, it may be challenging to choose which ones would best suit your needs as a budding screenwriter in addition to which ones are worthwhile of your time and/or money. “Which competition or a fellowship should I enter?” is actually the primary question that people who are just starting out ask.
The answer may vary depending on your individual objectives, but fellowships and contests push authors to create the finest tale and vie for the top reward, with the intention of gaining the industry connections necessary to start a career.
Where should you spend your time, though, because you only have so many hours in a day to compose your imaginative tales? Let’s discuss some of the main distinctions between fellowships and contests, the requirements for each, and some advantages you might not want to pass up.
Contests
Similar to this, screenwriting contests aim to provide authors with access to the industry that they otherwise would not have. The finest tournaments are organized by individuals who care about your success because they can boast about you when you win theirs. Making sure you only apply to competitions that can help you begin your career and that you do so when your script is ready is the challenge here.
Things You Must Use
For the majority of competitions, you simply need to submit an original script and money. Some contests may have a genre or format focus, but unlike fellowships, they do not require resumes or personal essays.
In contrast to fellowships, the majority of contests have an application price, which varies according to the competition’s prominence and the distance from the deadline. Many competitions also offer “early bird” discounts if you apply earlier.
The Benefits of Winning
The objective is always to assist you in establishing yourself in the sector, but what you win will also rely on the competition. In addition to being mentioned on the website, judges are frequently respectable managers, agents, producers, screenwriters, and studio officials. Even if you don’t rank first, you still have a chance to meet individuals who are interested in your work since your name and screenplay will be forwarded to industry professionals who work with the competition to identify the next great authors if it places in the top several rounds.
Most contests work with writers whose screenplays place well to link them with the proper individuals or continue to improve their story to make it marketable. Although this isn’t the only reason individuals apply, most authors use it to brag about their accomplishments following a competition and frequently compliment the development team on their excellent work.
Some competitions also provide a monetary award, screenwriting software, or other tangible prizes, but the main reason you applied is for the profession they’re helping your build, so these are frequently more welcomed bonuses.
Position Yourself for Achievement
There seem to be new deadlines every week, and because many of them include fees, it’s important to prioritize your attention. Before you go on a competition-entry binge, think about these points.
What Do You Hope to Achieve?
Are you looking for representation? To be manned? Are you seeking networking possibilities outside of Los Angeles? Where you should spend your time depends on each of these responses.
A feature writer, for instance, should not devote their attention to TV fellowships, but they could be interested in a few cinema scholarships.
TV fellowships are an excellent choice if you want to get into a writer’s room, particularly if you’re already in Los Angeles. Just be aware that only a small percentage of applicants are approved, so you might need to submit many applications.
No matter where you are in the globe or your degree of professional expertise, contests are a great option for those outside of Los Angeles who want to make their mark or who want representation.
Examine Your Rivals
There are two things you should consider before submitting an application to any competition. The first is the identity of the judges for the final round. These are frequently the ones you may encounter, so you want to make sure the judges are individuals you believe will be sympathetic to your viewpoint.
The second thing to consider is whether or not the readers are compensated. Although it’s not frequently mentioned on screenwriting websites, many smaller contests pay their competitors very little or nothing at all. To be certain, you may need to conduct some research. However, a lot of contests claim that their readers are employed in the field, but in reality, no good reader does this for free. How can you be certain that your script is being professionally reviewed if they aren’t paying their readers?
Fellowships have been around for decades and are associated with big studios, even if they have changed their name. You don’t really need to check them out in this situation; just make sure the program you’re applying to is one you want to be a part of.
Examine Your Application
After deciding whether to apply to a fellowship or a competition, you should research the organization.
This implies that before submitting, you should have a professional reader and several people in your network review your script and look for any errors or problems with the plot. Some businesses provide fellowship essay assistance, which is a wise investment because personal essays make up a sizable portion of your application.
Don’t worry if you submitted your work to many fellowships and contests by the end of this year. Many excellent authors and scripts fall between the thousands of applicants. The nice thing about being a writer is that all you need is an idea and something to write with. So, start working on your next fantastic tale.